Area high school graduates are nearly as likely to choose West Georgia Technical College to continue their education as the University of West Georgia, according to a report released by the Governor’s Office of Student Achievement.

Perhaps not surprisingly, from 2000 to 2007, the top two schools chosen by local graduates, UWG and WGTC, are also local. Carrollton High School graduates were more likely to go the more traditional post-high school route. About twice as many graduates chose UWG as WGTC, with 436 or 32 percent attending the university and 206 or 15 percent attending the technical college.

Maybe more surprising, graduates of the Carroll County Schools system are almost as likely to choose WGTC as UWG. Thirty-five percent, or 1,012 of county graduates, chose to attend UWG while 901 or 30 percent chose WGTC.

That’s not surprising to Dawn Cook, vice president of Institutional Advancement for WGTC. She’s watched the median age of students fall as new graduates join the non-traditional students on campus.

“Our median age is between 26 and 27 right now, as opposed to 29 to 30 three years ago,” Cook said. “Our student population is actually getting younger.”

The younger students are just discovering the perks that drew the non-traditional students to the college, she said. WGTC doesn’t offer four-year degree programs, but it does offer an affordable, convenient and fast education that can lead into a well-paying career.

Some of the most popular programs are in the School of Health Sciences – programs such as nursing, radiological technology, dental assisting, clinical laboratory tech and surgical technology. For this coming fall, 36 percent of WGTC’s new student applications are for degree or diploma-level health-services programs.

“The job placement in those particular programs is so good, that’s one of the reasons people go into the health field,” Cook said. “Some of it is actually driven by the general growth in the health-care industry itself.”

Other popular programs are commercial truck driving, early childhood education, welding, automotive technology, criminal technology and business and administrative technology, she said.

Convenience is also a factor. With five campuses, evening and online classes, the college is very convenient to students, allowing them to work around jobs and other responsibilities. The school is seeing huge growth in its online courses because of the flexibility the classes offer, Cook said.

WGTC’s education programs are fast. The longest program the college has is a two-year associate’s degree program. The students are ready to move into their chosen careers in a matter of months in many cases. And the cost of classes at WGTC at $40 a credit hour is very affordable, especially when compared to $164 a credit hour at UWG.

For students who live in the area, WGTC is an accessible, affordable choice, Cook said.

“Our students tend to live, work, play and pay taxes right here in West Georgia,” she said. “There is a campus that is convenient to citizens in west Georgia. There is no reason for them to go off to another college.”