Central Georgia Technical College (CGTC) recently received high, national rankings in Community College Week (CCW) magazine. CGTC is ranked 13th nationwide among the top 100 producing two-year colleges for one-year certificates among all disciplines. The College is also ranked number one for the same category among African-American students.

Among the rankings for one-year certificates awarded for all disciplines, CGTC was the only Georgia college in the top 20. And, for the first time, CGTC topped one of CCW’s ranking lists with the number one ranking for awards among African-American students.

According to the article associated with the published rankings, schools across the nation are experiencing small declines in award conferrals due to the slow, but steady, economic recovery following the Great Recession of 2008. Even with the decline, the number of associate degrees awarded still eclipsed one million.

Data reflected in these rankings is derived from the Integrated Post-secondary Education Data Set, or IPEDS, completion data from the U.S. Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). CCW annually publishes rankings for two-year colleges across the nation who award associate degrees and one-year certificates. To be considered for the ranking, a college must be based in the 50 states, be accredited by a recognized agency, and must have permission to dispense Title IV federal student financial assistance. The 2014 rankings reflect degrees or certificates awarded during the 2012-2013 academic year.

CCW is a national publication based in Virginia. Since 1988, the publication has been an independent source of in-depth information for and about two-year college faculty, administrators, and trustees. Published biweekly, each edition features news concerning community and two-year colleges, including analyses of academic trends and issues, statistics, technology updates, and employment opportunities. 

CCW publishes this special report annually, ranking the top 100 degree and certificate producing two-year institutions, upon the release of the IPEDS data. The report acknowledges that while it is just one measure of the College's contribution to the community, the number of degrees and certificates awarded is one of the most tangible and countable outcomes that lends itself to analysis and ranking. 

Even though the data for these rankings predate the merger, The NEW Central Georgia Technical College is the result of the July 2013 administrative consolidation of Central Georgia Technical in Macon and Middle Georgia Technical College in Warner Robins. Now, with an annual credit enrolment of over 12,000 students, CGTC is one of the largest two-year colleges in Georgia, offering over 190 programs of study at three campuses and four centers throughout middle Georgia, and online.

Fall semester classes begin January 6. Registration for current students in ongoing and new student registration begins November 17. For more information, call 478-988-6800 or log on to www.centralgatech.edu.