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The Dual Enrollment program at West Georgia Technical College (WGTC) received official accreditation from the Accreditation Commission of the National Alliance of Concurrent Enrollment Partnerships (NACEP), according to a press release.

This year, NACEP granted accreditation to 25 concurrent enrollment programs at colleges and universities nationwide, bringing total number of NACEP accredited programs across the country to 134, spanning 26 states. WGTC is only the second college in Georgia to become NACEP accredited.

Receiving NACEP accreditation means an institution has met the nation’s most rigorous standard in concurrent enrollment program development, management, and evaluation across multiple, multifaceted program areas. To earn NACEP accreditation, concurrent enrollment programs conduct a self-study, document how their programs adhere to NACEP’s sixteen standards, and undergo a rigorous peer-review process conducted by a team of representatives from NACEP accredited programs as well as the NACEP Accreditation Commission.

Lauren Edgar, Executive Director of Dual Enrollment at WGTC, guided the College through the process which took several years to complete.

“Through the accreditation process, West Georgia Technical College successfully provided evidence of dual enrollment program partnerships, student admission and experience, program assessment, curriculum, faculty credentialing and observation, and program evaluation,” Edgar said. “This accreditation is not required, but it shows the parents in our seven-county service area that WGTC has gone the extra mile to make sure the college courses we provide their students are of the highest standard. I am thrilled that our program received this accreditation and look forward to continuing to serve high school students in West Georgia through the dual enrollment program.”

WGTC’s dual enrollment program allows high school students to enroll in college courses and earn credit for both high school and college at the same time. Students can take degree level courses that may transfer to colleges and universities in the University System of Georgia and the Technical College System of Georgia and nationwide or choose from a variety of occupational courses in high-demand career fields. WGTC served over 1,700 high school students this year earning them over 17,000 college credits. NACEP’s accreditation is valid for five years for initial accreditation and then seven years for reaccreditation, during which time programs commit to uphold NACEP’s standards and report annually on program practices.