Date Posted: June 16, 2020
As online education becomes more valuable to students amid the recent COVID-19 pandemic, Optimal, a website devoted to higher education review, recently ranked community colleges in Georgia for sustained quality, placing Southern Crescent Technical College (SCTC) at No. 8.
According to Optimal’s press release spotlighting affordable community colleges with online degrees, SCTC and other institutions offer a unique entry point into higher education amid the circumstances.
“Online community colleges offer an affordable option for students who want to begin their education path at home and bypass the unpredictability of what the fall semester may bring,” Optimal wrote. “This choice can eliminate the financial strain of a four-year, on-campus degree at a traditional university, an important consideration as students face an uncertain economy.”
The methodology for the rankings incorporates many factors important to the success of a community college, including retention rate, graduation rate, and the variety of programs available. Additionally, the rankings weigh the percent of students enrolled in online degrees specifically, as an indicator of the success of the college’s distance education program. These data points were all collected by the National Center of Education Statistics.
Nationwide, Optimal researched 550 community colleges, and gave each a score based on these factors. Only schools that scored 70% or higher were included in the rankings. In order to be considered for a ranking list, community colleges need to be regionally accredited and offer at least one fully online associate degree.
Southern Crescent Technical College Fall Semester begins August 18. The application fee and placement test requirement are being waived for all new applicants for fall semester.
For more information on Online Courses and Programs at SCTC visit, https://www.sctech.edu/programs/