Georgia Highlands College (GHC) Introduction and Academics

Introduction

Founded in 1968 and opened in 1970 as Floyd Junior College; the institute was originally named for Floyd County. The Georgia Board of Regents finally changed the name to Georgia Highlands College on August 1, 2005 to reflect the provincial nature of the population it serves. Since 1970, the College has served Northwest Georgia and Northeast Alabama as a two year, associate degree-awarding institution of the University System of Georgia. Also referred to as GHC, it now serves more than 5,000 students in the region. Apart from its Floyd Campus, GHC also operates a Cartersville Campus, Douglasville Site, Heritage Hall, and Marietta Site.

Information Summary

Ranks 20th in Georgia and 938th overall. See the entire top 2,000 colleges and universities list
Overall Score (about)	81.1
Total Cost On-Campus Attendance	$4,488
Admission Success rate	N/A
Student Ratio Students-to-Faculty	20 : 1
Retention (full-time / part-time)	100% / 100%
Enrollment Total (all students)	6,184

Academics

This school provides educational programs of the following types: transfer programs, career programs, cooperative programs, and continuing education programs. It awards associate’s degrees in diverse areas of study such as arts, criminal justice, English, foreign languages, history, journalism, and philosophy. Certificate programs include Criminal Justice and Cancer Care Nurse Navigator (CCNN). Students can also choose from the career programs including Dental Hygiene, Human Services, and Nursing (RN).

GHC is composed of the following five academic divisions: Division of Academic Support; Division of Humanities; Division of Mathematics; Division of Natural Sciences, Health Sciences and Physical Education; and Division of Social Sciences and Business.

GHC Online:

Online courses offer a lot of flexibility to the students who are unable to attend a regular college due to several reasons. The college offers two types of online courses: Start-It-Now courses and 6-Week-Courses. The Start-It-Now courses can be started anytime, and students are not required to be online at any particular time. The 6-Week-Courses have specific start dates. Though students are not required to be online at any specific time, but they are expected to complete each assignment within the stipulated timeframe.

Most Popular Fields of Study

Admissions

Freshman students seeking admission must send their high school GPA, and those from non-accredited high school must take the GED test and attain the passing score as required by the state of Georgia. Applicants also need to send their ACT or SAT score. Getting a transfer is quite simple. Applicants must send the official transcripts from all previous institutes.

International students are welcome to the College. Applicants must take any one of the following tests: TOEFL, SAT, ACT or IELTS. Students whose native language is not English must send their proof of English language proficiency. They are expected to take the TOEFL or IELTS test.

Financial Aid

Financial aid is offered to the needy and deserving students through various mediums such as scholarships, grants, loans etc. Some of the scholarships offered at the institute are Bill and Pat Eakes Nursing Scholarship; Cook Study-Abroad Scholarship; Georgia Highlands College Non-Traditional Scholarship; Walraven Scholarship; Criminal Justice Scholarship; and Carlin Routledge Nursing Scholarship. There are also external scholarships offered such as Jack Kent Cooke Scholarship; Hispanic Scholarship Fund; Esserman-Levin Fund for Social Justice Scholarship; and Chapter AP of P.E.O.

Federal and state grants are given out to the students to help them pay for college. The grants include Federal Pell Grant, Law Enforcement Personnel Dependents (LEPD) Grant, The Georgia Public Safety Memorial Grant, Leveraging Educational Assistance Partnership Grants (LEAP), and Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants (FSEOG). GHC also offers financial aid through student loans and work-study programs.

Student Financial Aid Details

Ranks 6454th for the average student loan amount.
Secrets to getting the best scholarships and financial aid in Georgia.

Students

Georgia Highlands College presents a vibrant student life that helps them in their overall personality development. Some of the registered student organizations are Baptist Student Union (BSU), Bass Fishing Club, Believers United Christian Club (BUCC), Cultural Awareness Society, Endurance Sports Club, Highlands Interactive Productions (HIP), and Student Engagement Council (SEC). Students can either join an organization or create a new one.

There is also a Greek presence on the campus in the form of honor societies. Some of the honor societies include Alpha Beta Gamma (ABG), Phi Theta Kappa (PTK), and Psi Beta.

Media and Publications:

The Old Red Kimono is an annual literary magazine of the college, published each spring. It is designed and edited by student editors. The magazine features writings and artwork of the students, as well as a few non-student submissions.

The Six Mile Post is the award-winning newspaper of the college. It is designed, written, and edited by students. There are several students that serve on the editorial board in part-time positions. The newspaper is published seven times a year, three issues in fall and four issues in spring.

GHTV is the television station that cablecasts on Comcast Cable’s channel 4 in Floyd County, serving nearly 40,000 homes in the Northwest Georgia area.

Campus Facilities:

The libraries are situated in the Floyd campus, Cartersville campus and Marietta campus. The libraries house more than 80,000 book volumes, over 250 magazine, 19,000 microfilm, 5,000 sound recordings and over 1500 video titles. They are also accessible online. There is always a librarian available to assist the students find what they want. The libraries at Floyd and Cartersville campuses feature a study space, computer access, study and conference rooms, and research assistance.

The Student Success Center is designed to help students succeed in college and advance their skills with the help of academic advising, tutoring, placement through testing, and opportunities for volunteering and service learning. There is also an Office of Counseling & Career Services to provide counseling to the students regarding their personal and academic problems. The Disability Support (Access Center) offers additional support services for the students with documented disabilities.

Student Enrollment Demographics

Student Graduation Demographics

Athletics

This college has a well-designed Intramural Program that is committed to providing opportunities for each student, faculty member, or staff member to contribute in a variety of wellness, fitness and sports activities. The student activities are designed to contain all levels of skill. The Intramural Program emphasizes and encourages participation, sportsmanship, healthy exercise, and social interaction. Bolt, the Charger is the official mascot of the college. The athletes are nicknamed the Highlanders. They participate in sports like basketball, golf, volleyball, basketball, and frisbee. The school’s colors are Blue and Orange.

Additional School Information

They organize several events and community outreach programs to enrich the overall experience of the students. Students are encouraged to participate in events like Fabulous Fridays, Foundation Camp, and Green Highlands.

Georgia Highlands College