Record Number of Students Attending GTC

The economy is driving a record number of students to enroll at Gateway Technical College.

GTC spokesperson Lee Colony said there are 7,493 people taking classes at the Racine Campus, with a “full-time enrollment” count at nearly 1,851.

The school calculates full-time enrollment by taking the number of all credits being earned by all students and dividing that number by 30, which is what a full-time student would take. Overall, about 25,000 students take classes at the GTC campuses each year, with an overall full-time enrollment of 6,000 -- the first time GTC has ever hit this mark.

Twenty-year-old Heather Davis, Racine, has been enrolled full-time in Gateway’s Automotive Technology Program for the past year. She said she chose Gateway because it’s close to home and cheaper than most tech colleges, plus she’ll be earning an Associates Degree instead of a certificate.

She’s noticed the change.

“There are more people at the Kenosha campus, and my Technical Reporting class has many students,” she said. “I would recommend Gateway to others, especially those who do not know what they would like to do yet. It’s a great place to at least get started and get some general ed classes.”

Colony said the school is targeting classes at unemployed and underemployed workers, and is also doing a better job at retaining students who are already enrolled. Seventy-five percent of students who took a class in Fall 2010 enrolled again in the spring, compared with a national technical college average of 50 percent.

Gateway has also increased enrollment -- and offered more opportunities to students -- by transitioning to a three-semester year. This allows students to jump into their educations at more convenient times, and also allows them to finish more quickly.