| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Type | Public two-year technical college in the Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG); mostly campus-based, with some hybrid and online courses |
| Campuses | Three, all in Georgia: Athens (main), Elberton (Elbert County) and Monroe (Walton County) |
| Credentials | Associate of Applied Science (AAS), Associate of Science (AS), diplomas and Technical Certificates of Credit (TCCs) in 52 program areas |
| Accreditation | Commission on Colleges and Universities (formerly SACSCOC), to award associate degrees; reaffirmed June 2024 |
| Federal aid | Yes (OPEID 00560000) |
| 2026-27 tuition | $107 per credit for Georgia residents, $214 out of state, plus $411 in fees per semester |
| Students | 4,459 in fall 2024 (federal IPEDS data); 82% part-time |
| Founded | 1958, as Athens Area Vocational-Technical School; Athens Technical College since 2000 |
| Facts checked | October 2026 |
Athens Tech: a Georgia technical college with three campuses
Athens Technical College, usually called Athens Tech, is a public two-year college in the Technical College System of Georgia. It began in 1958 as Athens Area Vocational-Technical School and took its current name in 2000. The main campus is in Athens, with two smaller campuses in Elberton (Elbert County) and Monroe (Walton County). Federal data count 4,459 students in fall 2024, and 82% of them studied part-time. The 2026-27 catalog lists 52 program areas. In health care, nine programs hold their own programmatic accreditation, and its nursing and radiography graduates pass their licensing exams at high rates. It also teaches trades such as welding, diesel, machining and air conditioning, and runs a truck-driving program.
Programs at Athens, Elberton and Monroe
Athens Tech awards the Associate of Applied Science (AAS) for careers, the Associate of Science (AS) for nursing and transfer, diplomas, and Technical Certificates of Credit (TCCs), its short certificates. Most programs are at the Athens campus; Practical Nursing and diesel are only at Elberton, and machining and barbering only at Monroe. Credits come from the 2026-27 catalog; costs follow from the $107 credit rate in the cost section.
| Program | Credential | Length and schedule | Where | Prepares for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nursing (ASN) | AS, 70 credits | 4 semesters full time; fall entry | Athens | NCLEX-RN |
| Nursing Bridge (LPN or paramedic to RN) | AS, 62 credits | At least 3 semesters of nursing courses | Athens | NCLEX-RN |
| Practical Nursing | TCC, 49 credits | Day (spring entry) or evening (5 terms; even years) | Elberton only | NCLEX-PN |
| Dental Hygiene | AAS, 86 credits | Fall entry | Athens | National Board Dental Hygiene Exam and clinical exam |
| Dental Assisting | Diploma, 50 credits | Daytime, partly online | Athens | DANB CDA; Georgia EDDA |
| Physical Therapist Assistant | AAS, 78–79 credits | Fall entry | Athens | PTA licensure exam |
| Radiologic Technology | AAS, 80–82 credits | Fall entry | Athens | ARRT (R) |
| Surgical Technology | AAS, 75–77 credits | Information session required | Athens | NBSTSA CST |
| Veterinary Technology | AAS, 80 credits | Fall entry | Athens | VTNE |
| Paramedicine | Diploma (61 credits) or AAS | Summer entry; 9:30–4:30 | Athens | NREMT Paramedic |
| Emergency Medical Technician | TCC | Fall start; evenings | Athens | NREMT EMT |
| Medical Assisting | Fundamentals TCC + Advanced TCC | Spring, then fall externship; hybrid | Athens | NCCT NCMA or NCMOA |
| Phlebotomy | Two TCCs | One semester; fall or spring | Athens | NCCT-approved (specialist TCC) |
| Health Information Management Technology | AAS, 65–68 credits | Hybrid | Athens | – |
| Air Conditioning Technology | Certificate or diploma | In person | Athens | – |
| Electrical Construction Systems Technology | Not stated on the program page | In person | Athens | Georgia electrical licence after 3 years’ work |
| Welding Technology | Associate, diploma or certificate | In person | Athens, Monroe | – |
| Precision Machining and Manufacturing | Not stated on the program page | In person, lab-based | Monroe | – |
| Diesel Equipment Technology | Certificate or diploma | In person | Elberton | – |
| Automotive Technology | Fundamentals diploma, diploma or AAS | Fundamentals available at night | Athens | Program accredited by the ASE Education Foundation |
| Commercial Truck Driving | TCC | Short certificate | Ranges at Elberton and Monroe | CDL (ELDT-compliant training) |
| Cosmetology, Barbering, Esthetician | Certificates and diplomas | Day and evening | Cosmetology at all three; barbering Monroe; esthetician Athens | – |
| Legal Studies | AAS; post-baccalaureate TCC | Partly online | Athens | ABA-approved |
Programmatic accreditors include ACEN (nursing), CODA (dental hygiene and dental assisting), CAPTE (physical therapist assistant), JRCERT (radiography), the AVMA (veterinary technology), CAAHEP (paramedicine and surgical technology), CAHIIM (health information management), the American Bar Association (Legal Studies), ACBSP (accounting, business management, business technology and marketing) and the ASE Education Foundation (automotive). Some program names need care: Engineering Technology and Applied Science is a technician degree without ABET accreditation, Early Childhood Care and Education does not lead to teacher certification, and Culinary Arts does not claim American Culinary Federation accreditation.
What the main programs cover
Nursing: ASN, bridge and Practical Nursing
The Associate of Science in Nursing takes four full-time semesters of daytime, in-person classes at Athens and admits up to 80 students each fall; applications close on 1 February, and the program ends with a 180-hour practicum. LPNs and licensed Georgia paramedics can join the second year through the 62-credit bridge, as space allows. Practical Nursing is taught only at Elberton: the day class starts in spring, and the evening class runs five terms and admits only in even-numbered years. The catalog still calls the approving body the Georgia Board of Licensed Practical Nurses.
Radiologic Technology
The radiography degree combines classroom work with four clinical courses, Clinical Radiography I to IV, worth 26 credits together. One class starts each fall, and applications close on 1 June. JRCERT, the accreditor, gave the program an eight-year award. After passing the ARRT radiography exam, technologists can return for the CT Specialist or MRI Specialist certificate at the same campus. The program publishes its first-attempt pass, placement and completion figures each year; in 2025, 14 of the 15 students who started finished.
Dental Hygiene and Dental Assisting
Both dental programs are at Athens and accredited by CODA. Dental Hygiene is an 86-credit AAS with a single fall entry (deadline 10 January) and some online coursework; the college runs a dental hygiene clinic that is open to the public, and students finish with the national board and a clinical exam. Dental Assisting is a 50-credit daytime diploma with three practicums in local dental offices, worth 1, 1 and 5 credits, and prepares students for DANB’s CDA and Georgia’s expanded duties qualification.
Paramedicine and EMT
Emergency medical training runs as a ladder. The EMT certificate starts in fall and meets in the evening, with Emergency Medical Responder and Advanced EMT certificates on either side of it. Paramedicine, a 61-credit diploma or an AAS, starts in summer (deadline 1 February) and meets from 9:30 to 4:30 on a timetable designed around 24/48 shifts, which suits working EMTs. It includes a 150-hour field internship. Revised versions of both paramedic credentials start in fall 2027.
Medical Assisting
By the 2026-27 catalog, Medical Assisting had been restructured. Students first take Fundamentals of Medical Assisting, three courses in one spring term, and then the Advanced Medical Assisting certificate, which includes the externship course MAST 1130 in the fall. Classes are hybrid and in the daytime at Athens. The college lists the program as preparing students for NCCT’s NCMA or NCMOA exams; it does not claim CAAHEP or ABHES accreditation, which the AAMA’s CMA exam requires.
Electrical, welding and machining
Electrical Construction Systems Technology at Athens covers residential wiring, commercial and industrial wiring and industrial controls; Georgia’s electrical licensing exam needs three years of work under a licensed contractor after that. Welding Technology runs at both Athens and Monroe, at associate, diploma and certificate level, and the college names IMI, RAI, Kubota and Caterpillar among employers. Precision Machining and Manufacturing at Monroe is lab-based, and the college points students to apprenticeships and internships.
2026-27 cost: $107 a credit, which HOPE can cover
Rates from the 2026-27 catalog:
| Item | 2026-27 amount |
|---|---|
| Tuition, Georgia residents | $107 per credit |
| Tuition, out of state | $214 per credit |
| Tuition, international | $428 per credit |
| Commercial Truck Driving | $139 per credit, plus a $225 fuel surcharge and a $175 background check |
| Fees, every student | $411 per semester: technology $110, registration $65, instructional $60, student activity $45, parking $45, campus safety $40, campus supply $40, accident insurance $6 |
| Example: 12 credits, Georgia resident | $1,284 tuition + $411 fees = $1,695 per semester |
| HOPE Grant / Zell Miller | $107 per credit at TCSG colleges for FY2027, the same as tuition |
For eligible Georgia residents, the HOPE Grant or Zell Miller award pays $107 a credit in FY2027, according to the Georgia Student Finance Commission, which matches in-state tuition. It does not cover the $411 in fees each semester, books, uniforms or tools. Federal data put 2024-25 tuition and fees for a full-time Georgia resident at $3,390 a year, and $5,958 for out-of-state students.
The college’s cost-of-attendance page, which gives no award year, budgets $12,056 for food and housing, $2,880 for transportation and $900 for books and supplies for nine months of full-time study; Athens Tech has no student housing of its own listed. The college takes part in federal student aid (OPEID 00560000) and also lists the HOPE Career Grant and WIOA funding.
Admissions and start dates
General admission is open, but the health programs are selective and most admit once a year: Nursing (ASN) by 1 February for fall, Dental Hygiene by 10 January, Physical Therapist Assistant by 21 May, Veterinary Technology by 15 May, Radiologic Technology by 1 June, Surgical Technology by 1 September after an information session, and Paramedicine by 1 February for a summer start. EMT applicants take the TEAS test and apply by 1 June. Practical Nursing’s day class applies by 1 September for spring, and the evening class by 1 May in even-numbered years.
Evening options include EMT, the evening Practical Nursing track at Elberton, Automotive Fundamentals and cosmetology. Classes are labelled fully in person, partially online, hybrid or fully online; Marketing is the program the college lists as fully online, and Medical Assisting and Health Information Management Technology are hybrid.
Accreditation and results
Athens Tech is accredited to award associate degrees by the Commission on Colleges and Universities, which was called SACSCOC (the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges) until it took its new name in September 2026. The commission reaffirmed the college’s accreditation in June 2024, and the college reported that the review ended with no recommendations. The nursing degree holds continuing ACEN accreditation, with its next evaluation in fall 2030.
| Measure | Result | Cohort and source |
|---|---|---|
| NCLEX-RN, first-time (ASN and bridge) | 51 of 54 passed (94.44%) | 2025, Georgia Board of Nursing; 100% in 2023 and 2024 |
| NCLEX-PN, first-time | 11 of 11 passed (100%) | 2025, Georgia Board of Nursing; 87.5% in 2024 |
| ARRT radiography, first attempt | 66 of 68 (97.1%) | Graduates 2021–2025, program effectiveness data |
| VTNE (veterinary technology) | 91.3% of 23 first-time candidates | 1 January 2023 to 31 December 2025, program data |
| NBSTSA CST (surgical technology) | 9 of 10 passed; 10 of 10 employed | Academic year 2024-25, program data |
| PTA licensure, first-time | 100% | 2025 graduates, program data |
| Graduation within 150% of normal time | 51%, plus 7% who transferred out | First-time, full-time students who started in fall 2021 (IPEDS) |
| Retention | 73% of full-time and 55% of part-time students | Fall 2023 entrants (IPEDS) |
The college’s own nursing table gives 95% for the ASN and 90% for the bridge on the 2025 NCLEX-RN, and reports 91% job placement for 2025 ASN graduates without defining it. We found no published pass or placement rates for dental hygiene, dental assisting, medical assisting, phlebotomy or the trade programs.
What changed since 2023
- April 2023: ACEN granted continuing accreditation to the nursing degree, with the next evaluation in fall 2030.
- June 2024: SACSCOC reaffirmed the college’s accreditation with no recommendations, the college reported.
- 2026-27 catalog: Medical Assisting is now two certificates instead of a diploma; Paralegal Studies is now Legal Studies and keeps ABA approval; a new Physical Therapist Assistant curriculum starts in fall 2026, and new Paramedicine versions in fall 2027.
- September 2026: SACSCOC became the Commission on Colleges and Universities.
Before you enroll
- Practical Nursing is taught only at Elberton, and its evening class admits only in even-numbered years. Most health programs admit once a year, so a missed deadline can mean a year’s wait.
- Medical Assisting graduates sit NCCT’s exams, not the AAMA’s CMA. Check which credential local employers ask for.
- HOPE covers tuition only. Plan for $411 in fees every semester plus books, uniforms and tools; truck driving costs $139 a credit with $400 in added charges.
- Most students study part-time (82% in fall 2024), and 51% of full-time first-time students who started in fall 2021 graduated within 150% of normal program time.
- We found no statement from the college on whether students living outside Georgia can take its online courses. Ask before applying from another state.
Clinics, placements and career help
Clinical and work placements are built into the health programs: three dental practicums, 16 weeks of full-time PTA clinicals, four radiography clinical courses, the medical assisting externship and the nursing practicum. The Athens campus’s dental hygiene clinic and its cosmetology and esthetics lab are open to the public. The college also runs a Career Center.
What students say on Niche
On Niche, Athens Tech has 3.81 out of 5 from 305 reviews and an overall grade of B- (checked 8 October 2026); 64% of reviews give four or five stars and 7% give one or two. Reviewers most often praise instructors who care whether students succeed, a mix of hands-on and classroom learning, and schedules that fit around work and family. The most common complaints are staff and advisors who are hard to reach, a confusing start with financial aid and logins, and some instructors who are inflexible about workload. The newest dated reviews are from September 2025 and show no sign of a burst.
Sources
Checked October 2026: Locations · 2026-27 catalog: accreditation · 2026-27 catalog: tuition and fees · Commission on Colleges and Universities name change · Georgia Board of Nursing RN NCLEX results 2022–2025 · PN NCLEX results 2022–2025 · College Navigator · GSFC FY2027 award amounts
Programs & Courses
Nursing
- Nursing (Associate of Science, RN; Athens)
- Nursing Bridge Program (LPN or paramedic to RN)
- Practical Nursing (LPN; Elbert County campus only, day and evening)
- Nurse Aide Accelerated
- Nurse Aide Fast Track
- Pre-Nursing
Health Sciences
- Dental Hygiene
- Dental Assisting
- Coronal Polishing
- Radiology/EFDA Certificate
- Physical Therapist Assistant
- Radiologic Technology
- CT Specialist
- MRI Specialist
- Surgical Technology
- Veterinary Technology
- Veterinary Technician Assistant
- Fundamentals of Medical Assisting
- Advanced Medical Assisting
- Accelerated Phlebotomy Technician
- Phlebotomy Technology Specialist
- Health Information Management Technology
- Health Information Coding
- Healthcare Assistant
- Allied Health Professions
- Bioscience
Emergency Medical Services
- Emergency Medical Responder
- Emergency Medical Technician
- Advanced Emergency Medical Technician
- EMS Professions
- Pre-hospital EMS Operations
- Paramedicine (diploma and AAS)
Trades and Manufacturing
- Air Conditioning Technology
- Electrical Construction Systems Technology
- Welding Technology (Athens and Walton County)
- Precision Machining and Manufacturing Technology (Walton County)
- Automation and Robotics Technology
- Technical Specialist
- Applied Technical Management
Automotive, Diesel and Driving
- Automotive Fundamentals (evenings available)
- Automotive Technology
- Automotive Collision Repair
- Diesel Equipment Technology (Elbert County)
- Commercial Truck Driving
Engineering Technology and Drafting
- Architectural and Engineering Drawing Technology
- Engineering Technology and Applied Science
- Engineering Technology Basics
- Stormwater and Erosion Control Technician
- Emerging Technologies
Cosmetology, Barbering and Esthetics
- Cosmetology
- Barbering (Walton County)
- Esthetician (Athens)
Culinary and Design
- Culinary Arts (AAS and diploma)
- Baking and Pastry
- Catering
- Prep Cook
- Food Production Worker I
- Interior Design (AAS and diploma)
- Kitchen and Bath Designer
- Color Consultant, Sales Consultant, Interiors Technology and Interiors Specifier
Public Service, Law and Education
- Criminal Justice Technology
- Conservation Law Enforcement
- Legal Studies (formerly Paralegal Studies)
- Legal Studies Post-Baccalaureate
- Social Work Assistant
- Early Childhood Care and Education
- ECCE Basics
- Child Development Specialist
- Applied Behavior Technician
Business
- Accounting
- Business Management
- Hospitality Operations Associate
- HR Management Specialist
- Management and Leadership
- Marketing (also fully online)
- E-Commerce Marketer
- Social Media Marketing
- Entrepreneurship
Computers
- Networking Specialist
- Cybersecurity
- Computer Support Specialist
Agriculture and Transfer
- Agricultural Science (Elbert County)
- Psychology (AS)
- Interdisciplinary Studies
- Early College Essentials
Campus Locations
Athens, GA 800 US Hwy 29 North, Athens, GA 30601
Elberton, GA 1317 Athens Highway, Elberton, GA 30635
Monroe, GA 212 Bryant Road, Monroe, GA 30655