Gaston College is an open-door public community college, serving both Gaston and Lincoln counties of North Carolina. Gaston College is an open-door public community college, located in Gaston and Lincoln counties, that promotes student success and lifelong learning through high caliber, affordable, and comprehensive educational programs and services responding to economic and workforce development
needs. The college opened in 1963 with a single campus and has since expanded to three campuses serving approximately 26,000 students annually through over 100 programs leading to degrees, diplomas and certificates. It is the 9th largest of 58 institutions in the North Carolina Community College System and is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS). The college offers courses in four curriculum areas: Arts & Sciences; Health Education; Business & Information Technology; and Engineering & Industrial Technology. It also offers Economic & Workforce Development services in six areas: Corporate Education; Learning Solutions Center; Small Business Center; Life Skills; Community Education; and Public Safety. Gaston College’s vision is to be viewed as the premier post-secondary educational resource in the region, consistently recognized as an exceptional community college and known in the state and nation for successful and innovative programs. In pursuit of that goal, Gaston College operates numerous unique programs, including: the Textile Technology Center that serves textile companies across the country by providing product development, fiber/yarn testing, training & technical assistance; hosting the North Carolina Community College System’s Learning Solutions Center which works with colleges and industries across the state on instructional design and development, e-learning, training, and project management; one of only three community college operated and Corporation for Public Broadcasting funded public radio stations in North Carolina; and operating the largest live burn firefighter training building in the country. The college also operates one of the largest Basic Skills programs in the state, serving over 5,000 people each year and graduating more students through its Adult High School program than any high school in its two-county service area. Additionally, Gaston Early College High School opened on August 20, 2012, as an innovative high school located on the Dallas Campus of Gaston College and is operated by Gaston County Schools and Gaston College through a joint partnership. Students take high school and college courses simultaneously and are provided academic support by both the high school and college. GECHS has the capacity to serve 250 students in grades 9 – 13. Early College Initiative began in NC in 2004 as a way to encourage more students to complete high school and gain advanced skills needed for the 21st century workplace.
