The U.S. Department of Education (Department) announced today more than $80 million in grant awards to 26 grantees to improve access to postsecondary education for students from low-income backgrounds. The grants are being provided under the Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP) program, which aims to significantly increase the number of students from low-income backgrounds who are prepared to attend and succeed in postsecondary education.
“GEAR UP helps communities come together to start early in preparing young people to go to college and succeed,” said U.S. Under Secretary of Education James Kvaal. “The Biden-Harris Administration has fought to help all students reach their college dreams and go on to a better life.”
GEAR UP provides six- or seven-year grants to states and partnerships to provide services at middle and high schools serving a large proportion of students from low-income backgrounds. Eight grantees are receiving awards through the GEAR UP State program and 18 grantees are receiving awards through the GEAR UP Partnership program. More information can be found here.
A list of grantees can be found below:
| State | Grantee | Amount of Grant | Type of Grant |
| AR | Arkansas Tech University | $925,600 | Partnership |
| CA | Vaughn Next Century Learning Center District | $2,709,600 | Partnership |
| GA | Bibb County School District | $2,643,209 | Partnership |
| IN | Purdue University | $4,995,000 | State |
| KS | University of Kansas Center for Research | $760,000 | Partnership |
| KS | University of Kansas Center for Research | $2,400,000 | Partnership |
| KS | Wichita State University | $3,500,000 | State |
| MN | Minnesota Office of Higher Education | $4,450,000 | State |
| NC | Appalachian State University | $5,000,000 | Partnership |
| OH | Cleveland Municipal School District | $204,000 | Partnership |
| OH | ESC of Northeast Ohio | $3,680,000 | Partnership |
| OK | Seminole State College | $934,400 | Partnership |
| RI | Office of the Postsecondary Commissioner Rhode Island | $4,800,000 | State |
| TN | Tennessee Technological University | $1,424,800 | Partnership |
| TN | Tennessee Higher Education Commission | $4,999,848 | State |
| TX | Education Service Center Region 10 | $3,606,400 | Partnership |
| TX | The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley | $4,215,200 | Partnership |
| TX | University of Texas at Austin | $4,614,400 | Partnership |
| TX | University of Texas at Austin | $2,836,000 | Partnership |
| TX | Region One Education Service Center | $4,831,200 | Partnership |
| TX | Victoria County Junior College District | $191,072 | Partnership |
| UT | Utah Valley University | $4,500.000 | State |
| VA | James Madison University | $321,600 | Partnership |
| WA | University of Washington | $3,035,200 | Partnership |
| WA | Washington Student Achievement Council | $5,000,000 | State |
| WY | The University of Wyoming | $4,019,424 | State |
| Total | $80,596,953 |