Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP) Partnership Grants
GEAR UP funds college-school partnerships that follow a whole grade cohort of students in high-poverty schools from middle school through high school graduation, and optionally into the first year of college. Services include tutoring, mentoring, college visits, financial aid counseling and family outreach. Applicants must match federal funds dollar for dollar, and evaluation quality carries a quarter of the score.
Program facts
- Agency
- Office of Postsecondary Education (OPE), Student Service, U.S. Department of Education
- Assistance Listing
- 84.334A
- Statutory authority
- Title IV, Part A, Subpart 2, Chapter 2 of the Higher Education Act of 1965, sections 404A-404H (20 U.S.C. 1070a-21 to 1070a-28); regulations at 34 CFR part 694
- Award ceiling
- Up to $5,000,000 per year, capped at $800 per student per 12-month budget period, with no increases in years two through seven
- Awards
- The FY2025 Partnership competition estimated about 29 awards from $36.5 million, averaging about $1.2 million a year; a parallel State grants competition (84.334S) estimated 8 awards
- Period of performance
- 72 months, or 84 months if the project follows students through their first year of college
- Cost share
- Dollar-for-dollar (50% of total project cost) from state, local, institutional or private sources, in cash or in-kind, accrued over the grant with substantial progress each year; reduced match available for documented economic hardship
- Cycle
- GEAR UP competes every few years. The FY2025 Partnership notice first posted November 20, 2024, was corrected on June 11, 2025 to remove all competitive preference priorities, and closed June 25, 2025. The Administration's FY2026 budget proposed folding GEAR UP into a consolidated grant, while congressional spending bills kept it near FY2025 levels; check current appropriations before planning.
Program goals
- Increase academic performance and preparation for postsecondary education among cohort students
- Raise high school graduation and postsecondary enrollment rates
- Increase students' and families' knowledge of postsecondary options, preparation and financing
- Support students through their first year of college when the project runs 84 months
Scoring rubric
Need for project10
Comparative data on the challenge (4), focus on underserved students (3), and clearly identified gaps the services will close (3).
Quality of the project design30
Measurable, ambitious goals aligned to GEAR UP purposes (8), a logic model linking inputs to outcomes (8), input from parents, educators and community partners (7), and likely systemic change (7).
Adequacy of resources15
Support from the lead applicant (5), each partner's commitment (5), and a reasonable budget (5).
Quality of project personnel20
Hiring of people with experience of barriers such as economic disadvantage, disability or rural location (5), qualified director (5) and key staff (5), and adequate time commitments (5).
Quality of the project evaluation25
Objective performance measures (10), formative feedback during the project (10), and an experimental, quasi-experimental or controlled correlational design (5).
Point values from the FY2025 GEAR UP Partnership notice (89 FR 91708, November 20, 2024). The June 11, 2025 correction removed the 13 competitive preference points but left the selection criteria unchanged. Confirm against the next notice.
Eligibility
- Partnerships of at least one degree-granting institution of higher education and at least one local educational agency
- Partnerships may add two or more community organizations, businesses, state agencies or other public or private entities
- Partners must submit a group agreement under 34 CFR 75.127 to 75.129
- States apply separately under the State grants competition (84.334S)
Required attachments
- SF-424 and ED Form 524 budget with budget narrative
- Partnership group agreement signed by every member
- Match documentation by source and year, including in-kind valuation
- One-page abstract
- Application narrative addressing each selection criterion
- Request for reduced match, if claiming economic hardship
- Assurances and certifications
Formatting rules
- Recommended limit of 65 pages for the application narrative
- Double-spaced text, including headings, footnotes and text in charts, on 8.5 x 11 pages with 1-inch margins
- Times New Roman, Courier, Courier New or Arial at 12 points or larger
- Budget, assurances and the abstract do not count toward the recommended limit
Why applications lose points
- Requesting more than $800 per student per year or building in budget increases after year one
- Match plans without named sources, amounts and valuation methods
- A cohort that does not start by seventh grade or does not follow the whole grade level
- An evaluation without baseline data or a comparison group
- Partner letters that endorse the project without describing a role or contribution
How ELIXIR CONSUMERS helps with GEAR UP
- 1.Calculates the per-student cap from your cohort enrollment and checks every budget year against it
- 2.Builds the seven-year match schedule from partner commitments and flags years that fall behind
- 3.Drafts the need section from your district and state assessment data in the vault, with sources cited
- 4.Assembles the partnership group agreement with each member's activities taken from the narrative
More education breakdowns
- NSF ATE Advanced Technological Education (ATE)ALN 47.076
- NSF IUSE: EDU Improving Undergraduate STEM Education: Directorate for STEM Education (IUSE: EDU)ALN 47.076
- Title III SIP Strengthening Institutions Program (SIP), Title III Part AALN 84.031A
- TRIO SSS Federal TRIO Programs: Student Support Services (SSS)ALN 84.042A
Questions, answered
What counts toward the match?
State, local, institutional or private cash and in-kind contributions, including scholarships, waived tuition, documented mentoring by non-school organizations, equipment, transportation, facilities and indirect costs.
Can a community nonprofit lead a GEAR UP Partnership?
The partnership must include at least one degree-granting IHE and one LEA. Community organizations can join as additional partners.
Why would a project choose 84 months?
A seventh year lets the project serve the cohort during its first year of college. The applicant must propose it in the original application.
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