About GEAR UP
GEAR UP stands for Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs. Virginia’s GEAR UP program has expanded the state’s efforts to assist low-income students to attend and succeed in postsecondary education by providing early intervention services and a scholarship program for eligible students who demonstrate financial need.
Program Components
- Tutoring
- Mentoring
- Parental Involvement Initiatives
- Teacher and Counselor Professional Development
- Summer College Campus Programs
- Financial Aid Workshops
- Cultural Programs
- Scholarship for Eligible Students
Criteria for Selecting Schools
The criteria used to select schools to participate in GEAR UP was based on federal guidelines that stipulated the percentage of students attending a middle school within a school division who qualify for free or reduced lunches. Only those schools with 50% or more of their seventh-grade students who qualified for the Federal Free and Reduced Lunch Program were eligible to participate in GEAR UP Virginia.
Criteria for Participating
Students must be a member of a selected GEAR UP cohort at a participating GEAR UP Virginia school.