To participate in GEAR UP services, your child must attend a school that has received a GEAR UP grant, and they must meet program eligibility requirements. Please contact the school counselor to determine what is available in your child’s school.
Additionally, this website offers many free resources regardless of GEAR UP eligibility. We encourage you and your child to explore and use any materials you find there.
Funding Status and School Partnerships
In 2017, Washington State was awarded its fourth consecutive state GEAR UP grant. The $24.5 million award directly services over 5,500 students and their families in 26 high-poverty school districts statewide. With the program’s dollar-for-dollar cost-share requirement, the total program investment over the life of the six-year grant will be over $49 million.
WSAC applied for new funding in 2024. If there is an opportunity to partner with us, WSAC will send this information to your superintendent and principal.
GEAR UP programs are successful in rural and urban communities, providing inspiration and empowerment. The program fosters partnerships and community-based strategies centered around the idea that preparing for college and careers should start early. GEAR UP involves students in middle school and supports them through high school and beyond, taking a comprehensive and systematic approach that has a lasting impact on schools. It also uses local resources to maximize federal investment, and for every federal GEAR UP dollar, there must be a matching non-GEAR UP dollar.
Services begin in middle school, guiding students and families through the early years of college preparation, including preparation's academic, social, emotional, and financial aspects. While each GEAR UP program is designed to meet the unique needs of their local community, GEAR UP programs typically provide:
Nationally, GEAR UP served 568,775 students enrolled in 2,954 secondary schools in almost every state in 2022-23. To be eligible for GEAR UP, a minimum of 50% of a school’s student body must be enrolled in the federal free and reduced-price lunch (FRL) program.
The Department of Education provides two types of GEAR UP grants: state grants and partnership grants. The Washington Student Achievement Council (WSAC) administers the state grant, while Washington State University and the University of Washington manage nine partnership grants. As of November 2024, these organizations collectively serve nearly 38,000 students across the state.
The Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP) initiative is one of the largest and most effective programs focused on increasing the college and career readiness and success of low-income students in communities nationwide.
