GEAR UP stands for “Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs.” It is a federally-funded grant awarded by the U.S. Department of Education, in order to help qualifying students succeed in high school and prepare for college. Weber State University’s GEAR UP program is a sub grant of Utah Valley University. It is a priority model serving 375 students, 9th grade through first year college students. The overreaching mission is assisting low-income students to (1) successfully graduate from high school, (2) prepare to enter and succeed in post-secondary education, and (3) receive information about and assistance in paying for college though the objectives of increased academic performance and preparation for post-secondary education, high school graduation and enrollment in post-secondary education; GU students and their families' knowledge of post-secondary education options, preparation and financing and students' success in their first year of attendance at an institution of higher education.
GEAR UP Goals
Our goals as WSU GEAR UP staff is to equip students with the knowledge, skills, and the desire to aspire higher. We will fulfill this mission with the following goals:
- Increasing academic performance and preparation for post-secondary education
- Increasing the rate of high school graduation and enrollment in post-secondary educations
- Increasing GU students and their families’ knowledge of postsecondary education options, preparation and financing
- Increasing students’ success in their first year of attendance at an intuition of higher education