Gaining Early Awareness 

and Readiness for 

Undergraduate Programs 

(GEAR UP)

FY2024 Grant Competition 

State Program (84.334S)

Applicant Resource
This document is a brief summary of the GEAR UP – State program and application requirements. Do not rely solely on the information in this

document for guidance. Please refer to the Notice Inviting Applications (NIA), the program statute, and the program regulations published in the

Federal Register for additional information, as these are the official documents governing the competition.

The GEAR UP State program provides grants 

to States to assist students in obtaining a 

secondary school diploma (or its recognized 

equivalent) and to prepare for and succeed in 

postsecondary education, especially for 

students from low-income backgrounds, 

including students with disabilities. 

In FY 2024, the Department estimates making 

approximately 10 awards. 

The estimated range of awards is 

$3,000,000 to $5,000,000 for each annual 

budget period, for a performance period of 

72 or 84 months.
Overview and Eligibility

Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate 

Programs (GEAR UP) State Grants

The GEAR UP discretionary grant program is designed to increase the number of 

low-income students who are prepared to enter and succeed in postsecondary 

education. It provides six- or seven-year grants to States to provide services at highpoverty middle and high schools. These competitive programs have an early 

intervention component designed to increase college attendance and success.

This document is a brief summary of the GEAR UP State program and application requirements. Do not rely solely on the information in this document for

guidance. Please refer to the Notice Inviting Applications (NIA), program statute, and the program regulations published in the Federal Register for additional

information, as these are the official documents governing the competition.

Eligible Entities

States, which includes the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the District of Columbia, Guam, American Samoa, 

the United States Virgin Islands, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and the Freely Associated 

States. Only States without an active State GEAR UP grant, or States that have an active State GEAR

UP grant that is scheduled to end prior to October 1, 2024, are eligible to receive a new State GEAR UP award 

in this competition. Please also note that the applicant must be designated by the Governor or the chief 

executive for non-States.
Project Elements

Key Project Activities

Required and Permissible Activities

The GEAR UP program regulations outline which activities all projects must carry out, as well as those 

that they may optionally choose to incorporate:

- Required Activities: § 694.21

- Permissible Activities: § 694.22

Other Allowable Activities

Note: In addition to the required and permissible activities, a State may use grant funds to carry out other 

services and activities, including technical assistance, professional development, and dissemination. For a full 

list of these activities, see § 694.23.

Scholarships: provide

scholarships to eligible 

students

Early Intervention 

Services: implement 

activitiesto improve the 

number of participating 

students who obtain a

secondary school diploma and 

who complete applicationsfor,

and enroll in, a program of 

postsecondary education

Financial Aid: provide 

financial aid information 

for postsecondary 

education

Coursework: encourage 

enrollment in rigorous and 

challenging coursework in 

order to reduce the need 

for remediation at the 

postsecondary level

This document is a brief summary of the GEAR UP State program and application requirements. Do not rely solely on the information in this document for

guidance. Please refer to the Notice Inviting Applications (NIA), program statute, and the program regulations published in the Federal Register for additional

information, as these are the official documents governing the competition.
Scholarship & Matching Requirements

The GEAR UP statute includes requirements for grantees on scholarships and matching funds.

For full details, see the program regulations in § 694.7, § 694.8, § 694.12, and § 694.14, and refer 

to the Notice Inviting Applications.

Scholarship Requirement

States must use at least 50% of grant funds to provide scholarships to eligible

students.

Exception

States may request an exception to use less than 50% of grant funds for scholarships if the 

State has another means or multiple means of providing scholarships to students eligible for a 

GEAR UP scholarship. States requesting an exception must provide documentation in their 

application of those other means of providing scholarship to eligible GEAR UP students.

Requirements for scholarships:

(1) any student that qualifies as a student eligible for a GEAR UP scholarship will receive a 

scholarship that meets the minimum Pell Grant requirements.

(2) the State will not impose additional eligibility criteria that would have the effect of limiting 

or denying a scholarship to an eligible student.

Matching Requirement

States must provide from State, local, institutional, or private funds

at least 50% of the cost of the program, which may be provided in cash or in-kind.

Note: In-kind contributions may include:

(1) The amount of the financial assistance obligated under GEAR UP to students from State, 

local, institutional, or private funds.

(2) The amount of tuition, fees,room or board waived or reduced for recipients of financial 

assistance under GEAR UP.

(3) The amount expended on documented, targeted, long-term mentoring and counseling 

provided by volunteers or paid staff of non-school organizations, including businesses, 

religious organizations, community groups, postsecondary educational institutions, nonprofit 

and philanthropic organizations, and other organizations.

(4) Equipment and supplies, cash contributions from non-Federal sources, transportation 

expenses, in-kind or discounted program services, indirect costs, and facility usage.

This document is a brief summary of the GEAR UP State program and application requirements. Do not rely solely on the information in this document for

guidance. Please refer to the Notice Inviting Applications (NIA), program statute, and the program regulations published in the Federal Register for additional

information, as these are the official documents governing the competition.
Implementation Model Choices

Priority Students Model

Under the priority students model, States must 

serve students in secondary school who are eligible:

 To be counted as students from families below 

the poverty level

 For assistance under the Temporary Assistance 

for Needy Families (TANF) program or under 

Federal Payments for Foster Care and Adoption 

Assistance (FPFCAA)

 For assistance under the McKinney Vento 

Homeless Assistance Act

 Considered by the applicant to be 

disconnected

Cohort Model

Under the cohort model, States provide services to an 

entire grade level of students, with the below 

parameters:

 Provide services to at least one grade level of 

students (e.g., all 7th graders);

 Begin services no later than 7th grade;

 Ensure services are provided through the 12th 

grade to students in the participating grade level;

 Ensure services are provided through the 

student's first year of attendance at an institution 

of higher education (with a seven-year grant 

award);

 After the students complete the last grade level 

at the originating school, the project must 

continue to provide services to the school that 

the substantial majority of students attend; and

 Provide services to students who have received 

services under a previous GEAR UP grant award 

but have not yet completed the 12th grade.

Important Notes

An applicant implementing a cohort model must comply with the following requirements regarding the

originating target school:

 At least fifty percent of the students enrolled in the school must be eligible for free or reduced-price 

lunch; and

 Must have a 7th grade class.

Programs implementing a cohort model can elect to provide services to an entire grade level of

students who reside in public housing.

All originating target schools should be included in your application, for both implementation models.

School eligibility is determined based on the information provided in the application.

This document is a brief summary of the GEAR UP State program and application requirements. Do not rely solely on the information in this document for

guidance. Please refer to the Notice Inviting Applications (NIA), program statute, and the program regulations published in the Federal Register for additional

information, as these are the official documents governing the competition.

States may implement a priority students model and/or a cohort model. 
Application Components

The application includes four optional competitive preference priorities and five selection criteria.

Competitive Preference Priorities

Selection Criteria

Meeting Student Social, 

Emotional, and Academic 

Needs 

(up to 5 points)

Increasing Postsecondary 

Education Access, Affordability, 

Completion, and PostEnrollment Success 

(up to 5 points)

Up to 10

points

Need for Project: (i) the magnitude or severity of the problem to be addressed, (ii) the

extent to which the proposed project will provide services or otherwise address the needs of

students at risk of educational failure, and (iii) the extent to which the proposed project will

focus on serving or otherwise addressing the needs of disadvantaged individuals.

Up to 30 

points

Project Design: (i) the extent to which the goals, objectives, and outcomes are clearly 

specified and measurable, (ii) the extent to which the proposed project demonstrates a rationale,

(iii) the extent to which the proposed project represents an exceptional approach for meeting

statutory purposes and requirements, and (iv) how the applicant will ensure that a diversity of

perspectives are brought to bear in the operation of the proposed project, including those of

parents, teachers, the business community, a variety of disciplinary and professional fields,

recipients or beneficiaries of services, or others, as appropriate.

Up to

15 points

Adequacy of Resources: (i) the adequacy of support, including facilities, equipment, supplies, 

and other resources and the relevance and demonstrated commitment of each partner in the 

proposed project, (ii) the extent to which the costs are reasonable in relation to the number of 

persons to be served and to the anticipated results and benefits, and (iii) the potential for

continued support of the project after Federal funding ends.

Up to 20 

points

Project Personnel: (i) the extent to which the applicant encourages applications for

employment from persons who are members of groups that have been historically

underrepresented, (ii) the qualifications, including relevant training and experience, of the 

project director and (iii) other key personnel, and (iv) the extent to which the time commitments

of key personnel are appropriate and adequate to meet the objectives of the proposed project.

Up to 25

points

Project Evaluation: (i) the extent to which the methods of evaluation include the use of 

objective performance measures that are clearly related to the intended out comes of the project

and will produce quantitative and qualitative data to the extent possible, (ii) the extent to which 

the methods of evaluation will provide performance feedback and permit periodic assessment of

progress toward achieving intended outcomes, and (iii) the extent to which the methods of 

evaluation will produce promising evidence about the project’s effectiveness.

This document is a brief summary of the GEAR UP State program and application requirements. Do not rely solely on the information in this document for

guidance. Please refer to the Notice Inviting Applications (NIA), program statute, and the program regulations published in the Federal Register for additional

information, as these are the official documents governing the competition.

Moderate Evidence

(3 points)

Selection Criteria

Successful State 

GEAR UP grant prior 

to August 14, 2008

(up to 2 points)
Pre-Application Webinar

Still have questions? The Department is hosting GEAR UP State PreApplication Webinars with live Q&As. This is a chance to learn more about 

the program, eligibility, and the application process. 

The pre-application technical assistance webinars are scheduled for: 

Tuesday, March 19th at 1:00pm EST

and

Tuesday, March 26th at 1:00pm EST

Look for more details and a log-in link for the webinars on our website:

https://www2.ed.gov/programs/gearup/applicant.html

This document is a brief summary of the GEAR UP State program and application requirements. Do not rely solely on the information in this document for

guidance. Please refer to the Notice Inviting Applications (NIA), program statute, and the program regulations published in the Federal Register for additional

information, as these are the official documents governing the competition.
FAQs & Resources

Common Questions

Does the amount of funds requested in the 

application need to stay the same for all

years of the project?

No, the funding amounts by year may vary based

on anticipated needs and number of students.

However, the funding amount can never go higher

than year one.

Are subgrantees allowable for

this program?

A grantee under this competition may 

award subgrants to the following types 

of entities: LEAs, SEAs, IHEs, and

nonprofit organizations. The grantee

may only award subgrants to entities it

has identified in an approved

application.

Resources & Contact

Program Website Grants.gov

Points of Contact

BenWitthoefft Nicole Josemans

ben.witthoefft@ed.gov

202-453-7576

Nicole.Josemans@ed.gov

202-453-7111

This document is a brief summary of the GEAR UP State program and application requirements. Do not rely solely on the information in this document for

guidance. Please refer to the Notice Inviting Applications (NIA), program statute, and the program regulations published in the Federal Register for additional

information, as these are the official documents governing the competition.

See this webpage for additional FAQs:

https://www2.ed.gov/programs/

gearup/ faq.html