GEAR UP Grant Administration | GEAR UP Utah

We Are

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 of low-income students in communities nationwide. GEAR UP Utah serves select schools in the Alpine, Cache, Carbon, Davis, Nebo, North Summit, Provo, San Juan, Salt Lake, and Wasatch school districts.

GEAR UP will implement strategies and services designed to address fundamental needs to propel students' college readiness. GEAR UP Utah's goal is to assist eligible students achieve two strategic goals:

Gaining a productive academic mindset to support academic, social, and emotional preparedness for postsecondary education.

Building momentum to successfully graduate high school and enroll in a higher education institution.

Mission

To provide awareness, academic readiness, and opportunities for all GEAR UP Utah students by engaging them early, expanding their capacities, increasing student expectations for successful completion of high school, and supporting students in their pursuit of post-secondary education and future aspirations.

Vision

GEAR UP Utah will excel at providing meaningful, high-quality services designed to empower individual students to graduate high school and succeed in post-secondary education.

Values

Integrity
Care
Accountability
Unity
Growth

Grant Objectives

Increase academic performance and preparation for post-secondary education for GEAR UP students.
Increase the rate of high school graduation and enrollment in post- secondary education for GEAR UP students.
Increase education expectations for GEAR UP students.
Increase GEAR UP students’ and their families’ knowledge of post- secondary education options, preparations, and financing.
Increase enrollment of GEAR UP students in an institution of higher education.
Increase the number of students enrolled in a higher education institution who persist to a second year of education.

Services

Tutoring & Mentoring
Academic Counseling
College Readiness Preparation
Financial Aid Assistance
First Year in College Support
Parent & Family Support
Financial Literacy Education
Increased Program Evaluation & Data Gathering

Abstract

Utah Valley University, with partners Weber State University, Utah State University Eastern, and the San Juan Foundation, proposes to provide GEAR UP services to 4,500 low-income and disconnected youth annually throughout the state over a seven-year performance period. GEAR UP Utah will serve secondary education students and their families in 42 high schools and middle schools, as well as those who continue to their first year of postsecondary education. The target schools represent a broad range of urban and rural schools. These frontier, urban, and rural communities have one thing in common—their low-income students are seriously underserved in comparison to other students in Utah and the U.S. Utah has the third lowest college-going rate in the U.S. at 46%, and low-income students fall even lower at 38%. One in five low-income high school students do not complete high school; those who do, on average, score lower on measures of postsecondary readiness.

GEAR UP Utah will address these challenges through an innovative student-focused approach that facilitates academic momentum and develops a productive academic mindset among students in an efficiently targeted 100% priority students model. Under this model, all participants will be disconnected youth (historically underrepresented in higher education) and at least 90% will qualify as low-income. GEAR UP Utah's ‘Building Secondary Momentum and Persistence to PSE’ approach pioneers evidence-based strategies to increase momentum and persistence in high school toward college graduation from the outset of a student’s educational path.