{"id":"gear-up-college-readiness","name":"GEAR UP College Readiness and Scholarships","provider":"U.S. Department of Education state and partnership grantees","entitlement_type":"government-benefit","entitlement_type_label":"Government benefit","entitlement_type_context":{"definition":"A government-funded or administered benefit, service, coverage program, assistance program, or public access route.","domain":"public-benefits","archetype":"direct-program","agent_instruction":"Identify the administering jurisdiction and disclose income, household, age, disability, immigration, residence, renewal, fee, and capacity rules that apply."},"summary":"GEAR UP grantees provide sustained college-readiness services to cohorts of students in high-poverty middle and high schools, with scholarships offered through state grants and some partnership projects.","benefit":{"description":"Comprehensive mentoring, tutoring, academic advising, college and career exposure, rigorous-course encouragement, financial-aid information, application support, family outreach, and, where the grantee offers them, postsecondary scholarships.","estimated_value_usd":null},"discovery":{"focus":"public-service","has_estimated_dollar_value":false},"access":{"relationships":["Student in a school or cohort served by a funded GEAR UP project","Eligible GEAR UP participant seeking a project scholarship"],"requirements":"Students are served through a funded state or partnership project, commonly as an entire cohort beginning no later than seventh grade at a selected high-poverty school and followed through high school. Individual service and scholarship rules depend on the grantee; low-income, school enrollment, cohort, graduation, postsecondary admission, financial-aid, residency, and satisfactory-progress conditions can apply.","activation":"Ask the student's school counseling office or district whether it participates in GEAR UP, or use the Department of Education's current grant-award lists to identify the serving grantee. Enroll through the local project and separately complete any scholarship and financial-aid steps it requires.","cost_basis":"no-cost","cost_basis_label":"No-cost access","cost_basis_context":{"classification":"free","definition":"The core benefit has no required payment, purchase, deposit, paid membership, or pre-existing paid-product relationship under the captured terms.","agent_instruction":"Still disclose optional add-ons, transportation, parking, replacement charges, taxes, capacity, and eligibility conditions found in fees or requirements.","variation_patterns":null,"does_not_mean":null},"fees":"Project services are free to participating students, but GEAR UP is not available at every school. Scholarships are not offered by every project, have separate eligibility and funding limits, and may not cover full college costs; participation does not guarantee admission or an award.","personalized":false,"regions":["US","Funded GEAR UP schools, cohorts, states, and partnership service areas"],"expires":null},"status":"verified","last_checked":"2026-08-04","claim_url":"https://www.ed.gov/grants-and-programs/grants-special-populations/grants-economically-disadvantaged-students/gaining-early-awareness-and-readiness-undergraduate-programs-gear/grant-awards","source_url":"https://www.ed.gov/grants-and-programs/grants-special-populations/grants-economically-disadvantaged-students/gaining-early-awareness-and-readiness-undergraduate-programs-gear-84334a84334s","source":{"primary_url":"https://www.ed.gov/grants-and-programs/grants-special-populations/grants-economically-disadvantaged-students/gaining-early-awareness-and-readiness-undergraduate-programs-gear-84334a84334s","evidence":[{"source":"U.S. Department of Education state and partnership grantees","url":"https://www.ed.gov/grants-and-programs/grants-special-populations/grants-economically-disadvantaged-students/gaining-early-awareness-and-readiness-undergraduate-programs-gear-84334a84334s","kind":"provider","checked_at":"2026-08-04"}]},"parent":null,"coverage":{"level":"national","family":"children-and-education","jurisdiction":"United States","maturity":"direct"},"web_url":"/benefits/gear-up-college-readiness","taxonomy":{"version":"1.0","url":"/api/v1/taxonomy"}}