U.S. Department of Education (ED) GEAR UP Program

U.S. Department of Education (ED) GEAR UP Program is sponsored by U.S. Department of Education (ED). Provides grants to increase the number of low-income students who are prepared to enter and succeed in postsecondary education.

Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP) (84. 334A/84. 334S) | U.S. Department of Education Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP) (84.

334A/84. 334S) Office of Postsecondary Education (OPE) U.S. Department of Education Office of Postsecondary Education 400 Maryland Avenue, S. W.

Washington, DC 20202-6450 06/25/2025 - 11:59 PM EDT GEAR UP Grants Reopening Letter to Applicants (June 11, 2025) New FY 2025 GEAR UP State and Partnership Competitions Notices Inviting Applications have published. Applications due June 25, 2025. Click on the "Applicant Info" tab for the application and info on pre-application technical assistance webinars.

This discretionary grant program is designed to increase the number of low-income students who are prepared to enter and succeed in postsecondary education. GEAR UP provides six-year or seven years grants to states and partnerships to provide services at high-poverty middle and high schools. GEAR UP grantees serve an entire cohort of students beginning no later than the seventh grade and follow the cohort through high school.

GEAR UP funds are also used to provide college scholarships to low-income students. GEAR UP offers state and partnership grants. State grants are competitive six-year matching grants that must include both an early intervention component designed to increase college attendance and success and raise the expectations of low-income students and a scholarship component.

Partnership grants are competitive six-year matching grants that must support an early intervention component and may support a scholarship component designed to increase college attendance and success and raise the expectations of low-income students. Who May Apply (by category): STATE GRANTS: States (as defined in section 103(20) of the HEA (20 U.S.C.

1003(20)), 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. The Governor of a State must designate which State agency applies for, and administers, a State grant under GEAR UP. 20 U.S.C.

1070a-21 to 1070a-28) PARTNERSHIP GRANTS: (A) consisting of— (i) one or more local educational agencies; and (ii) one or more degree granting institutions of higher education; and (B) which may include not less than two other community organizations or entities, such as businesses, professional organizations, State agencies, institutions or agencies sponsoring programs authorized under subpart 4, or other public or private agencies or organizations.

Current GEAR UP State competition: FY 2025 Application Deadline: June 25, 2025 Current GEAR UP Partnership competition: FY 2025 Application Deadline: June 25, 2025 GEAR UP applications for FY 2025 must be submitted electronically using Grants. gov. FY 2025 GEAR UP State Program (84. 334S) Application To view full application instructions, follow the link above, then select Package, then Preview, then Download Instructions.

FY 2025 GEAR UP Partnership Competition (84. 334A) Application To view full application instructions, follow the link above, then select Package, then Preview, then Download Instructions. Access slide decks for the FY 2025 GEAR UP State and Partnership Pre-Application Technical Assistance Webinars below.

FY 2025 GEAR UP State Program: Pre-Application Technical Assistance Workshop (Webinar Slide Deck) FY 2025 GEAR UP Partnership Program: Pre-Application Technical Assistance Workshop (Webinar Slide Deck) FY 2025 GEAR UP State Applicant Resource Brochure FY 2025 GEAR UP Partnership Applicant Resource Brochure In 2022-23, GEAR UP served 568,775 total students in 2,954 secondary schools.

Abstracts: State PDF (32K) | Partnership Projects PDF (22K) List of 2025 GEAR UP Grants: Partnership PDF (16K) | State PDF (14K) Abstracts: State PDF (32K) | Partnership Projects PDF (22K) List of 2024 GEAR UP Grants: Partnership PDF (16K) | State PDF (14K) Abstracts: State MS Word (122K) | Partnership Projects MS Word (26K) List of 2023 GEAR UP Grants: Partnership MS Word (14K) | State MS Word (14K) Abstracts: State MS Word (19K) | Partnership Projects MS Word (25K) List of 2022 GEAR UP Grants: Partnership MS Word (13K) | State MS Word (13K) FY2022 GEAR UP States (New and NCC) MS Excel (12K) FY2022 GEAR UP Partnerships (New and NCC) MS Excel (19K) Abstracts: State MS Word (45K) | Partnership Projects MS Word (282K) List of 2021 GEAR UP Grants: Partnership MS Word (17K) | State MS Word (14K) Abstracts of State and Partnership Projects: MS Word (30K) List of 2020 GEAR UP Grants: Partnership MS Word (15K) | State MS Word (14K) Abstracts of State Projects: MS Word (178K) List of 2019 GEAR UP Grants: State MS Word (16K) Abstracts of State and Partnership Projects: MS Word (149K) List of 2018 GEAR UP Grants: Partnership MS Word (21K) | State MS Word (16K) Abstracts of State and Partnership Projects: MS Word (97K) List of 2017 GEAR UP Grants: Partnership MS Word (19K) | State MS Word (15K) Abstracts of State and Partnership Projects: MS Word (96K) Abstracts of State and Partnership Projects: MS Word (39K) Abstracts of State and Partnership Projects: MS Word (214K) PDF (637K) There were no new awards made this fiscal year.

Abstracts of State and Partnership Projects: MS Word (76K) Abstracts of State and Partnership Projects: MS Word (366K) Total Program Funding: $388,000,000 Total Number of Awards: 159 State Grants Number of New Awards: 6 Average New Award: $3,865,017 Total New Award Funding: $23,190,103 Number of Continuation Awards: 31 Average Continuation Award: $3,846,325 Total Continuation Award Funding: $119,236,067 Total Award Funding: $142,426,170 Total Number of Awards: 37 Partnership Grants Number of New Awards: 6 Average New Award: $2,021,655 Total New Award Funding: $12,129,928 Number of Continuation Awards: 116 Average Continuation Award: $1,987,636 Total Continuation Award Funding: $230,565,745 Total Award Funding: $242,695,673 Total Number of Awards: 122 FY 2022 Total Program Funding: $378,000,000 Total Number of Awards: 156 State Grants Number of New Awards: 2 Average New Award: $3,875,861 Total New Award Funding: $7,751,721 Number of Continuation Awards: 34 Average Continuation Award: $3,705,039 Total Continuation Award Funding: $125,971,329 Total Award Funding: $133,723,050 Total Number of Awards: 36 Partnership Grants Number of New Awards: 4 Average New Award: $2,662,477 Total New Award Funding: $10,649,909 Number of Continuation Awards: 116 Average Continuation Award: $2,004,405 Total Continuation Award Funding: $232,511,009 Total Award Funding: $243,160,918 Total Number of Awards: 120 FY 2021 Total Program Funding: $368,000,000 Total Number of Awards: 155 State Grants Number of New Awards: 4 Average New Award: $3,538,986 Total New Award Funding: $14,155,942 Number of Continuation Awards: 31 Average Continuation Award: $3,745,779.

23 Total Continuation Award Funding: $116,119,156 Total Award Funding: $130,275,098 Total Number of Awards: 35 Partnership Grants Number of New Awards: 27 Average New Award: $2,108,047 Total New Award Funding: $56,917,256 Number of Continuation Awards: 93 Average Continuation Award: $1,938,763.

05 Total Continuation Award Funding: $180,304,964 Total Award Funding: $237,222,220 Total Number of Awards: 120 FY 2020 Total Program Funding: $365,000,000 Total Number of Awards: 160 Number of New Awards: 2 Average New Award: $4,240,000 Total New Award Funding: $8,480,000 Number of Continuation Awards: 38 Average Continuation Award: $3,473,544 Total Continuation Award Funding: $131,994,682 Total Award Funding: $140,474,682 Total Number of Awards: 40 Partnership Grants Number of New Awards: 6 Average New Award: $2,409,820 Total New Award Funding: $14,458,918 Number of Continuation Awards: 114 Average Continuation Award: $1,817,129 Total Continuation Award Funding: $207,152,702 Total Award Funding: $221,611,620 Total Number of Awards: 120 FY 2019 Total Program Funding: $360,000,000 Total Number of Awards: 157 State Grants Number of New Awards: 7 Average New Award: $4,334,508 Total New Award Funding: $30,341,555 Number of Continuation Awards: 32 Average Continuation Award: $3,536,590 Total Continuation Award Funding: $113,170,866 Total Award Funding: $143,512,421 Total Number of Awards: 39 Partnership Grants Number of New Awards: 0 Average New Award: $0 Total New Award Funding: $0 Number of Continuation Awards: 118 Average Continuation Award: $1,833,335 Total Continuation Award Funding: $216,333,564 Total Award Funding: $216,333,564 Total Number of Awards: 118 FY 2018 Total Program Funding: $350,000,000 Total Number of Awards: 161 Total Number of Students: 561,131 State Grants Number of New Awards: 6 Average New Award: $3,400,041 Total New Award Funding: $20,400,248 Number of Continuation Awards: 33 Average Continuation Award: $3,265,056 Total Continuation Award Funding: $107,746,852 Total Award Funding: $128,147,100 Total Number of Awards: 39 Partnership Grants Number of New Awards: 55 Average New Award: $1,994,700 Total New Award Funding: $109,708,512 Number of Continuation Awards: 67 Average Continuation Award: $1,644,698 Total Continuation Award Funding: $110,194,807 Total Award Funding: $219,903,319 Total Number of Awards: 122 FY 2017 Total Program Funding: $339,753,985 Total Number of Awards: 154 Total Number of Students: 563,000 State Grants Number of New Awards: 10 Average New Award: $3,488,400 Total New Award Funding: $34,883,998 Number of Continuation Awards: 35 Average Continuation Award: $3,377,395 Total Continuation Award Funding: $118,208,845 Total Award Funding: $153,092,843 Total Number of Awards: 45 Partnership Grants Number of New Awards: 24 Average New Award: $1,881,808 Total New Award Funding: $45,163,400 Number of Continuation Awards: 85 Average Continuation Award: $1,621,864 Total Continuation Award Funding: $137,858,513 Total Award Funding: $183,021,913 Total Number of Awards: 109 FY 2016 Total Program Funding: $322,754,000 Total Number of Awards: 134 Total Number of Students: 524,938 State Grants Number of New Awards: 5 Average New Award: $2,857,282 Total New Award Funding: $14,286,413 Number of Continuation Awards: 37 Average Continuation Award: $3,757,157 Total Continuation Award Funding: $139,014,795 Total Award Funding: $153,301,208 Total Number of Awards: 42 Partnership Grants Number of New Awards: 5 Average New Award: $1,414,335 Total New Award Funding: $7,071,679 Number of Continuation Awards: 87 Average Continuation Award: $1,806,386 Total Continuation Award Funding: $157,155,588 Total Award Funding: $164,227,267 Total Number of Awards: 92 FY 2015 Total Program Funding: $301,639,000 Total Number of Awards: 127 Total Number of Students: 570,462 State Grants Number of New Awards: 1 Average New Award: $2,668,762 Total New Award Funding: $2,668,762 Number of Continuation Awards: 36 Average Continuation Award: $3,715,319 Total Continuation Award Funding: $133,751,469 Total Award Funding: $136,420,231 Total Number of Awards: 37 Partnership Grants Number of New Awards: 3 Average New Award: $1,760,947 Total New Award Funding: $5,282,840 Number of Continuation Awards: 87 Average Continuation Award: $1,771,411 Total Continuation Award Funding: $154,112,772 Total Award Funding: $159,395,612 Total Number of Awards: 90 FY 2014 Total Program Funding: $301,639,000 Total Number of Awards: 128 Total Number of Students: 551,000 State Grants Number of New Awards: 10 Average New Award: 3,126,401 Total New Award Funding: $31,264,008 Number of Continuation Awards: 27 Average Continuation Award: $3,888,293 Total Continuation Award Funding: $104,983,902 Total Award Funding: $136,247,910 Total Number of Awards: 37 Partnership Grants Number of New Awards: 31 Average New Award: $1,658,714 Total New Award Funding: $51,420,120 Number of Continuation Awards: 60 Average Continuation Award: $1,787,809 Total Continuation Award Funding: $107,268,566 Total Award Funding: $158,688,686 Total Number of Awards: 91 FY 2013 Total Program Funding: $286,434,520 Total Number of State Awards: 34 Total Number of Partnership Awards: 91 Total Number of Students: 617,437 FY 2012 Number of Continuation Awards: 27 Average Continuation Award: $4,060,148 Total Continuation Award Funding: $109,624,000 Total Award Funding: $140,352,958 Total Number of Awards: 34 Total Number of Students: 403,818 Federal Cost Per Student: $347 Total Program Funding: $302,243,678 Total New Award Funding: $30,728,958 Total Number of Awards: 132 Total Number of Students: 647,772 State Grants Number of New Awards: 7 Average New Award: 4,389,851 Partnership Grants Number of New Awards: 4 Average New Award: $1,213,953 Total New Award Funding: $4,855,813 Number of Continuation Awards: 94 Average Continuation Award: $1,633,294 Total Continuation Award Funding: $153,529,656 Total Award Funding: $158,385,469 Total Number of Awards: 98 Total Number of Students: 243,954 Federal Cost Per Student: $649 Evaluation: $2,267,000 Peer review of new award applications: 0 Web data collection: $127,000 Total Program Funding: $302,816,154 Total Number of Awards: 156 Total Number of Students: 669,897 State Grants Number of New Awards: 19 Average New Award: $4,068,807 Total New Award Funding: $77,307,346 Number of Continuation Awards: 15 Average Continuation Award: $2,970,735 Total Continuation Award Funding: $44,561,034 Total Award Funding: $121,868,380 Total Number of Awards: 34 Total Number of Students: 405,219 Federal Cost Per Student: $301 Partnership Grants Number of New Awards: 49 Average New Award: $2,066,309 Total New Award Funding: $101,249,103 Number of Continuation Awards: 73 Average Continuation Award: $1,063,611 Total Continuation Award Funding: $77,643,671 Total Award Funding: $178,892,774 Total Number of Awards: 122 Total Number of Students: 264,678 Federal Cost Per Student: $676 Evaluation: $1,500,000 Peer review of new award applications: $434,000 Web data collection: $121,000 Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended, Title IV, Part A, Subpart 2, Chapter 2 20 U.S.C 1070a-21—1070a-28 | MS Word (86K) | PDF (84K) Title 34 Code of Federal Regulations part 694 Education Department General Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 34 CFR parts 74, 75, 77, 79, 80, 81, 82, 84, 85, 86, 97, 98, and 99 The following Web sites contain information that may be useful for individuals interested in the GEAR UP program.

These sites contain information about GEAR UP grantees, programs upon which the GEAR UP program was modeled, and strategies for encouraging high-risk middle- and high-school students to prepare for college. Disclaimer National Council for Community and Education Partnerships The I Have a Dream Foundation National Mentoring Partnership America's Promise: The Alliance for Youth AVID: Proving Achievement.

Lifelong Advantage Program Specialist State Grant Partnership Grant Ginger Allen 202-987-1973 Florida, Maryland, Michigan, Missouri, Mississippi, New Hampshire, Ohio, South Dakota, Virginia, Wyoming Florida, Maryland, Michigan, Missouri, Mississippi, New Hampshire, Ohio, South Dakota, Virginia, Wyoming Antoinette Clark 202-453-7121 Georgia, Oklahoma, Texas Georgia, Oklahoma, Texas Caroline Chung 202-987-1434 Alaska, Colorado, Guam, Hawaii, Micronesia, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, Oregon, Utah Alaska, Colorado, Guam, Hawaii, Micronesia, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, Oregon, Utah David Howe 202-453-7687 Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, Kentucky, Minnesota, Palau, Tennessee, Wisconsin Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, Kentucky, Minnesota, Palau, Tennessee, Wisconsin Reginald Jackson 202-987-1908 Connecticut, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, New Jersey, North Carolina Connecticut, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, New Jersey, North Carolina Nicole Josemans 202-453-7111 Indiana, New Mexico, New York, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, Washington Indiana, New Mexico, New York, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, Washington Marques Thomas 202-453-5775 District of Columbia, Delaware, Idaho, Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts, North Dakota, South Carolina, Vermont, West Virginia District of Columbia, Delaware, Idaho, Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts, North Dakota, South Carolina, Vermont, West Virginia Ben Witthoefft 202-453-7576 California California Mailing Address U.S. Department of Education, OPE Higher Education Programs Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs 400 Maryland Avenue, S.

W. , 5th Floor Frequently Asked Questions Questions for Both State and Partnership Competitions: 1-19 GEAR UP State Competition FAQs: 20-30 GEAR UP Partnership Competition FAQs: 31-39 GEAR UP Scholarship Component Questions: 40-55 Select a link below to jump to the relevant page section. What competition do these FAQs apply to?

What is the mission of the GEAR UP program? What statute and regulations apply to GEAR UP? How many years may an applicant implement a GEAR UP project?

Does GEAR UP have standardized objectives? What types of GEAR UP projects are allowable? What is the GEAR UP match requirement?

How are applicants required to present Federal and non-Federal expenditures? What is an example of a project's single cohort budget allocation for a seven-year grant? Are applicants required to have an approved indirect cost rate?

What are the required services that must be implemented under the GEAR UP program? What are the two implementation models under GEAR UP? What is the cohort student model?

How does a project serve a "substantial majority" of GEAR UP students under the cohort model? What are some examples of allowable cohort designs? Does an applicant implementing a cohort model have to provide evidence that all the target schools have at least 50 percent students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch?

What is the priority student model? In responding to the Moderate Evidence Competitive Preference Priority (CPP #3 for Partnerships and CPP #4 for States), what kind of evidence needs to be provided? What are some ways to avoid common application mistakes?

What is an eligible entity for the State Grants competition? Can State applicants receive Competitive Preference Priority points? Is there an Invitational Priority in the FY 2025 GEAR UP State competition?

What is the maximum funding a State applicant can request per year? May a State GEAR UP applicant request a waiver of the GEAR UP match requirement? What are the permissible services that may be implemented under the GEAR UP States program?

What implementation model may a State grant implement? How are State applicants required to allocate Federal funds? Are State GEAR UP projects required to provide scholarships?

May a GEAR UP State applicant request an exception of the required scholarship allocation of federal GEAR UP funds? What must a State applicant demonstrate and describe in its scholarship exception request in their submitted application? Can a State identify more than one source for funds to cover the scholarship allocation not covered by federal GEAR UP funds?

What is an eligible entity for the Partnership Grants competition? Can an applicant apply for and administer more than one Partnership GEAR UP grant? Can Partnership applicants receive Competitive Preference Priority points?

What is the maximum funding a Partnership applicant can request per year? What are the permissible services that may be implemented under the GEAR UP Partnership program? May a Partnership applicant request a waiver of the GEAR UP match requirement?

What implementation model may a Partnership grant implement? May GEAR UP Partnership projects provide scholarships? If a Partnership project chooses to offer a scholarship component, do they need to follow the requirement that 50 percent of grant funds be allocated to scholarships?

What other requirements must they meet? What is the size of the scholarship a project is required to provide to each eligible participant? When must projects inform GEAR UP participants of their eligibility for a GEAR UP scholarship?

What are the eligibility requirements for students to receive scholarships? How must projects hold their scholarship funds in reserve? How is "participated" defined for purposes of eligibility for the scholarship?

Can a grantee maintain scholarship funds in an interest-bearing account and not remit interest earned in excess of $500 back to the federal government? Can a grantee use the earned interest in a GEAR UP scholarship fund for the reasonable and necessary costs of maintaining the fund? What type of interest-generating investments are allowable for a GEAR UP scholarship fund?

Can a grantee use a portion of scholarship funds originally reserved for students for the reasonable and necessary costs of maintaining the GEAR UP scholarship fund? When must a grantee return any remaining scholarship funds?

May the scholarship funds for eligible students who have "aged out" due to the six-year requirement be reallocated to other eligible GEAR UP students, even if those students are participating under a different GEAR UP grant? Is a scholarship fund subject to auditing and monitoring by the Department? How long does a grantee have to keep a student’s scholarship allocation in reserve?

What is the Partnership Agreement, required to be submitted with GEAR UP Partnership applications? Do studies that meet WWC standards under version 5. 0 of the Handbook qualify under the CPP?

1. What competition do these FAQs apply to? These GEAR UP FAQs apply to the 2025 State and Partnership competitions.

2. What is the mission of the GEAR UP program? GEAR UP is a discretionary grant program, which encourages applicants to provide support and maintain a commitment to eligible low-income students, including students with disabilities, to assist the students in obtaining a secondary school diploma and preparing for and succeeding in postsecondary education.

3. What statute and regulations apply to GEAR UP? The GEAR UP program is authorized under Sections 404A — 404H of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA), as amended, (20 U.S.C.

§§1070a-21—1070a-28) and the program regulations are located U.S. Code of Federal Regulations, Title 34, Subtitle B, Chapter VI, Part 694. The law can be found here: https://www. govinfo.

gov/content/pkg/USCODE-2021-title20/html/USCODE-2021-title20-chap28-subchapIV-partA-subpart2-divsn2. htm and the regulations can be found here: https://www. ecfr.

gov/current/title-34/subtitle-B/chapter-VI/part-694 . 4. How many years may an applicant implement a GEAR UP project?

GEAR UP has two authorized grant performance periods: six years (72 months) or seven years (84 months). An applicant can only implement a seven-year grant if the project is designed to provide services through the students' first year of attending an institution of higher education (IHE). 5.

Does GEAR UP have standardized objectives? No. GEAR UP does not have standardized objectives. For more information, please consult the "Purpose of Program" section of the GEAR UP NIAs .

6. What types of GEAR UP projects are allowable? GEAR UP has two types of projects: State and Partnership.

State projects generally implement statewide initiatives, such as professional development, parental involvement, and curriculum enrichment, and they support local efforts to achieve the project objectives. Partnership projects are usually more locally concentrated. These two different types of projects each have their own separate competition and program requirements.

7. What is the GEAR UP match requirement? Applicants are required to match the Federal contribution dollar-for-dollar.

Specifically, the non-Federal contribution must equal at least 50 percent of the total project costs. For instance, if an applicant requests a total of $3 million in Federal funds, the matching contribution is an additional $3 million. The applicant is the fiscal agent and is responsible for documenting all matching contributions for the entire grant period.

Matching may be provided in cash or in-kind and may be accrued over the full duration of the grant award period. Applicants must make substantial progress towards meeting the matching requirement in each year of the grant (see 20 U.S.C. §1070a — 23(b)).

Partnership grants are eligible to request a waiver of part of the matching requirement; State grants are not eligible to waive the matching requirement. Note: Applicants will be held to the matching commitment proposed in the application for funding, even if the proposed match is higher than the percent required by statute. No points will be awarded for match exceeding the 50 percent level required by statute.

8. How are applicants required to present Federal and non-Federal expenditures? All applicants must fill out the Project Budget Summary Form in the GEAR UP Application Package.

Applicants must also provide a detailed budget narrative for the first year of the grant performance period. The narrative must address Federal expenditures and matching contributions. In completing the Federal section of the Project Budget Summary Form, the total requested amounts in years two through seven should not exceed the total requested amount in the first year.

For example, if an applicant requests $3 million in the first year, they cannot request more than $3 million in any subsequent year. Applicants must keep this in mind if they are planning to implement a feeder pattern cohort because funding will not increase each year an applicant subsequently picks up or adds new grades. 9.

What is an example of a project's single cohort budget allocation for a seven-year grant? An applicant starts with 1,000 7th graders and allocates $800,000 for the first year (remember, the maximum amount a partnership applicant can request per year is $800 per student).

If an applicant follows the single cohort with fidelity, the funding in subsequent years ultimately decreases after students leave the originating school and the number of students decrease. Applicants should estimate the possible student decline based on past data.

For example, if a project is implementing a single cohort model that started with 7th graders, the requested funds when students are 9th graders in high school should be less. 10. Are applicants required to have an approved indirect cost rate?

Yes. Applicants must have an approved restricted indirect cost rate if indirect costs will be charged to the GEAR UP grant. Under 34 CFR § 694.

11, all grant recipients are limited to a maximum restricted indirect cost rate of eight percent of a modified total direct cost or the amount permitted by its negotiated indirect cost rate agreement, whichever is less.

Even if an applicant does not have an approved indirect cost rate at the time of application, applicants are allowed to include indirect costs in the proposed budget if they have started the process of acquiring or renewing an indirect cost rate agreement. However, the grantee must submit an indirect cost proposal to its cognizant agency within 90 days after the grant is awarded or it may not continue to charge indirect costs.

For more information, see 34 CFR § 75. 560. 11.

What are the required services that must be implemented under the GEAR UP program? All applicants must address the required services in the application.

Projects should provide comprehensive mentoring, outreach, and supportive services, including a) providing information regarding financial aid for postsecondary education for participating students; b) encouraging student enrollment in rigorous or challenging curricula and coursework, in order to reduce the need for remedial coursework at the postsecondary level; c) increasing the number of participating students who obtain a secondary school diploma and complete applications for, and enroll in, a program of postsecondary education; and d) providing GEAR UP scholarships, if the application is for a State grant.

(see 20 U.S.C. § 1070a — 24(a)). 12.

What are the two implementation models under GEAR UP? GEAR UP has two implementation models: cohort model and priority student model. State applicants can implement either model.

Partnership applicants can only implement the cohort model. 13. What is the cohort student model?

The cohort model has two approaches: the whole-grade approach and the public housing approach. The whole-grade approach involves all the students in a particular grade level that attend an eligible school, and the public housing approach involves all students in a particular grade level that reside in public housing (as defined in 42 U.S.C. § 1437a(b)(1)).

The cohort parameters are: Must provide services to at least one grade level of students (e.g., all 7th graders); If the project plans to serve 7th graders, it must offer services to every student in the 7th grade; Begin services no later than 7th grade. Projects can opt to provide services to students in pre-K through 7th grade in the first year of the project.

However, projects cannot provide services to 8th and 9th graders in the first year; 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 IHE (available with a seven-year grant award); After the students complete the last grade level at the originating target school, the project must continue to provide services to the school that a substantial majority of cohort 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.

The originating school is the target school where the services begin. It must (1) have a 7th grade class and (2) have at least fifty percent of the students enrolled in the school be eligible for free or reduced-price lunch. 14.

How does a project serve a "substantial majority" of GEAR UP students under the cohort model? Projects must continue to serve the school with the substantial majority of cohort students when the cohort moves on to a new school from the originating school(s). The originating school is the target school where the services begin.

When students move on to another school, the substantial majority could be as little as twenty percent of the original cohort. In other instances, the substantial majority could be higher depending on the district's feeder pattern.

An example of a substantial majority pattern for a cohort is a project that has 1,000 students in the originating school and those students move on to two high schools - one high school enrolled 700 students from the original cohort and the other high school enrolled 300 - then the GEAR UP project is only required to serve the high school that has 700 of the original students.

The grantee is not required to pick up students who were not part of the original cohort after students leave the originating school. 15. What are some examples of allowable cohort designs?

The following table describes some examples of allowable cohort designs: Type Example Single Grade Cohort Serve just one class of 7th graders throughout the grant Multi-Cohort Starting with 6th and 7th graders and continuing to serve them throughout the grant Feeder Pattern Cohort Starting with a single grade (e.g..

7th graders) the first year and then picking up another 7th grade class each year All GEAR UP projects must provide services through high school graduation or a student's first-year of attendance at an IHE if the project has a performance period of seven years.

A project must adhere to this requirement even if services are provided to students that are in grades lower than 7th grade (for example, a project that starts with 5th and 6th graders) in the first year of the project. 16. Does an applicant implementing a cohort model have to provide evidence that all the target schools have at least 50 percent students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch?

Yes. An applicant must provide documentation in the application that shows at least 50 percent of the students attending the originating school(s) qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. The originating school or schools are the location where the project services begin.

The documentation can be a statement from a State Education Agency or a school district's website, a signed letter from the superintendent of schools, or another credible source. Applicants should not simply provide a chart outlining free or reduced-price lunch information. Applicants should make sure that their data is up to date (no more than three years old, unless specific justification is provided).

17. What is the priority student model? Only State GEAR UP projects may implement the priority student model.

Under the priority student 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; and if the applicant considers them to be disconnected.

Applicants have flexibility in selecting disconnected students because the Department does not define or have criteria for disconnected students. Disconnected students may include students who are: Eligible for