Mission Statement
Helping Low-Income Students Prepare to Succeed in College
Many of America's talented young people end their formal education at high school because the opportunity to progress to college is not apparent to them due to a number of factors:
- low expectations
- low motivation
- lack of appropriate curriculum, instruction and support
- lack of information that clearly explains what educational options and opportunities are available
Goal
The goal of GEAR UP is to enable more young Americans to stay in school, study hard and take the right courses to succeed in college. Specifically, it enables low-income communities and states to provide educational opportunities for low-income students, students who would be first-generation college students and students who speak English as a second language. Through GEAR UP, the U.S. Department of Education addresses the challenge to help these students become prepared academically and financially to enter into and succeed in college.
