GEAR UP Iowa is excited to celebrate National GEAR UP Week Sept. 23-27 as thousands of students, parents, teachers and college access professionals recognize GEAR UP and its success in removing barriers to postsecondary education.

In Iowa, the week began with Governor Kim Reynolds issuing a proclamation declaring Sept. 23-27 as GEAR UP Iowa Week to highlight the documented legacy of success GEAR UP Iowa has created through multiple cohorts of students.

GEAR UP stands for Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs and is a federally funded program that in Iowa is administered by the Iowa Department of Education’s Bureau of Iowa College Aid. Through partnerships with local school districts, students and their families receive services to prepare them academically, financially and inspirationally to enroll and succeed in college.

National GEAR UP Week highlights 25 years of the program’s rich legacy of supporting underserved students in preparing, enrolling and completing educational opportunities beyond high school.

In addition to showcasing the success that GEAR UP Iowa has had since its inception in 2008 via social media, staff has also collaborated with GEAR UP Iowa partners to create a week full of events that continue to expose students to the transformative opportunities that postsecondary education and training creates for them, their families and their communities.

Events in communities include Hoyt Middle School (Des Moines) hosting a National GEAR UP Week Roll-Out Assembly Sept. 23, Clinton High School staging a Future Ready session for families Sept. 25 and Burlington Schools also hosting a GEAR UP Week assembly Sept. 26. The week closes with Goodrell Middle School (Des Moines) hosting a career fair for its students.

Outside of schools and communities, students from Des Moines and Davenport are slated to visit the University of Iowa Sept. 25 for an immersive campus experience, continuing the program’s tradition of providing campus visits to more than 11,000 students since 2014.

Since the program’s inception in Iowa, it has directly impacted nearly 30,000 students in the 19 communities that have hosted GEAR UP Iowa cohorts. Additionally, GEAR UP Iowa has awarded $34.1 million in scholarship funds to those students to pursue postsecondary education.

GEAR UP Iowa focuses on student achievement by supporting middle school and high school programs, students and families, and creating a seamless transition to postsecondary education for students and families. In 2020, 88 percent of GEAR UP Iowa graduates had plans to complete a two-year or four-year degree program or other postsecondary training and education. GEAR UP Iowa students have also demonstrated higher rates of attendance, reading and math proficiency, increased standardized entrance exam scores and Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) completion.

More information on GEAR UP Iowa is available on the Department’s GEAR UP Iowa webpage.