Office Hours: 2026 GEAR UP Leadership Awards

GEAR UP's Precarious Future

GEAR UP, a federal program launched in 1998, targets low-income middle and high school students with mentoring, tutoring, and college readiness services to bridge persistent gaps in postsecondary enrollment and completion. In 2026, the program serves about 560,000 students through 37 state grants and 136 partnerships, but funding has not kept pace with inflation or demand. Recent policy shifts have intensified scrutiny: the Trump administration proposed zeroing out GEAR UP in its FY 2026 budget, citing reduced need for such interventions, though Congress ultimately maintained $388 million—flat from prior years.

This resistance follows a September 2025 move where nine grants worth nearly $170 million were revoked from over 200 schools due to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) elements in their proposals. Affected districts, often in underserved areas, lost counselors and programs overnight, impacting cohorts of students from seventh grade through high school. Low-income families, first-generation college hopefuls, and rural communities bear the brunt, with enrollment rates already 13 percentage points lower than peers from wealthier backgrounds.

Deadlines loom large: new FY 2025 grant applications closed in June 2025, but awards remain competitive, funding less than 20 percent of applicants. Inaction risks widening inequities; a February 2026 study from Rhode Island revealed GEAR UP participants were 48 percent more likely to complete college within six years, with even stronger gains for Latino and Black students. Yet costs mount—grantees must match federal dollars 50 percent, straining local budgets amid flat federal appropriations.

Tensions arise between stakeholders: advocates like the National Council for Community and Education Partnerships (NCCEP) argue cuts undermine economic mobility, while critics claim overlap with other aid like Pell Grants. Surprising data shows GEAR UP's ripple effects—improved high school graduation by 8.8 points and immediate college enrollment by 12.6 points in the Rhode Island cohorts. Trade-offs include prioritizing short-term workforce training over long-term access programs, as seen in emerging policies like Workforce Pell expansions.