About GEAR UP

Hundreds of low-income Cincinnati students will benefit from a regional collaboration that is part of the federal $120 million "Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs," or GEAR UP. The programs help youngsters get on track to college at an early age, no later than seventh grade.

The University of Cincinnati, in collaboration with more than 10 local and regional partners including the Cincinnati Public Schools, Cincinnati State Technical and Community College and Wilberforce University, was awarded a $1.8 million, five-year GEAR UP grant from the U.S. Department of Education in 1999. The local GEAR UP program targets Burton and Parham elementary schools, two inner-city schools located in Cincinnati's Empowerment Zone.