About

Purpose

GEAR UP services are designed to increase the number of underrepresented students from low-income backgrounds to progress onto higher education, and to equip them with college and career readiness skills to help them succeed in the baccalaureate and beyond. GEAR UP services aim to meet the following objectives:

• Enhance academic achievement in mathematics and language arts
• Provide on-time interventions to ensure academic success and increase student and parent/guardian knowledge of postsecondary options and financial aid
• Develop a college-going culture among school sites and among families
• Promote systemic change aimed at increasing the number of students prepared to enter and succeed in postsecondary education
• Ensure career readiness among our students

Goals

GEAR UP programs aim to provide students with the resources they need to prepare for college, career, and life success. Students are given access to career exploration resources, college exposure, financial aid assistance, and educational cohort field trips.

An overview of GEAR UP’s program objectives include:

Increase the academic performance and preparation for postsecondary education of GEAR UP students.

Increase the rate of high school graduation and participation in postsecondary education for GEAR UP students.

Increase GEAR UP students’ and their families’ knowledge of postsecondary education options, preparation, and financing.

History & Grants

Since receiving its first GEAR UP grant in 1999, CSUF has fostered a longstanding partnership with Anaheim Union High School District (AUHSD). Since its establishment, CSUF GEAR UP has served a total of six cohorts of students: in 1999, 2008, 2011, 2016, 2018, and 2021. In 2024, CSUF GEAR UP expanded its collaborative efforts by securing its first grant alongside Fullerton Joint Union High School District (FJUHD), Buena Park School District (BPSD), and La Habra City School District (LHCSD). All grants focus their initial efforts towards the year's seventh-grade cohort, and continue delivering tailored services and interventions through middle school and high school.

In 2021, for the first time in the program's history, CSUF GEAR UP was able to provide continued support and services to their 2016 cohort as they entered their first year of college. This marked a pivotal moment for CSUF GEAR UP, as new grants continue to follow this trend and provide extra support for their cohorts as they transition into college. This continued support into college is now known as Level Up.

CSUF GEAR UP currently serves the grants awarded in 2018 and 2021, those being the Class of 2024 from Savanna, Magnolia, and Western high schools as well as the Class of 2027 from Loara, Anaheim, and Katella high schools. CSUF GEAR UP will continue to support both cohorts of students into their respective first year of college through Level Up.

The most recent GEAR UP grant, awarded to CSUF in 2024, aims to serve students from Buena Park, Imperial, and Washington middle schools. After two years, the grant will then aim to serve students from Buena Park and La Habra high school.