Gear up will serve a cohort or 2,386 6TH and 7TH grade students in cumberland county north carolina

Fayetteville State University received a $1,908,800 Project Grant from the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Postsecondary Education, under the Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP, CFDA 84.334). Awarded October 1, 2025, with completion scheduled for September 30, 2026, this grant funds comprehensive college-readiness services for a cohort of 2,386 sixth and seventh-grade students in Cumberland County, North Carolina. The funding supports academic support, counseling, mentoring, financial aid information, and related services designed to improve high school completion rates and prepare low-income students, including those with disabilities, for postsecondary education success.

GEAR UP is a 6- or 7-year federal grant program administered by the Office of Postsecondary Education that supports states and institutional partnerships in delivering student support services. This award represents one of 908 total GEAR UP grants totaling $5.97 billion obligated since 2001, positioning Fayetteville State University as a partnership applicant (institution of higher education paired with local educational agencies) to deliver targeted intervention services to an underserved secondary student population in rural North Carolina.