UTRGV GEAR UP awarded $28 million grant for college readiness programs

By Victoria Brito Morales

UTRGV has started the Fall semester with renewed funding for its Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs, known as GEAR UP.

The funding is more than $28 million for the next seven years.  UTRGV is one of six awardees in Texas and one of 18 nationwide out of 118 applicants.

GEAR UP is a federal program aimed at equalizing access to higher education for low-income students. Cohorts begin in seventh grade, receive supplemental services through middle and high schools, and conclude after their first year in college.

The mission of the UTRGV GEAR UP College in ACTion! is to significantly increase the number of students who are prepared to enter and succeed in postsecondary education.

Each year beginning Sept. 1, $4.2 million will be allocated to fund the project, which will serve more than 5,200 students in Donna, Edinburg, McAllen, Mission and Weslaco. Required services of the grant include:

• Providing financial aid information for postsecondary education.
• Encouraging enrollment in challenging coursework to reduce the need for remediation at the postsecondary education level.
• Implementing activities to improve the number of participating students who obtain a secondary school diploma and who complete applications for and enroll in a program of postsecondary education.

Activities may also include mentoring and tutoring; supporting dual or concurrent enrollment programs; providing special programs or tutoring in science, technology, engineering or mathematics (STEM); academic and career counseling; financial and economic literacy education; and exposure to college campuses.

Cindy Valdez, UTRGV associate vice president of College Access and K-12 Partnerships, said this new GEAR UP grant will allow them to provide robust and comprehensive services to students, parents and teachers in the participating districts and schools.

“We will start with a cohort of seventh-grade students this September and support them through their first year of college in 2031,” she said. “As one of the nation’s premier Hispanic-Serving Institutions, we are strategically poised to implement this grant project utilizing our resources and expertise working alongside school districts and other partners.”

Since 1999, GEAR UP at UTRGV and its legacy institutions have served more than 20,000 students in the Valley, including Cristina Castillo, now assistant director of GEAR UP at UTRGV and 2006 graduate of Weslaco East High School.

“As a GEAR UP alum, I benefited from the services of the GEAR UP program at UT Pan American,” Castillo said. “My job as a GEAR UP assistant director is a wonderful opportunity to help a new group of students overcome obstacles and support them in their success.”

For more information on GEAR UP at UTRGV, visit https://www.utrgv.edu/gearup/.