A $35 million federal grant – the largest in the school’s history – will help Appalachian State University prepare more western North Carolina students for education after high school.
The seven-year grant from the U.S. Department of Education will provide college and career services to thousands of students attending 52 middle and high schools in 12 N.C. school districts, App State said in a recent statement.
Known as GEAR UP (Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Program), the grant also assists families and teachers in efforts to boost rates of high school graduation and postsecondary enrollment.
App State’s College Access Partnerships in the Reich College of Education received the grant, representing the largest GEAR UP award given to 18 institutions nationwide in 2024. One of 17 campuses in the UNC system, App State has gotten other grants from the federal program.
Previously, App State’s largest GEAR UP grant totaled $29.8 million. The seven-year grant runs through September 2027. Broadly, the program has funded the university nearly every year since 1999, providing a range of services to low-income and needy students starting in sixth grade, families and schools across western N.C.
