GEAR UP
Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP)
Overview for Students
The Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP) provides students at participating middle schools throughout the state of California an Educational Trust Award (ETA) of $2,000 held in a Scholarshare 529 interest-bearing account.
Once students graduate from high school, students have six years access to those funds. Funds may be used to pay for qualifying educational expenses including tuition, fees, books, supplies, and other related expenses.
Withdraw Request
To be able to withdraw their Educational Trust Award the student must
- Graduate high school
- Enroll in a college or university
- Request funds within six years from high school graduation date
To request funds, students, along with their financial aid office must complete the GEAR UP ETA Qualified Funds Withdrawal Form (QFWF) and submit it to the Commission via email to gear-up@csac.ca.gov.
Frequently asked Questions
Forms
Gear Up ETA Qualified Funds Withdrawal Form (QFWQ)
Additional Resources
For more information, please contact:
California Student Aid Commission
Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs
(GEAR UP)
gear-up@csac.ca.gov