GEAR UP Kentucky

Students at 2024 Summer Academy
2024 GUK Summer Academy @ NKU Participants

Vision

Every student prepared for postsecondary success.

Mission

The mission of GEAR UP Kentucky is to increase the number of students in low-income Kentucky communities who are ready to successfully transition to and through postsecondary education. We do this by providing services and support to prepare the whole student, and equipping their families, institutions, and communities to promote and sustain student success.

2024 Summer Academy

During Summer 2024, GEAR UP Kentucky hosted its three-week Summer Academy on the campus of partner institution Northern Kentucky University.

During this free, residential Summer Academy, 30 rising 11th and 12th graders from GUK districts got the opportunity to experience college life - everything from living in dorms to eating in the cafeteria. They even got to take a college course - for which they earned 3 credit hours!

To get an idea of what the 2024 GUK Summer Academy was like, watch this short video.

2023-24 Results

Did you know that GEAR UP Kentucky provided more than 5 years' worth (a/k/a 44,157 hours) of services to its students in 2023-24?

How about the fact that 75% of the GEAR UP Kentucky Class of 2024 completed at least one college application - a nearly 25% increase over 2022?

You can find out even more information about all that GEAR UP Kentucky provided - and to whom - during the last school year in the recently released  A Year in the Life, which you may access here