WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) and Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), both members of the Senate Appropriations Committee, announced $2,903,509 from the U.S. Department of Education’s Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP) to Concord University. GEAR UP is designed to help low-income students prepare to enter and succeed in postsecondary education by investing in high-need middle and high schools across the country.

“Giving our students in West Virginia the resources they need to enter college with a solid foundation and strong confidence is important, which is the goal of GEAR Up program. Concord has been an educational cornerstone in West Virginia for 150 years, and they are incredibly deserving of this federal support, which will help put students on a path to success,” Senator Capito said.

“Every West Virginian should have the opportunity to pursue higher education, regardless of their background or where they live. GEAR UP is an incredibly important program that provides critical resources to students across the Mountain State through services such as tutoring, career mentoring, summer enrichment programming, college scholarships and more,” Senator Manchin said. “As a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee and longtime supporter of GEAR UP, I look forward to seeing the positive impacts of this funding and will continue advocating for resources to bolster educational programs across West Virginia.”

GEAR UP currently serves more than 572,000 students enrolled in 3,474 secondary schools across 43 states. GEAR UP has demonstrated its success in helping increase the number of low-income students who enroll in post-secondary education after graduating from high school. On May 4, 2022, Senator Manchin led a group of forty bipartisan Senators in urging the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee’s Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies leadership to continue providing robust funding for GEAR UP.

To learn more about GEAR UP, click here.

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