The GEAR UP Guarantee is a guaranteed admissions program to Appalachian State University for students in participating GEAR UP Appalachian programs. If students can maintain a minimum weighted GPA of a 3.25 and meet all the other UNC system requirements for admission, students will automatically be accepted to Appalachian State University.
For students like Bella Powers, a 2021 graduate from Ashe County, the GEAR UP Guarantee made a big difference for her when deciding what to do after high school.
“I’ve always had a lot of test anxiety; I’m just not a great test taker,” Bella said. “When I found out that I could go to App and stay close to my hometown and not have to take the tests I was so worried about, it really made the process of choosing what school to go to a lot easier.”
With the stress of senior year mounting, Bella began to feel overwhelmed by all that had to be done to get college-ready. She needed to take standardized tests, write essays, and fill out and pay for applications— it was a lot for her. The GEAR UP Guarantee mitigated a lot of that stress.
The lack of a required standardized test score was really what made the guarantee so beneficial for Bella.
“It was just a golden opportunity,” she said. “I hope that the GEAR UP Guarantee is something that will be in our schools for a while. It gives a lot of students a lot of opportunities they wouldn't have had otherwise,” Bella said. “I don’t know what I would’ve done if I hadn’t had it.”
Bella is currently a senior at Appalachian State University and will graduate in the spring with her degree in art education.
Enrollment at Appalachian State University from GEAR UP schools has increased by 39% in the first four years of the program. To learn more, visit gocollege.appstate.edu/student-support-programs/gear-up/guarantee.
Student Spotlight
Student Spotlight