Simpson College has been named as one of nine Iowa Colleges and Universities that will receive GEAR UP Iowa Year 7 College Partner Grants. GEAR UP (Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs) is a federal program that prepares low-income students to succeed in college. Simpson College will receive $11,341 from the GEAR UP program grants, with the main goal of helping students persist in college from the first year to the second. Other schools in the area receiving the grants include Grandview University, Drake, and DMACC.