Level
your school
with 24/7 academic support and a $5,000 grant!
Nominate your school to receive a $5,000 grant and free, 24/7 tutoring to help more students accomplish their academic goals! Any student or teacher at an eligible school can nominate, and if your school is selected, the nominator gets a $500 award of their own!
Apply by November 8, 2026
Nomination Slip
LEVEL UP PROGRAM · 2026–27
LEVEL UP
First things first: what's UPchieve?
the short version
UPchieve is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that provides free, 24/7 tutoring and college counseling to students who couldn't afford it otherwise. We've already served over 60,000 students across the country! We're launching the Level Up award to ensure more students learn about UPchieve and can use our free platform to accomplish their academic goals.
30+
subjects for grades 6–12, incl. AP and SAT/ACT prep
24/7
access to tutoring and college counseling
1–2 min
average wait for a live tutor
Unlimited
free sessions for every student
What's included in the Level Up Award
report card, first year
Why nominate my school?
If you believe students at your school would benefit from more free tutoring and college counseling, then you can help those students succeed by nominating your school! Plus, if your school is selected, you'll receive a $500 award to help you level up your own teaching or learning too:
Teachers
A $500 DonorsChoose gift card to spend on any classroom/school project.
Students
A $500 micro-scholarship to spend on anything that helps you reach your academic goals: a laptop, college visits, expenses to start or participate in extracurricular activities (e.g., band, a sports team, your own new club), etc.
How does this work?
check each box to level up
Check your school's eligibility
Use the eligibility checker below. Any student or teacher at an eligible school can nominate.
Submit your nomination by November 8, 2026
It takes about 10 minutes to answer our questions (in video or essay format) about how the Level Up program will help you and your school level up.
UPchieve reviews it
We review every nomination and invite finalists, along with their principal, to a short interview.
Awardees selected by early December
We are aiming to select 5–10 schools for our inaugural cohort.
What does it look like to bring UPchieve to your school?
every student, unlimited support
UPchieve school partnerships are designed to drive high usage among all students at the school through strategies like in-person student presentations, teacher training, and incentive programs. We believe every student has something to gain from free, 24/7 tutoring and college counseling: from passing a class or improving their grades, to getting a great SAT/AP score or applying for college scholarships. Last year, our partner schools saw over 60% of their student body use UPchieve to accomplish their academic goals!
“My math class felt way too fast and it felt like I was left behind by my peers. Tutoring sessions on UPchieve helped me a lot. The tutors were really patient and nice. My Calculus grade went from a D to a B after multiple sessions on UPchieve!”
Racheal
Is your school eligible?
the basics
The Level Up award is designed for schools serving grades 6–12 (or any part of that range, like a middle school or high school) where the majority of students would not be able to afford tutoring or college counseling if not provided by UPchieve. Check your eligibility below:
Eligibility checker
Look up your school.
Frequently asked questions
pop quiz
Q. Which schools are eligible?
The Level Up award is for schools serving grades 6–12, or any part of that range (a middle school, high school, or combined school all count), where most students couldn't afford tutoring or college counseling without UPchieve. That generally means Title I schools or schools where over 40% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch. Look up your school with the eligibility checker!
Q. Who can nominate?
Any student or teacher at an eligible school can nominate their school.
Q. When are nominations due?
Nominations are due by November 8, 2026. Decisions will be made by early December.
Q. Do I need to already use UPchieve to nominate my school?
No. Any student or teacher at an eligible school can submit a nomination, whether or not they use UPchieve yet.
Q. What happens after I submit a nomination?
Our team reviews every nomination. For our first cohort, we'll aim to select a diverse mix of schools across the country. If your school is a finalist, we'll invite you and your principal to an interview where we can learn more about how you hope to level up your school. Final decisions will be made by early December.
Q. Why does my principal need to join the interview?
Nominating a school is easy on purpose, so anyone can start it. But running the program takes a real commitment from the school. The finalist interview is where we explain what that looks like and make sure your principal is on board before moving forward.
Q. What does the selected school receive?
A $5,000 grant for anything that helps students accomplish their academic goals, unlimited 24/7 tutoring and college counseling for every student, a free year of UPchieve partnership support to drive high usage (like student presentations, teacher training, and incentive programs), and free wifi hotspots for students who need them to use UPchieve.
Q. What will my school need to do if selected?
Selected schools agree to implement the program for the full year, which we'll walk through in detail during the finalist interview.
Q. How many schools will be selected?
We're aiming to select 5–10 schools for our inaugural cohort.
Q. Do I get anything for nominating?
Yes! If your school is selected, nominating teachers get a $500 DonorsChoose gift card and nominating students get a $500 micro-scholarship.
Q. What can I spend my $500 on?
Teachers can spend their DonorsChoose gift card on any classroom or school project. Students can spend their micro-scholarship on anything that helps them reach their academic goals: a laptop, college visits, expenses to start or participate in extracurricular activities (like band, a sports team, or your own new club), and more. It doesn't have to be college-related.
Q. What happens if more than one student or teacher nominates the same school?
UPchieve will choose just one nominator to receive the $500 award based on your nomination answers.
Q. Why did UPchieve launch the Level Up award?
We want more students to know about UPchieve and use our free platform to accomplish their academic goals. A full UPchieve partnership isn't free for schools, and that keeps it out of reach for some of the schools that could use it most. The Level Up award covers that cost for a year, plus a $5,000 grant, for schools where a teacher or student is willing to make the case.
The Level Up award is made possible with generous support from the Andrew Carnegie Foundation.