By ERIC WEDDLE

Purdue University will abruptly end a statewide initiative to help more than 13,000 low-income Indiana students go to college after it was targeted in the Trump administration’s campaign against diversity, equity and inclusion.

The Trump administration canceled a $34.9 million federal grant to Purdue University for GEAR UP, a federally funded program to boost college readiness and access. It provides after-school, mentoring and college-prep programs in 10 districts across the state. It will shut down Tuesday.

The grant was awarded last year and expected to continue through 2031, according to a 2024 press release from Purdue’s College of Education. It was the sixth-largest federal grant in university history, the release said.

In a Sept. 12 termination letter, the U.S. Ed

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