2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

The National Science Foundation (NSF) Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (S-STEM) program supports low-income, high-achieving STEM students through scholarships and tailored support services. This paper compares the implementation and impact of three different S-STEM projects across three diverse institutions—Rowan University, Albany State University, and Tennessee University, highlighting their distinct approaches and outcomes for diverse student populations.
At Rowan University (RU), a public R2 university in the northeastern United States, the 5-year S-STEM project — ¬Engineering Persistence: Support System for Low-Income Students to Catalyze Diversity and Success — targets undergraduate engineering students, offering scholarships and a robust support system that includes Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) leadership training. These efforts foster academic success and retention among underrepresented students. Evaluation findings showed a pre-to-post increase (3.1 to 3.7/4.0) in scholars’ intent to complete undergraduate engineering degrees but highlighted the need to improve peer engagement in DEI discussions, as evidenced by a decline (3.2 to 2.9/4.0) in DEI engagement.
At Albany State University (ASU), a public Historically Black College and University (HBCU) in the southeastern United States, the 6-year S-STEM project — It Takes a Village: Communities Leveraged to Advance Scholars’ Success (CLASS) — served undergraduate biology, chemistry, and forensic science majors. Student services included peer mentoring, career development, and a science communication learning community. The project emphasized community engagement through first-year courses and faculty and alumni mentoring. Evaluation findings indicated that self-reported survey data showed that 75% of the initial program participants stayed with the program the second year. Additionally, scholars demonstrated a strong commitment to completing undergraduate and graduate STEM degrees, with likelihood ratings ranging from 3.0 to 3.5/4.0.
At Tennessee State University (TSU), a public R2 land-grant HBCU in the southern United States, the 5-year S-STEM project — Scholars to Attract and Retain Students (STARS) in Graduate Engineering and Computer Science — supported graduate engineering and computer science students through financial assistance, mentorship, and professional development. A key project goal was to establish a graduate student association to sustain the student community post-funding. As of Fall 2022, retention for Cohort 3 (Fall 2021 entrants) reached 83%. Graduation rates by the fourth year were 100% for Cohort 1 (Fall 2019 entrants) and 86% for Cohort 2 (Fall 2020 entrants). These outcomes are comparable to the institutionally reported fall-to-fall retention rate of 86% for master’s students, excluding those who had already completed the program. Despite recruitment challenges, pandemic impacts, and post-grant sustainability concerns, the project successfully cultivated a supportive community, enhancing student success.
Using a quasi-experimental evaluation design, the paper evaluated retention, academic performance, and post-graduation outcomes. The findings indicated that tailored services, such as mentoring, early intervention, and professional development, enhanced the persistence and success of underrepresented and low-income STEM students. The findings underscored the importance of inclusive, evidence-based strategies in fostering a diverse STEM workforce and highlighted the need for institutional structures to sustain project benefits beyond the funding period.
This paper focuses on the diversity of S-STEM project implementation and outcomes, emphasizing how tailored support services contributed to the long-term success of underrepresented and low-income students in STEM fields and advocating for strategies to promote inclusivity and sustainability.