2026 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

This paper presents findings from a national survey of Principal Investigators, Co-Principal Investigators, and program staff involved in NSF Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (S-STEM) awards between 2018 and 2023 that included community college students. The objective is to identify effective institution-level strategies employed by S-STEM programs to support community college students and transfer success in STEM fields.

This project sampled grants based on an NSF Advanced Search of S-STEM projects. Selecting grants involving community colleges as lead institutions and abstracts that mentioned community college students or transfers yielded 188 S-STEM projects across four categories: community college-led grants, collaborative grants involving community colleges, and four-year institution-led grants with either named community college partners, and four-year institution-led grants with unnamed community college partners.

The survey was distributed to grant Principal Investigators and Co-Principal Investigators listed on the grant and program faculty/staff identified on project websites. Response rates ranged from 29% to 49% across four categories for a total of 79 responses. This classification allows for comparative analysis of program design and implementation across types of institutions and S-STEM programs.

Survey items were developed through a systematic review of S-STEM literature and focused on 41 key program elements classified into six categories: advising, career prepration, social support, academic support, transfer support, and other. Respondents rated each element based on student usage and perceived effectiveness toward improving student academic performance, improving student persistence toward degree, improving transfer to a four-year university, and improving job placement.

Faculty mentoring (82%) and regular cohort meetings (78%) were the most common program elements mentioned by respondents who also listed both among the most effective elements toward improving student academic performance and persistence toward degree. Faculty mentoring was also listed as the most highly effective elements toward improving transfer and job placement. It is important to consider these are mostly faculty respondents.

Research opportunities, although common at 66%, were considered underutilized as only 47% of grantees offering research opportunities reported they were more frequently used by students.

Less common program elements included supplemental instruction, mental health counseling, and competitions. Community engagement was also not common (e.g. community service, service learning, job shadowing, and civic engagement).

These findings are directly relevant to the Two-Year College Division, as they highlight the critical role of community colleges in STEM education and the importance of intentional program design to support student persistence and transfer. Combining descriptive statistics with cross-category comparisons offers practical insights for faculty, administrators, and grant writers seeking to enhance STEM pathways at two-year institutions.