The National Science Foundation (NSF) awarded a $2,500,000 Project Grant through its Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Education program to the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC). This five-year grant aims to remove disparities in success-related outcomes between academically talented low-income engineering students and their peers at UIC.
The project will provide scholarships to 51 unique full-time students pursuing bachelor's degrees in engineering or computer science. Activities include cohort building, mentoring from faculty, peers, and industry, a guaranteed paid internship program, and a senior preparation course. The project seeks to increase one-year retention rates, six-year graduation rates, and the percentage of graduates with major-related job offers or graduate school admission within six months. The research will also examine how high-achieving engineering students from low-income backgrounds develop their engineering identity and the impact of the transfer student experience at UIC.