Federal Project Grant Award Summary

Ursinus College received a $1,999,659 Project Grant from the National Science Foundation's Division of Undergraduate Education under the STEM Education program (CFDA 47.076), awarded on March 1, 2026, with a completion date of February 29, 2032. This Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (S-STEM) Track 2 project delivers need-based scholarships and comprehensive academic support services to 24 high-achieving, low-income undergraduate students pursuing bachelor's degrees in biology, biochemistry and molecular biology, chemistry, computer science, and physics. Scholars receive average scholarships of $14,500 annually for up to five years to support degree completion and retention in STEM fields.

The project provides integrated support services designed to enhance student success and academic competency. Core deliverables include faculty mentoring relationships, cross-disciplinary cohort-building activities that foster peer networks among STEM scholars, supplemental mathematics instruction, and course recitation sections. An independent evaluator will assess project outcomes, measuring impacts on student self-efficacy and mathematics competency to contribute to the broader knowledge base regarding effective retention strategies for talented, low-income STEM undergraduates. These combined scholarship and support services directly address the national need to strengthen the STEM workforce, particularly in biotechnology and other critical sectors requiring specialized technical talent.