Scholarships for stem success: building community and advancing transfer from a two-year college

The National Science Foundation (NSF) Division of Undergraduate Education awarded $1.95M to the Kentucky Community & Technical College System under the STEM Education program (CFDA 47.076) on January 1, 2026, to support scholarships and student success initiatives at Somerset Community College through December 31, 2031. The project will provide scholarships averaging $5,085 annually for up to three years to 115 high-achieving, low-income students pursuing Associate of Science degrees in biology, physics, chemistry, mathematics, or pre-engineering. In addition to direct financial aid, the award funds comprehensive support services including faculty and peer mentoring, structured learning communities, co-curricular activities such as community service projects and field trips, summer research experiences, and participation in STEM-focused regional conferences. These integrated support mechanisms are designed to enhance retention and degree completion rates among economically disadvantaged STEM students.

The project directly addresses the national need for a robust STEM workforce by targeting academic talent among low-income populations and contributing to the evidence base on effective retention strategies for this student population. An experienced evaluator will collect both formative and summative data throughout the project period to assess outcomes and generate findings applicable to other institutions supporting talented, low-income students in critical STEM disciplines.

Abstract

This project will contribute to the national need for well-educated scientists, mathematicians, engineers, and technicians by supporting the retention and graduation of high-achieving, low-income students with demonstrated financial need at somerset community college. A total of 115 scholars pursuing an associate of science degree in biology, physics, chemistry, mathematics, or pre-engineering will receive scholarships averaging $5,085 per year for up to three years. Scholars will receive faculty and peer mentoring, and the project will build strong scholar cohorts through a cohesive learning community engaged in a range of CO-curricular activities, such as community service projects, field trips, orientation sessions, and lunch and learn events. Additional activities for scholars will include summer research experiences and participation in stem-focused regional conferences. The overall goal of this track 2 scholarships in stem project is to increase stem degree completion of academically talented, low-income undergraduates with demonstrated financial need. There is a significant national need to grow the stem workforce and nurture key talent that will ensure economic competitiveness and provide domestic leadership across critical sectors. This project directly speaks to this need by supporting stem student success, which will strengthen the workforce in biology, physics, chemistry, mathematics, engineering, and other key areas of need. The project will be assessed by an experienced evaluator that will collect both formative and summative data, and the data generated will contribute to the knowledge base regarding effective strategies to support talented, low-income students in stem. This project is funded by NSF's scholarships in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics program, which seeks to increase the number of academically talented, low-income students with demonstrated financial need who earn degrees in stem fields. IT also aims to improve the education of future stem workers, and to generate knowledge about academic success, retention, transfer, graduation, and academic/career pathways of low-income students. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.- subawards are not planned for this award.