Building opportunities for stem students through scholarships and high impact practices

The National Science Foundation Division of Undergraduate Education awarded Wofford College $1,997,655 on October 1, 2026, under the Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics program (CFDA 47.076) to support retention and graduation of high-achieving, low-income undergraduates pursuing STEM degrees.

The project will provide scholarships for up to five years to 22 scholars majoring in biology, chemistry, mathematics, computer science, and physics at Wofford College in Spartanburg, South Carolina. Scholars receive faculty and peer mentoring, student-centered advising, and campus engagement activities. The project incorporates career-focused high-impact practices including undergraduate research and builds strong scholar cohorts to increase STEM degree completion. An experienced evaluator will assess how scholars experience cohort activities and generate data on effective strategies to support talented, low-income students in STEM fields.

The project runs through September 30, 2032. As a Track 1 project, it directly supports the national objective of growing the STEM workforce by strengthening local workforce capacity in key areas of need while contributing to the knowledge base regarding academic success, retention, and academic and career pathways for low-income STEM students.

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 wofford college. A total of 22 scholars pursuing bachelor?s degrees in biology, chemistry, mathematics, computer science, and physics will receive scholarships for up to five years. Scholars will receive faculty and peer mentoring and the project will build strong scholar cohorts through student-centered advising and campus engagement. Additional activities for scholars include career-focused high impact practices, such as undergraduate research. The overall goal of this track 1 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 local workforce in key areas of need. The project will be assessed by an experienced evaluator that will examine how scholars experience their cohort activities, 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.