Navigating the National STEM Excellence Scholarship: Eligibility, Requirements, and Opportunities

The National STEM Excellence Scholarship is designed to recognize and support future leaders in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Administered by Scholarship America®, this program offers a $10,000 award to selected students, with financial need being a significant consideration. This article provides a comprehensive guide to understanding the eligibility criteria, application process, and related opportunities associated with STEM scholarships, drawing upon insights from the National Science Foundation (NSF) S-STEM program and related initiatives.

Understanding S-STEM Eligibility

The NSF's S-STEM program aims to increase the number of low-income students graduating with degrees in STEM fields. Several key factors determine eligibility for S-STEM scholarships, both at the institutional and individual levels.

Eligible Disciplines

Determining whether a degree program qualifies for S-STEM funding can be nuanced. NSF does not maintain a specific list of eligible degrees but excludes all clinical fields, including nursing, medicine, veterinary medicine, and other health or medically oriented degrees such as pharmacy, physical therapy, clinical psychology, nutrition, counseling, and occupational therapy. Business degrees, such as Bachelor of Science in Business Administration (BSBA), Master of Business Administration (MBA), and Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA), are also ineligible.

However, programs with strong STEM components require careful evaluation. For instance, a business school offering coursework toward a B.S. or B.A. degree in Business Administration with a concentration in computer information systems (or information technology) might have significant STEM requirements. Despite this, business school programs leading to Bachelor of Business Administration or Bachelor of Arts or Science in Business Administration degrees (BABA/BSBA/BBA) remain ineligible for S-STEM funding.

Institutional Eligibility and Overlap

Institutions must also meet specific criteria to be eligible for S-STEM funding. Overlapping S-STEM proposals are checked at the degree level using the Project Details table, which must list all scholarship-eligible degrees supported by the proposal.

For example, if an institution received an award last year to support students pursuing a B.A. in Mathematics, a new proposal supporting students with a B.S. in Data Science or Computer Science would not be considered an overlap. However, if the new proposal supports students pursuing a B.A. in Mathematics and a B.S. in Computer Science, with scholars minoring in Data Science, an overlap exists at the degree and major level.

Low-Income Status Definition

Defining "low-income" is crucial for determining student eligibility. The definition is determined by the institution and should be specified in a letter from the institution's Office of Financial Aid, included as a supplementary document. This definition can use Pell-eligibility, the regional poverty level, median household income, or other appropriate metrics.

For graduate students, the institution's Office of Financial Aid must also determine the definition of low income. Institutions devise mechanisms to verify eligibility, such as requiring candidates to submit proof of their total income, like income taxes.

According to U.S. Department of Education guidelines, students older than 24 by the time the scholarship is granted and who have filed separate income tax returns from their parents for at least two years prior to the application date are generally considered independent. Additionally, students who are married, heads of households, have children, or are veterans are typically considered independent.

Scholarship Duration

The duration of an S-STEM scholarship is up to 5 years per degree per institution. Although a scholar pursuing an associate degree in an eligible discipline could theoretically receive a scholarship for that duration, students must demonstrate progress toward degree attainment to remain eligible, making it rare for a full-time student to require the maximum duration.

Read also: Eligibility for National Awards

Application and Selection Criteria

The application process and selection criteria for STEM scholarships emphasize academic talent and potential.

Permissible and Impermissible Criteria

Institutions must provide fair consideration to all students meeting the low-income status definition and enrolled in eligible degree programs, based solely on their academic talent and potential.

Interest in or intent to pursue a specific minor or certificate should not be used as part of scholar selection, as it is not an indication of a scholar's academic talent. Similarly, membership in groups based on specific demographics or shared experiences (e.g., first-generation college attendee) is not permitted as a selection criterion.

However, proposers may recognize that certain populations of students are overrepresented in the pool of prospective scholars or may benefit from specific curricular or co-curricular activities. In such cases, the proposal may include targeted recruiting plans to encourage applications from these students.

Financial Aid Considerations

S-STEM is a last-dollar scholarship, meaning that the Office of Financial Aid calculates the unmet need of each student after other scholarships, grants, and fellowships are awarded and applied towards the Cost of Attendance (COA). Loans and income from work should be excluded from this calculation.

Selection as an S-STEM Scholar should not be used by institutions to reduce other awards that the student is eligible to receive. The S-STEM scholarship covers COA up to $15,000 per year for undergraduate students and $20,000 per year for graduate students. COA includes tuition, textbooks, a laptop computer, room and board, transportation, and childcare. Any items incorporated in the definition of COA may be supported with S-STEM scholarship funds.

Required and Encouraged Activities for Scholars

S-STEM projects often include enhancements such as seminars, graduate school application workshops, field trips, student-faculty interaction outside classes, research opportunities, tutoring, and internships. While these opportunities can be strongly encouraged, participation cannot be required of scholars or used as criteria for scholar selection or retention. The primary criteria for continued scholarship eligibility must be satisfactory progress towards a degree or successful transfer and continued determination of low-income status. Under no circumstances should the scholarship funds be structured as compensation for either work or participation in other project activities.

Participation in activities that are part of the regular academic curriculum of a scholar and required for graduation is expected.

Scholars cannot be asked to perform additional activities in exchange for the scholarship. As long as scholars are making academic progress towards their degree, their scholarship cannot include requirements outside of those that are part of the scholar's degree program. For instance, scholars can be mandated to conduct research if it is required for the attainment of their degree (e.g., research for Ph.D. students).

Evaluation Plans

All proposals must include an evaluation plan that focuses on the execution of the project (formative) and gleans lessons from the successes and challenges encountered. A logic model or theory of change is required and should be included as a Supplementary Document and is a good way to convey the evaluation plan.

Education or social science research plans are not required for Track 1 or Track 2 S-STEM proposals. Track 3 proposals, however, must incorporate a research plan grounded in a social sciences or education research theoretical framework that will allow the results to be relevant beyond the immediate context of the project.

S-STEM requires an evaluation report to be uploaded as part of each award's annual progress report. This evaluation report should be formative in nature in the first years of implementation and summative in the final year. The external evaluator needs to assess the extent to which the project's goals are being met and provide formative feedback to the project leadership team. The objective of the formative feedback is to course-correct any problems. Hence, the external evaluator is expected to be an independent, objective, and unbiased assessor of the project.

There is no formal or informal guidance about the percentage of a project budget that should be devoted to evaluation. Depending on the scope of the project and the specific evaluation activities proposed, the time necessary to carry out project evaluation can also vary. External evaluators supported via Consultant Services need to establish their hourly rate and how many hours they are dedicating to the project. The budget justification for the evaluator should provide clear alignment between project goals and components, evaluation activities and the requested evaluation budget.

Cohort Formation

The S-STEM program requires the formation of cohorts of scholars to support each other along their academic journeys. Cohort formation assures scholars have a community of peers where they can study and share concerns and experiences.

One way to demonstrate that a strong cohort is possible is if students enroll in some or all courses together and progress on a similar timeline through their shared degree. Alternatively, there are projects that have demonstrated that they can form a cohort with scholars from different disciplines supporting each other through a carefully crafted selection of seminars, site visits, and other types of shared experiences.

Excelerate in STEM Scholarship

Funded by the National Science Foundation, the Excelerate in STEM scholarship program awards up to $4,500 per academic year to STEM students who demonstrate a financial need. Excelerate in STEM scholars build leadership skills, engage in mentoring, and foster a strong sense of STEM identity throughout the duration of the program.

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