NSF Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Program | 22 527

Opportunity Information: Apply for 22 527

The NSF Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (S-STEM) Program is a discretionary grant program run by the National Science Foundation that funds colleges and universities to provide scholarships for low-income students in eligible STEM fields, while also improving the academic and support systems that help those students persist and graduate. The program traces back to the American Competitiveness in the Twenty-First Century Act of 1998, which directed funds connected to H-1B visa fees toward strengthening the long-term domestic STEM workforce. While the earliest version of the program focused on a narrower set of disciplines (notably mathematics, engineering, and computer science), later legislation gave NSF the flexibility to broaden eligibility. Under the revised solicitation described here, eligibility expands to most disciplinary areas where NSF funds research, as long as the proposing institution can justify that there is national or regional workforce demand for graduates in those fields.

The central purpose of S-STEM is workforce and opportunity focused: it aims to increase the number of low-income domestic students who earn degrees in high-value STEM or STEM-related fields and then contribute to the US innovation economy. A defining feature of the program is that it does not treat scholarships as a stand-alone solution. NSF explicitly recognizes that financial aid by itself often is not enough to improve retention and graduation in STEM. Because of that, awards are made to institutions of higher education (IHEs) not only to distribute scholarship funds, but also to adapt, implement, and study evidence-based strategies that improve student outcomes. These strategies can be curricular (connected to courses and instruction) and co-curricular (activities outside the standard coursework), with an emphasis on approaches that strengthen recruitment, retention, successful transfer where relevant (especially from 2-year to 4-year pathways), academic and career planning, and on-time or near on-time completion.

The scholarship recipients supported through an S-STEM project must be domestic students who are low-income, demonstrate unmet financial need, and show academic ability, talent, or potential. Eligible students can be enrolled at multiple levels, including associate, bachelors, or graduate programs, as long as their degree is within an S-STEM eligible discipline. The program places a strong emphasis on social mobility, arguing that real mobility requires more than access to college; it requires access to degrees tied to strong labor-market opportunities after graduation. That requirement influences how institutions are expected to design their projects: proposals should link scholarship support and student success activities to fields where graduates can realistically find rewarding jobs and build stable careers.

Another major focus is building partnerships and learning what works. S-STEM encourages collaboration across institutions (including partnerships between 2-year and 4-year schools), cross-campus teams of faculty and administrators, and involvement from researchers who study student success from institutional, educational, behavioral, or social science perspectives. It also supports external partnerships with employers and community stakeholders, including business and industry, local community organizations, national laboratories, and other federal, state, or local government entities when appropriate. These collaborations are meant to strengthen career pathways, improve the alignment between education and workforce needs, and generate evidence about which supports most effectively help low-income students succeed in STEM.

NSF signals particular interest in proposals that prepare students for fields considered critical to the nation, especially areas that require interdisciplinary or convergent skill sets. Examples mentioned include quantum computing and quantum science, robotics, artificial intelligence and machine learning, computer science, data science, and computational science applied to other frontier STEM areas, along with other technology and STEM fields facing urgent domestic workforce shortages. Importantly, the burden is on the proposer to make a convincing case that the targeted discipline or program area represents a critical workforce need in the United States (or the institution's region), rather than simply asserting that it is.

In terms of what degrees can be supported, S-STEM eligible degree programs include common associate degrees (AA, AS, AE, and AAS), undergraduate degrees (BA, BS, BE, and BAS), graduate degrees (MA, MS, and ME), and doctoral programs, provided the discipline itself is eligible. The disciplines generally track the set of fields in which NSF funds research, but there are notable exclusions. Clinical degree programs are ineligible, including medicine, nursing, veterinary medicine, physical therapy, and similar programs that NSF does not fund as research disciplines. Business programs are also excluded, including undergraduate business administration degrees (such as BBA, BSBA, or similar) as well as MBA and doctoral business administration degrees. At the same time, the program explicitly includes technology fields that are associated with NSF-eligible STEM disciplines, such as biotechnology, chemical technology, engineering technology, and information technology, when they align with the program rules and workforce rationale.

From an applicant and proposal design standpoint, the funding goes to institutions rather than directly to students. Proposing institutions are expected to analyze and clearly describe the student population they intend to serve, including the students characteristics and academic needs, and then explain how scholarships plus specific, evidence-based supports will address those needs. NSF also strongly encourages potential applicants to contact NSF Program Officers in advance if there is any uncertainty about whether a particular degree or discipline is eligible, which is especially relevant given the expanded but still bounded scope of fields that may qualify.

The opportunity details provided list the agency as the National Science Foundation and identify it as a grant (Funding Opportunity Number 22-527; CFDA 47.076). The award ceiling is listed as $5,000,000, with an expectation of around 90 awards. The original closing date shown is February 22, 2022, and the opportunity creation date is November 25, 2021. The program particularly encourages proposals from 2-year institutions, Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs), and public institutions serving urban, suburban, and rural communities, reflecting a priority on reaching students who are often underrepresented in STEM and who may benefit most from a combination of direct financial support and structured academic and career pathways.

• The National Science Foundation in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "NSF Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Program" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 47.076.
• This funding opportunity was created on Nov 25, 2021.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Feb 22, 2022. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $5,000,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 90 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

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