UM Wins $5M NSF Grant for STEM Scholarships
The National Science Foundation has awarded the University of Montana nearly $5 million to fund scholarships for low-income graduate students in
The University of Montana has secured a nearly $5 million grant from the National Science Foundation. The funds will provide scholarships for low-income graduate students in engineering and natural resource disciplines.
Montana's STEM-reliant industries are expanding rapidly. This growth outpaces national competitors, creating a demand for skilled professionals to support the state's economy.
Program Goals and Structure
The scholarship initiative is called S-STEM: Supporting Talented, Low-income Graduate Students via Internships while Completing their Degrees. It aims to help students earn graduate degrees and enter the workforce. The program also seeks to understand and distribute information about the factors influencing career decisions in a low-population state.
Another key goal is strengthening support from institutions, businesses, and communities for low-income students in STEM education and careers.
Financial Support and Scope
The NSF award will assist senior undergraduates in natural resource fields at UM as they transition to graduate studies, internships, and research work. According to Ke Wu, UM Graduate School dean and a co-principal investigator, scholarships are expected to cover $13,000 to $14,000 per student annually.
The program plans to fund four student groups over six years. Each cohort will include up to 16 individuals, totaling 64 students.
Addressing Educational Gaps
Research indicates students from lower-income backgrounds are less likely to pursue and finish STEM graduate degrees. A 2017 study by Baum & Steele found only 39% of the lowest-income quartile enrolled in graduate or professional programs within four years of a bachelor's degree. For the highest-income quartile, the figure was 45%.
Completion rates show a similar disparity. Just 64% of low-income students finish graduate degrees, compared to 76% from the highest-income group.
Barriers include financial limitations, debt concerns, pressure to work full-time after undergraduate studies, less access to social and cultural capital, and limited knowledge of the "hidden curriculum" of graduate school.
A Comprehensive Support Strategy
University officials believe a varied approach can help. "Our combination of academics, hands-on experiences and mentoring offers strategies to address these factors," said Libby Metcalf, dean of UM’s W.A. Franke College of Forestry and Conservation and a co-principal investigator.
The program combines financial aid, practical experience, network building, and focused mentoring. Dean Ke Wu hypothesizes that after a three-year experience, one year as a senior and two in graduate school, participants will graduate as highly skilled professionals ready for immediate workforce engagement. They are expected to gain technical and professional skills demonstrably above their peers at a similar career stage.
The initiative targets a significant demographic. Low-income students constitute a quarter of Montana's university population. The program aims to equip them for success in the state's growing STEM industries.
