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This scholarship program will combine financial support, academic advising, mentoring and career development to help Colorado students persist and thrive in STEM fields.

CU �Ǹ�Թ� has earned a $2 million award from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to open new pathways for low-income Colorado students pursuing degrees in some of the nation’s fastest-growing science and technology fields.

Through the NSF Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics program, known as S-STEM, CU �Ǹ�Թ� will support 24 students across two cohorts in eligible STEM majors connected to artificial intelligence and machine learning, robotics, quantum computing and sensing, and biotechnology. Students who remain eligible and continue making academic progress may receive support through the rest of their undergraduate programs, for up to five years.

Reducing barriers to graduation

Rebecca Machen

For Rebecca Machen, assistant teaching professor in mathematics and a partner on the project, the award recognizes both the promise of CU �Ǹ�Թ� students and the practical obstacles that can shape their college experience.

“Many STEM students participating in academic programs through the Student Academic Success Center have the academic preparation, motivation and ability to be successful in STEM majors,” Machen said. “However, financial barriers can limit their access to the full range of opportunities available to them as students.”

When students have to close financial gaps on their own, academics can become only one of many competing demands—that can mean working more hours while enrolled, taking fewer credits or taking longer to graduate. In preparation for the S-STEM proposal, the project team reviewed institutional data and found STEM students who qualify for financial aid persist at lower rates and often take longer to graduate than their academic peers.

The data pointed to a clear opportunity: Financial support is essential, but it is most powerful when paired with the advising, connection and academic scaffolding that help students navigate demanding STEM pathways. Roughly 16% of CU �Ǹ�Թ� undergraduates meet NSF guidelines for financial support through S-STEM, pointing to a meaningful population of students who could benefit from the initiative.

“Our goal with the S-STEM program is to provide additional resources that allow these students to more fully participate in their majors and the university community,” Machen said.

Building on a foundation of student success

The initiative extends work already underway through the Student Academic Success Center, or SASC, where students can access proactive advising, academic resources, community-building programs, and trained faculty and staff who understand the needs of students from low-income backgrounds.

It also grows out of earlier campus experiences with NSF S-STEM funding through the Red Shirt Program. Insights from that work helped identify critical moments in a student’s trajectory, including the move into upper-division STEM coursework, when targeted support can make a meaningful difference in whether students stay on track.

Pairing financial support with community

For selected scholars, the award is intended to ease immediate financial pressure while connecting them with a broader network of support. Along with scholarship funding, students will have access to advising, mentoring, tutoring, smaller foundational STEM courses and summer coursework support when appropriate.

The cohort model is another central part of the program. By moving through experiences with peers, scholars will have more opportunities to form relationships, share challenges and build a stronger sense of community within their areas of study and across campus.

“We believe that reducing some of the financial barriers students experience, while also building academic and community support around them, can help create more equitable pathways toward STEM degrees,” Machen said.

Support will change as students advance. Early programming will emphasize academic belonging, foundational coursework and campus connection. Later, scholars will focus on more intentional professional development, with faculty mentors helping students identify experiences that match their interests, whether that means joining a lab, pursuing an internship, presenting at a conference or considering graduate school.��

The program will also draw on existing campus strengths, including the Research and Innovation Office (RIO), the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program and career-development resources within colleges. Collaborations with the College of Engineering and Applied Science and the Leeds School of Business will help students translate classroom learning into career readiness, professional networks and a clearer understanding of where their degree can lead.

“We hope students leave CU �Ǹ�Թ� not only with a STEM degree but also with the experiences, relationships and professional networks that can help them move into the next stage of their careers,” Machen said.

A model for university-wide impact

Beyond the direct student support, the award gives CU �Ǹ�Թ� a chance to study a coordinated model that brings financial assistance, academic resources, community and career preparation together in one program.

As the project unfolds, the university will assess how those elements influence persistence, degree completion and students’ movement into STEM careers or graduate study. Findings will be shared with academic departments, colleges and student-support programs across campus.

In that sense, the scholarship is designed to do more than lower the cost of attendance. It reflects a broader university commitment to helping Colorado students finish their degrees and prepare for careers in fields that will shape Colorado and the nation.

For scholars, that connected experience means more time to focus on coursework, stronger ties to the university and their peers, earlier access to research and professional opportunities, and the support to carry their ambitions forward.