NEW ORLEANS – The University of New Orleans has received a six-year, $1,998,718 grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to provide scholarships and support services for low-income students pursuing degrees in biological sciences and computer science. The project, “Transitioning Low-Income Urban Students into the STEM Economy Through Scholarship Support,” is designed to increase retention, graduation and career readiness among academically talented students with demonstrated financial need.
STEM Support
Over the life of the award, 60 students (24 incoming freshmen and 36 transfer students) will receive scholarships averaging $6,200 annually to cover unmet financial need, with a maximum award of $15,000. Students must be Pell-eligible and maintain at least a 3.0 GPA to qualify. The scholarships are expected to provide approximately $1.19 million in direct financial support.
The program will create five cohorts of scholars (two freshman cohorts and three transfer cohorts) who will receive both financial assistance and structured support.
Activities include:
- faculty and peer mentoring,
- research and workforce internships,
- career preparation workshops,
- counseling resources, and
- networking opportunities with alumni and graduate students.
A summer camp will also help incoming freshmen prepare for the transition to college.
Building on a Good Thing
This initiative builds on UNO’s successful implementation of a previous NSF Scholarships in STEM project, which achieved a 73 percent graduation rate among participants, most of whom were first-generation students. The new project also includes a research component, with formative and summative assessments conducted by an external evaluator to contribute to national knowledge about strategies that support talented, low-income students in STEM fields.
The NSF S-STEM program funds projects that aim to increase the number of low-income students earning degrees in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, strengthen the preparation of the future STEM workforce, and expand understanding of factors that support student success. The UNO project will run from Oct. 1, 2025, through Sept. 30, 2031.
The NSF S-STEM Program
For nearly three decades, the NSF S-STEM program has provided financial lifelines and structured support to strengthen recruitment, retention, graduation, and workforce entry for domestic students with unmet financial needs.
A report released in May 2025 highlights the program’s impact. Among S-STEM scholars at four-year institutions, nearly half completed their degrees, compared to just 16 percent of Pell Grant recipients nationally. The report also found that 86 percent of S-STEM graduates who entered the workforce secured jobs in STEM fields, a placement rate significantly higher than the national average. Students interviewed for the study said the program not only reduced financial stress but also improved their academic confidence and sense of belonging in demanding degree programs.
The program’s holistic model reflects a larger shift in higher education: financial aid alone is no longer seen as enough to help low-income students thrive in STEM fields. By coupling scholarships with structured academic and social support, S-STEM has positioned itself as a proven tool for helping underrepresented students persist in some of the nation’s most challenging degree programs, while also addressing workforce shortages in critical industries.
UNO Success
In the fall semester of 2024, UNO saw a 20% increase in freshman enrollment (from 829 in 2023 to 996 in 2024) and a 60% surge in transfer students (from 305 to 489) compared to the previous year. Undergraduate enrollment rose by 3.5% overall.
UNO ranks in the top 10% of four-year institutions nationwide in the 2024 Social Mobility Index. This metric measures how well a university moves low-income students into the middle class within five years of graduation, factoring in variables like tuition, debt, Pell grant participation, and early career salaries.
That rank (No. 102 out of 1,205 schools) reflects the university’s overall effectiveness in supporting socioeconomically disadvantaged students—a category that includes many pursuing STEM fields.
