Wichita State University has received a grant from the National Science Foundation for $750,000 to provide scholarships for low-income engineering students.

 

Each student, who will be selected while in high school, will receive $18,750 in assistance over 4 years. For the first year, students will receive $10,000, then $5000 the second year, then $2,500 the third year, and $1,250 the final year. By front-loading the first year it will allow the student to focus on their studies and to not have to work and go to school. As freshmen, they will be paired with industry and faculty mentors so that by the time they enter their sophomore year, they identify as engineers and with their long-term chosen career.

 

All in an effort to increase the likelihood of graduation, the industry mentors will help establish a working connection and it’s expected that they’ll begin some kind of paid applied learning through that connection. By graduation, the students will be fully engaged in the industry of their choice and earning a full-time income.

 

The program was borne from statistics that show that low-income students have lower degree-completion rates than their typical-income peers in engineering.