UNC Charlotte secured $2 million from a $5 million National Science Foundation grant. The money will expand a partnership that helps high-achieving students from low-income backgrounds pursue science, technology, engineering, and math degrees. Scholarships will go to STEM students at the university and four North Carolina community colleges.
The grant launches SPARC6. This builds on the earlier SPARC4 program. Cleveland Community College, South Piedmont Community College, Gaston College, and Rowan-Cabarrus Community College will participate.
Cleveland Community College and South Piedmont Community College join the program with this grant. SPARC stands for STEM Persistence and Retention through Curricula, Centralization, Cohorts, and Collaboration.
Elizabeth Stearns leads the initiative. She’s a professor and director of the Public Policy doctoral program in the College of Humanities & Earth and Social Sciences. Morgan Carter, assistant professor of biological sciences in the Klein College of Science, and Mohsen Dorodchi, teaching professor of computer science in the College of Computing and Informatics, work as co-principal investigators.
“This award allows us to expand a proven model that supports students academically, socially, and financially, from their first semester in community college through graduation at UNC Charlotte,” said Stearns, according to NinerTimes. “By strengthening the bridge between two‑year and four‑year institutions, we’re helping students build the skills, networks, and confidence they need to thrive in the STEM workforce.”
The five-institution effort aims to boost retention rates. Transfer success matters too. So do graduation rates in biology, computer science, and data science. Students at the four community colleges will earn associate’s degrees, then get the chance to transfer and complete bachelor’s degrees in STEM fields.
Each community college can award five to 10 scholarships per year. SPARC4 offered renewable scholarships up to $6,000 per year for community colleges and $10,000 per year for university students. Officials haven’t announced the exact scholarship amounts for SPARC6 yet.
The program provides scholarships. It also offers advising and mentorship from faculty and peers, chances for undergraduate research, and designated coursework with cohorts. SPARC6 includes regional programming efforts too — research symposia, faculty development workshops, field trips, and S-STEM orientations.
The first cohort starts in fall 2026. More than 120 students will benefit throughout the five-year project.