Differential Impacts of Family Income Background on GPA and STEM Retention among Undergraduate STEM Students Prior to STEM Intervention Program Implementation.

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Bibliographic Details
Title:	Differential Impacts of Family Income Background on GPA and STEM Retention among Undergraduate STEM Students Prior to STEM Intervention Program Implementation.
Authors:	Surman, Amanda L.¹, Gardiner, Amy K.², Misheva, Taya³, Wiles, Jason R.^1,3, Tillotson, John W.¹
Source:	Bioscene. Dec2025, Vol. 51, p53-61. 9p.
Subject Terms:	Low-income students, Grade point average, STEM education, Engineering students, *Graduation rate, Income
Geographic Terms:	United States
Abstract:	Studies in the U.S. show that students from low-income backgrounds graduate with STEM degrees at lower rates than their higher income peers. Prior research attributes this disparity to factors such as academic under-preparedness, limited social and cultural capital, lower STEM identity, and a weaker sense of belonging. To address these challenges, institutions have implemented STEM Intervention Programs (SIPs) using a variety of targeted interventions. This retroactive study establishes a baseline understanding of how low-income and higher-income STEM students have historically performed in terms of graduation rates and cumulative GPA at a private, predominantly white institution (PWI) in the northeast United States prior to the implementation of an SIP designed to reduce disparities. Our results indicate that during this timeframe, STEM graduation rates for low-income and higher-income students at this institution were statistically identical, and GPA differences between low-income and higher-income STEM graduates were not significant. However, a larger percentage of low-income students took more than four years to complete their STEM degrees compared to their higher-income peers. These findings suggest that SIPs should focus on improving time to graduation for low-income students to enhance their overall success in STEM fields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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Database:	Education Research Complete

Description
Abstract:	Studies in the U.S. show that students from low-income backgrounds graduate with STEM degrees at lower rates than their higher income peers. Prior research attributes this disparity to factors such as academic under-preparedness, limited social and cultural capital, lower STEM identity, and a weaker sense of belonging. To address these challenges, institutions have implemented STEM Intervention Programs (SIPs) using a variety of targeted interventions. This retroactive study establishes a baseline understanding of how low-income and higher-income STEM students have historically performed in terms of graduation rates and cumulative GPA at a private, predominantly white institution (PWI) in the northeast United States prior to the implementation of an SIP designed to reduce disparities. Our results indicate that during this timeframe, STEM graduation rates for low-income and higher-income students at this institution were statistically identical, and GPA differences between low-income and higher-income STEM graduates were not significant. However, a larger percentage of low-income students took more than four years to complete their STEM degrees compared to their higher-income peers. These findings suggest that SIPs should focus on improving time to graduation for low-income students to enhance their overall success in STEM fields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
ISSN:	15392422