Step Up to STEM FAQs

Current eighth-grade students who live in the following eastern North Carolina counties are eligible to apply: Beaufort, Bertie, Bladen, Brunswick, Camden, Carteret, Chowan, Columbus, Craven, Currituck, Dare, Duplin, Edgecombe, Gates, Greene, Halifax, Hertford, Hyde, Jones, Lenoir, Martin, Nash, New Hanover, Northampton, Onslow, Pamlico, Pasquotank, Pender, Perquimans, Pitt, Sampson, Tyrell, Washington, and Wayne.

No, because the program experiences are very similar at both locations and funding at ECSU is earmarked for students from those counties.

Current eighth grade students who live in the following North Carolina counties: Alexander, Alamance, Alleghany, Anson, Ashe, Avery, Buncombe, Burke, Cabarrus, Caldwell, Caswell, Catawba, Chatham, Cherokee, Clay, Cleveland, Cumberland, Davidson, Davie, Durham, Forsyth, Franklin, Gaston, Graham, Granville, Guilford, Harnett, Haywood, Henderson, Hoke, Iredell, Jackson, Johnston, Lee, Lincoln, Macon, Madison, McDowell, Mecklenburg, Mitchell, Montgomery, Moore, Orange, Person, Polk, Randolph, Richmond, Robeson, Rockingham, Rowan, Rutherford, Scotland, Stanly, Stokes, Surry, Swain, Transylvania, Union, Vance, Wake, Warren, Watauga, Wilkes, Wilson, Yadkin, and Yancey.

No, because the program experiences are very similar at both locations and funding at ECSU is earmarked for students from those counties.

Step Up to STEM is designed for students from groups historically underrepresented in STEM fields and college attendance, including but not limited to students who identify as African American/Black, Hispanic/Latino, Native American, Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander, or female; students from low-income households; and students from the three NC U.S. Congressional Districts (1, 3, 11) with the lowest proportion of students pursuing post-secondary education after graduating from high school.

Accepted students do not pay anything to attend. The program’s costs of about $1,500 per student are covered by funding from Cisco Systems, the Anonymous Trust Foundation, and the Barber Fund for Underrepresented Minorities for STEM Leadership.

The Step Up to STEM application portal is open from early December to mid February of each year. In order to access the application portal, click on the green “APPLY NOW” button that can be found at the top of each page of the Step Up to STEM website. Please note that outside of the application season, the “APPLY NOW” button will not appear on any of the pages of the Step Up to STEM website.

We consider good grades, teacher and counselor recommendations, and the students’ responses to application questions when selecting program participants. Be sure to organize your ideas and write complete answers for the application questions and essay questions.

Only current eighth-graders can apply to the program. Students who are accepted and complete the program as rising ninth-graders are the only ones offered a spot to return for a second year of programming as rising 10th-graders.

Students can also apply to Summer Accelerator, which offers programs at NCSSM-Durham, NCSSM-Morganton, and virtually. Although Summer Accelerator courses charge tuition, financial aid and scholarships are available.

Yes, you can still be accepted into the program. Most eighth-graders have not had the opportunity to do research. The best candidates for Step Up to STEM are students excited by the opportunity to participate in research and labs.

Each class will have approximately 16 students.

Yes, students will be able to use the summer academics program on college applications and on an application to NCSSM.

Though participation in Step Up to STEM signals a strong interest in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, Step Up to STEM participants do not receive preferential treatment when being considered for the NCSSM Residential and NCSSM Online programs.

Adult resident advisors live on each male and female hall. Senior student leaders are assigned and live with the program participants. They are actively involved with the students throughout the program.

All participants are required to live on campus during the one-week residential program. The schedule for Step Up to STEM includes daytime and evening activities.

Yes, all participants will receive a certificate of completion.

Students may not use cell phones when they are in class or participating in organized programs and activities.

Although participants are welcome to bring their own laptops, please note that each participant will be issued a loaner laptop at check-in for academic purposes. Loaner laptops must be returned before participants check out of the program.

Participants dine cost-free at the school dining hall. Special dietary needs can be accommodated and must be communicated in the parent comments form.

Two students share each dorm room.

Students must be in their dorms by 9:30 p.m. for a hall meeting. The in-room curfew is 10 p.m., and lights-out in the dorm is 11 p.m.

Yes, each child can apply using the same log-in credentials. Click here for step-by-step instructions on how to submit multiple applications.

• Step 1: Go to the homepage of the site you’re trying to access.
• Step 2: Click “Log In”.
• Step 3: Underneath the Email/Password fields, click “Forgot your password?”.
• Step 4: Enter the email address that you use to login to the site.
• Step 5: Click “Send Instructions”.
• Step 6: You will be sent instructions to the email you entered to reset your password. If you aren’t able to locate the email in your inbox, we recommend checking your Spam/Junk folder.
• Step 7: Click on the link within the email.
• Step 8: Enter a new password and confirm the password.
• Step 9: Click “Reset Password.”

Please note that only one file can be uploaded to the recommendation form. If you have multiple documents, please merge into one file before uploading to the recommendation form. If there are difficulties with attaching a file, there are a few potential reasons this may occur:

• The file is not in an available format- Please check to ensure that the file type you are trying to attach is one of the accepted formats in the site.
• The file is encrypted- SurveyMonkey Apply will not accept encrypted files. In order to attach your file, it will need to be unencrypted.
• The file is corrupted- It is possible that the file you are trying to attach is a corrupted file. In order to resolve the issue, re-save the file to a new folder on your computer and attempt to attach the file again.
• A task related issue- Depending on the issue, it is also possible that the error is related to another setting on the task. For example, you are unable to edit the task.