Less than 40% of students who begin college pursuing a STEM-related degree actually complete it, with most abandoning the majors within the first two years. UNLV’s School of Life Sciences is working to change that through its Strengthening the Skill and Will to Succeed in STEM (S-STEM) program. While strong results are expected for students directly involved in the program, S-STEM's impact is extending to all biology majors in the college.

Results That Speak for Themselves

Principle investigators (PI) on the program — Jenifer Utz, Christy Strong, and Kathryn Rafferty — have worked to improve outcomes for students through research into better learning practices in key courses. 

“The basic concept is that financial aid alone won’t increase retention and graduation numbers in STEM,” says Utz, professor-in-residence in the School of Life Sciences. “While the S-STEM program does offer financial assistance to those accepted into the program, it also includes a more robust support system meant to help students on multiple levels outside of just monetarily.” 

The S-STEM program has achieved strong outcomes, with 80.6% of participating students earning degrees in the life sciences and an overall UNLV graduation rate of 88.9%. Retention in the School of Life Sciences has also improved since the program launched in 2018. Six-year graduation rates in the School of Life Sciences have more than doubled, rising from 18% since then to nearly 40%.

Rather than creating a separate course exclusively for S-STEM students, the introductory biology curriculum was revised for all life sciences majors. This shift helps students move beyond memorization and develop the critical thinking skills needed to understand concepts and apply them effectively.

Improving content delivery methods to keep students engaged — such as using short-form videos with stronger visuals — is also a key part of the redesign.

“Students come to college motivated and willing to work hard, but they don’t know how to work effectively when it comes to learning,” says Utz. “These courses were redesigned with this in mind, along with scalability and flexibility, so these approaches will work across different courses (math, science, etc.) and in classes of 200 or 30 students.”

Diversifying and expanding upper-division course offerings to ensure students have more options for completing degree requirements has also helped improve six-year graduation rates.

“We really are working to help everyone,” Utz says. “By design, the funding for the program could stop, but we would want to keep all of these things in place to continue helping all of our students.”

What Makes It Work

Microbiology student Alicia Flores Perez, who will be starting her fourth year in the program, says the S-STEM program made attending college possible as a first-generation student. "Through S-STEM I was awarded enough financial aid to attend UNLV tuition free, stay in the dorms on campus, walk to my classes and on-campus job, and enjoy my nights studying to my heart’s content,” she says. 

But the program was much more than a scholarship. The recipients meet every two to three weeks with faculty, mentors, and other students within the program to build connections and soft skills around studying and professional development. 

“It’s helped me connect with many other students taking the same courses as me," Flores Perez says, "We all understand the struggles of being STEM majors, so we often share study tips, experiences from our classes, our progress, and even some grievances about the workload we carry.”

Other elements of the program include workshops on resume building, interview preparation, and developing a personal brand. The program also sponsors career panels, often featuring S-STEM alumni, which are open to all College of Sciences students.

This year, Flores Perez took on the role of moderator for one of these panels. “I deeply appreciate how S-STEM takes the time to host events to expose us to more opportunities that our biology degree can unlock for us beyond becoming a doctor or researcher. I feel much more secure knowing my degree can give me a future with flexibility and fun.”

The connections built through S-STEM often extend beyond graduation, as alumni return to share their own experiences with current students.

Hannah Missel, who graduated from UNLV in 2023 with a degree in biology, is a disease data collection specialist for the Southern Nevada Health District. She returned this spring to serve on the career panel and share her experiences with students. “The S-STEM program helped me immensely during my time at UNLV," Missel says. "It allowed me to join a community of people on the same path as me and make valuable connections. S-STEM helped me develop a strong support system made up of peers and mentors who encouraged me to seek opportunities outside of the classroom.”

Utz says students are comforted by seeing S-STEM graduates whose careers weren’t a straight line from point A to point B. “It is so empowering to hear from former students in the program and see where they are now," she says. "Students leave with knowledge of careers they had no idea existed, and learn there is this whole range of professional opportunities available to them.” 

What’s Next for S-STEM

The S-STEM program is introducing summer research and internship funding to increase opportunities available to students, allowing them to pursue internships based on their passions rather than having to weigh which ones can help pay their bills.

A new addition for 2026 was an annual field trip for students to see different careers in action. Students from the program visited the Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge in May to learn more about conservation work by speaking with researchers and wildlife bioligists.

“Being able to meet the researchers, hearing what their day-to-day routine was like, exploring the lab where they monitor the Devil’s Hole pupfish, and learning about how the surrounding desert springs have much deeper significance than we might realize — it was a bite-sized serving of life as an ecologist,” says Flores Perez.

Utz dreams of seeing this work extended into other departments and colleges at UNLV. “I have this vision of seeing this ‘learning to learn’ training implemented across campus. It only takes having the core concepts integrated in two introductory level courses to establish that foundation and help students be more successful," she says.