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ALN 47.076

Improving Undergraduate STEM Education: Directorate for STEM Education (IUSE: EDU)

IUSE: EDU funds research and development to improve undergraduate STEM teaching and learning through two tracks: Engaged Student Learning and Institutional and Community Transformation. Proposals are reviewed on NSF's Intellectual Merit and Broader Impacts criteria plus solicitation-specific expectations for evidence, evaluation and knowledge generation. NSF terminated a number of education awards and reorganized in 2025, but the IUSE: EDU solicitation remains active with 2027 deadlines.

Draft this applicationOfficial program page

Program facts

Agency
Directorate for STEM Education (EDU), Division of Undergraduate Education, U.S. National Science Foundation
Assistance Listing
47.076
Statutory authority
National Science Foundation Act of 1950, as amended (42 U.S.C. 1861 et seq.)
Award ceiling
Up to $2,000,000 for Level 3 Engaged Student Learning projects; Level 1 projects up to $300,000
Awards
About $61 million a year for roughly 135 new awards, including about 50 Level 1, 30 Level 2 and 3, 15 Capacity-Building and 40 conference awards, subject to funds
Period of performance
Generally 2 to 5 years depending on track and level
Cost share
None required; voluntary committed cost sharing is prohibited
Cycle
Annual deadlines on the third Wednesday of January (Capacity-Building and Level 1) and the third Wednesday of July (Level 2 and 3): the next are January 20, 2027 and July 21, 2027 under solicitation NSF 23-510

Program goals

  • Improve the effectiveness of undergraduate STEM education for all students
  • Generate and share evidence about how students learn STEM
  • Support institutional and community transformation of STEM teaching practice
  • Build capacity at institutions new to IUSE

Scoring rubric

Criterion100 pts

  • Intellectual Merit40

    Potential to advance knowledge of undergraduate STEM learning, a well-reasoned and well-organized plan, and qualified team and resources.

  • Broader Impacts35

    Potential to benefit society and improve STEM education outcomes, with a plan to assess and disseminate results.

  • Evaluation and knowledge generation25

    An external or independent evaluation plan, research questions, measurable outcomes and how findings will add to the evidence base.

NSF does not assign points to merit review criteria. The weights shown are ELIXIR CONSUMERS' readiness weighting across NSF's two standard criteria and the solicitation-specific expectations in NSF 23-510.

Eligibility

  • Institutions of higher education, including two- and four-year colleges and universities
  • Nonprofit, non-academic organizations associated with educational or research activities
  • An individual may serve as PI or co-PI on no more than three IUSE: EDU proposals per October 1 to September 30

Required attachments

  • Project Summary (overview, intellectual merit, broader impacts)
  • Project Description (15 pages maximum) including results from prior NSF support
  • References cited
  • Budget and budget justification
  • Biographical sketches and current and pending (other) support for senior personnel
  • Data management and sharing plan and mentoring plan if postdocs are supported
  • Collaborators and other affiliations information and facilities, equipment and other resources

Formatting rules

  • Follow the NSF Proposal and Award Policies and Procedures Guide (PAPPG) in effect at submission
  • Project Description limited to 15 pages
  • Submit through Research.gov or Grants.gov

Why applications lose points

  • Weak evaluation design without an independent evaluator
  • Proposals that describe teaching activities without research questions
  • Exceeding the three-proposal PI limit, which causes proposals to be returned without review
  • Broader impacts stated generally without a dissemination plan
  • Choosing the wrong track or level for the scope and budget

How ELIXIR CONSUMERS helps with NSF IUSE: EDU

  1. 1.Drafts the Project Description sections from your institutional data and prior course outcome studies
  2. 2.Checks PAPPG formatting and page limits before you upload
  3. 3.Builds an evaluation plan outline with measurable outcomes
  4. 4.Tracks PI proposal counts across your institution
How the NOFO Parser works

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Questions, answered

Is IUSE still active after the 2025 changes at NSF?

Yes. The NSF 23-510 solicitation lists January 20, 2027 and July 21, 2027 deadlines. Check the program page for amendments before submitting.

Can community colleges apply?

Yes. Two-year institutions are eligible and Capacity-Building proposals are designed for institutions new to IUSE.

Is cost share required?

No. NSF prohibits voluntary committed cost sharing in IUSE proposals.

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