- NSTEM offers two types of memberships
- School-Based Chapter Members: Members are connected to a Chapter generally part of a physical or online school
- Individual Global Member: Members are individually-based and do not require membership to a school-based Chapter
- Chapters can be at elementary, middle, high school, and college/university levels, so students can be part of NSTEM from Pre-K to Career
- Membership can be achieved literally every year from Pre-Kindergarten through college
- Recognizes and awards academic achievement and projects specifically in STEM disciplines
- Only admits students with a focus of excellence and engagement in STEM coursework/enrichment activities, making membership a prestigious honor
The Advisor of your Chapter must be a faculty member of your school or a qualified individual of an organization that supports your STEM-focused activities.
With the new Dashboard release in 2024, both Chapter members and International Global Members are able to update their personal information, contact info, GPA, STEM classes, enrichment activities, and more.
- NSTEM provides Chapters, members and their families with a cadre of resources:
- Thousands of curated resources in the Resource Library, searchable by state, grade level and these categories: awards, competitions, curricula, events, workshops, grants, groups, organizations, internships, professional development (PD), scholarships, and more!
- NSTEM Scholarship Program for college tuition and enrichment activities.
- NSTEM STEM Champions of Excellence Awards for excellent Chapters and advisors.
- A easy to navigate dashboard that helps Chapter advisors and members navigate and manage their Chapter and membership.
- Recognition Merchandise: NSTEM offers an array of recognition merchandise to celebrate members and their special occasions.
- Discounts on Products and Services: Members enjoy special privileges with lots of exclusive discounts to an ever expanding library of resources.
- School-Based Chapter Members: Members are connected to a Chapter generally part of a physical or online school.
- Individual Global Member: Members are individually-based and do not require membership to a school-based Chapter.
- Any student from grades pre-kindergarten through college/university who meets the minimum eligibility requirements in the past 12 months or latest grading period can become a member. You can become an NSTEM member in two ways.
- 1. Your school can start an NSTEM Chapter, Start a Chapter
- 2. If your school does not have a Chapter, you can join as an Individual Global Member
If a Chapter dissolves or closes, members of that Chapter have the opportunity to become Individual Global Member
If your school or school you report to starts a Chapter, the Individual Global Member would be transferred to the physical chapter at the beginning of the next school year.
Individual Global Member are required to pay an annual fee and upload more specific documentation meeting the three requirements.
Membership benefits are plentiful – please review Why You Should Join
NSTEM has established Minimum Eligibility Requirements for students to become and remain NSTEM members.
- A Chapter or Individual Global Member may increase or add to NSTEM minimum requirements but may not go below the following:
- GPA of a B or 3.0/4.0 equivalent
- Curricular hours in STEM courses only
- STEM enrichment project-based-learning hours
Students that do not have the minimum GPA, have not completed the required hours of STEM academic curriculum and/or enrichment activities in the last 12 months may be admitted as provisional members while completing their required classroom and enrichment hours, and GPA going forward.
Students must continue to satisfy member eligibility requirements in order to remain an active member of NSTEM and to ensure they are in compliance with the requirements, including meeting the minimum GPA, curricular hours in STEM courses, and enrichment project-based-learning hours.
Once a student is inducted, they remain an active member as long as they maintain the three minimum member criterion..
To fulfill NSTEM’s minimum requirements for STEM curricular hours, NSTEM does not prescribe which courses to include from individual courses of studies. STEM courses and curricula evolve and adapt so rapidly at all levels of education in response to global industry demands, it would be a practical impossibility to keep up! NSTEM requires that the courses are in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics disciplines; interdisciplinary courses that include STEM disciplines are encouraged.
- NSTEM does not require student membership fees to be a Chapter member as the Chapter has an annual fee of $395.
- ● The fee to be an Individual Global Member is $39 annually.
If you are enrolled in an online school or are homeschooled, your school can create an NSTEM Chapter, then you may become a member of that Chapter. Additionally, if this opportunity does not exist and you cannot start or join a Chapter, then you can become an Individual Global Member
Yes, however, you will be a provisional member until you complete satisfy all of the requirements at your new school. At that time, you will once again become a regular member.
STEM enrichment project-based-learning activities are extracurricular activities designed to increase a student’s knowledge of and engagement in STEM related topics that may include: Examples of qualified STEM enrichment activities include: science fairs, field trips, competitions, math contests, STEM-related clubs, (e.g. science, math, cyber, Lego, robotics), Science Olympiad, state-based programs (e.g. Universal Interscholastic League) tutoring students in STEM, coding, individual and group STEM projects, authentic research, experiments, workshops, attending a lecture or film on STEM topics, STEM camps, guest speakers, Chapter meetings, working at a STEM-related internship/job, drone and gaming technologies, computer sciences, etc.
STEM enrichment activities can be sponsored by your school or by an outside organization. Please visit the Constitution and the Minimum Eligibility Requirements for more information.
NSTEM encourages family and community member involvement in advocating for students of all ages. Members need enrichment activities and parents and guardians can help find authentic learning opportunities for their children.
- To increase student engagement, your NSTEM Chapter should:
- seek to have visibility at various school wide events
- offer recognition and awards throughout the school year, at graduation, and other school-wide ceremonies
- sponsor or approve STEM projects that are interesting and engaging that impact your students and the community
- involve the community in programs, projects, member opportunities, and events
- promote your Chapter successes and Chapter in your school newsletter, teacher and principal blogs, town and city news outlets, and social media platforms (tag the National STEM Honor Society!)
- order items through the NSTEM Store to give your members visibility and recognition
Any public or private/independent physical or online school is eligible to register an NSTEM Chapter and only staff members can start an NSTEM Chapter. Visit Start a Chapter for more information.
If you are a student who does not have access to a National STEM Honor Society Chapter, you are eligible to become an[1]Individual Global Member which has all the advantages of Chapter membership.
Find an individual at your school or local organization that is excited to serve as the Chapter Advisor. Each school has its own Chapter with a unique Director (i.e., principal, director, dean, headmaster or president) and is managed by the Chapter Advisor. You then can work with the proposed Chapter Advisor and Director to submit a chapter registration and its annual fee. Visit Start a Chapter for more information.
Managing your Chapter is paramount to the success of your students and creating an amazing Chapter. Here are some Suggested Chapter Officer Roles to get you started!
The cost for an annual Chapter membership is $395 beginning September 1, 2024 and is independent of size of the school or number of members. The fee must be paid to have your Chapter registration processed. Visit Start a Chapter for more information.
The Individual Global Member is $39 per year which can only be paid by credit card.
NSTEM accepts credit cards, checks, and Purchase Orders (PO’S) as forms of payment for annual Chapter fees. Visit Payment Instructions for more information
NSTEM accepts credit cards only for Individual Global Membership fees and merchandise orders.
If your school requires a purchase order, you can request a quote that will automatically be emailed to you after submitting a completed Chapter registration or merchandise order online (visit Start a Chapter or NSTEM shop). Please use this quote to complete your internal processing (purchase order, etc.). Visit Payment Instructions for more information on our Purchase Order process.
Chapters can be started anytime and registrations are processed throughout the year and renew annually September 1. Visit Start a Chapter for more information.
No, each school must have its own Chapter with a unique Director (principal, head of school, etc.) and Chapter Advisor. If your school shares the same building facility but has separate principals/heads of school, it must be considered as separate schools for purposes of establishing a Chapter. If your school shares the same building facility but has only one principal/head of school, it is one school for purposes of establishing a single Chapter. Visit Start a Chapter for more information.
Chapters are responsible for raising funds through fundraising, school budget, grants, donations, membership fees, etc. to cover the Chapter activities, stipends, and projects. Please visit the Resource Library for funding opportunities.
Chapters can determine how often they meet, but we would suggest monthly at a minimum in order to plan programs, enrichment activities, projects, fundraisers, and more. Visit the Helpful Tips for a Successful Chapter for ideas.
Chapter meetings are held at times that are convenient for Chapter members and staff involved, but we encourage you to invite other students and community members who have a vested interest in STEM, the school, and the Chapter’s growth.
Chapter meetings should engage members in planning and executing exciting, engaging, and educationally relevant Chapter projects, programs, events, enrichment activities, and community involvement.
The head of school or principal of a school (Chapter Director) must agree to sponsor the Chapter and pay the annual dues, as well as approve and assign a Chapter advisor.
They must be an individual or organization approved by the Chapter Director to serve but do not need to be a faculty member. They can be a school counselor, parent, or any other individual, and it is possible and advised to permit co-Advisors.
Although not required by NSTEM, some Chapters develop Advisory Councils to help with managing the Chapter and its activities. This Advisory Council Sample Chapter Bylaws can assist you in drafting bylaws for your Chapter and plan and execute lots of Chapter activities.
- The Chapter Advisor, with help from parents and their Chapter Advisory Council, is responsible for the day-to-day organization of the Chapter and:
- acts as a liaison between and engages with faculty, administration, students, families and community
- invites students to join the Chapter, reviews applications for membership, and recruits student members
- works with students and others to plan and execute projects, enrichment activities, events, programs, speakers, etc.
- approves STEM enrichment activities
- organizes and supervises meetings
- manages the officer election process
- determines which students have achieved the required GPA, STEM classroom hours and STEM project-based enrichment hours
- To assist in the drafting of the chapter bylaws, NSTEM provides Chapter Bylaws in the NSTEM Advisor Dashboard that chapters create and keep up to date.
- Each chapter must create its own bylaws that are consistent with the Constitution and set forth specific operating standards and procedures for their Chapter.
- Depending on the age of the student members, the Chapter Advisor may choose to involve the Chapter’s Advisory Council (if developed) student members or officers in the drafting of the bylaws.
The National STEM Honor Society has made a Commitment to IDEA which we incorporate as a guiding principle at NSTEM.
The National STEM Honor Society has created a Commitment to Community and Connectivity which we incorporate in a variety of ways, including our messaging, tools, and business practices.
The team at the National STEM Honor Society has made a Commitment to Sustainability as a founding principle.
The NSTEM structure is described in the NSTEM Constitution.
NSTEM is led by a dedicated team of Executives, Advisory Council Members, and Directors, see the Leadership page.
- Everything you need to manage the administration of your Chapter is in your Membership Account. If you have any questions or need assistance, please email membercare@nstem.org or call our main number 978.381.9305.
- Your Member Account page provides billing details for your account as well as the link for your students to use to set up their sub memberships
Members can purchase t-shirts, hoodies, polos and other merchandise. Schools can purchase member merch in addition to event banners, induction certificates, award and graduation certificates, membership cards, pins, awards, graduation cords, and MORE!. See the NSTEM Store for more.
Yes, check out our Resource Library for exclusive discounts offered to our Chapters and members.
Yes, nstem.org is protected with an SSL certificate to encrypt information that you send between your browser and our web server. This protects any information you send us from “man-in-the-middle” attacks, where someone steals the information being sent, like personal information, credit card information or logins. For more information, please see our Privacy Policy.
Yes, we use cookies to help us improve the functionality of our website. For more information, see our Privacy Policy.
Learn more about our logo and other trademarks, as well as rules for how our chapters can use them, at our Trademark Usage Guidelines.
Yes, you can use it on letterhead, event announcements, and other supplies provided you do so in accordance with the Trademark Usage Guidelines. You may not apply it on clothing, student membership cards, induction and graduation certificates, or other items that are available for purchase on the NSTEM Store.
Yes, please visit here to see the National STEM Honor Society Member Handbook
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