Research

Minority Students with Grades Over a C May Be “Hyperpersistent” in STEM

Students from underrepresented groups who score below a C- in general chemistry are less likely to persist in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) majors than their classmates with similar grades, but they are more likely than their peers to persist if they earn a C+ or better, scientists report in the June 10 issue of Science Advances.

Freshman chemistry is an exit point for many underrepresented STEM students, study shows

General chemistry is among the largest classes taught at most universities because many science programs besides chemistry, like medicine, require students to take the introductory course. A new study reports that general chemistry may play an outsized role in underrepresented students, like Black or female students, leaving science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields.