Home » Frequently Asked Questions
Membership benefits are plentiful; please review Why Join!
NSTEM™ has established Minimum Eligibility Requirements for students to become and remain members of their NSTEM™ Chapter.
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.
Each year students must continue to satisfy their Chapter’s member eligibility requirements in order to remain an active member of their Chapter. Students should check with their Advisor to ensure they are in compliance with the requirements, including meeting the minimum GPA, curricular hours in STEM courses, and enrichment hours. The Advisor determines if the student has met all of the requirements.
Which STEM courses you include is up to your Chapter. 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 encourages each Chapter to decide which courses they propose for their members to meet NSTEM’s minimum requirements. 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 yet the Chapter may impose a fee for membership. Each Chapter will decide how much, if any, to charge student members but fees must not exceed $20 per student per year per the NSTEM Constitution.
If the online school has been approved by your State, then it can have a Chapter. If you’re homeschooled, you are affiliated with a local State approved school. If so, then that school can create an NSTEM Chapter. Once it creates an NSTEM™ Chapter, then you may become a member of that Chapter.
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 activities are extracurricular activities designed to increase a student’s knowledge of and engagement in STEM related topics that may include: science fairs and competitions, math contests, STEM-related clubs (e.g. science, math, cyber, Lego, robotics), tutoring other students in STEM disciplines, coding, individual or group STEM projects, attending a lecture or film on STEM topics, working at a STEM-related internship/job, etc. The Chapter Advisor determines which enrichment activities qualify to meet the requirements.
STEM enrichment activities are pre-approved by the Chapter Advisor and can be either sponsored by your school or by outside organizations. Please visit the Constitution and the Minimum Eligibility Requirements for more information
NSTEM™ encourages family and community member involvement in advocating for students. Have them speak with your school’s administration and staff to get involved and to start a Chapter. If the school already has a Chapter, have them speak to your Chapter’s Advisor.
Any public or private/independent educational school that is approved by its Department of Education and consists of one or more grades from kindergarten through the fourth year of college/university is eligible to register a local NSTEM™ Chapter. Visit How to Start a Chapter for more information.
The first step would be to find an individual or organization that is excited to serve as the Chapter Advisor. Each school must have its own Chapter with a unique Director (i.e., principal, director, dean, headmaster or president) and be 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 How to 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 a Chapter annual membership is $295 and is independent of size of the school, Chapter size, or number of members. The fee must be paid to have your Chapter registration processed. Visit How to Start a Chapter for more information.
NSTEM™ accepts credit cards, checks, and Purchase Orders (PO’S) as forms of payment for annual Chapter fees. Paying by credit card activates your Chapter membership immediately, while paying by check or PO can take up to 72 hours to activate your Chapter. Visit Payment Instructions for more information.
If your school requires a purchase order, you will automatically receive an invoice and confirmation email after submitting a completed Chapter registration online (visit How to Start a Chapter). Please use this invoice to complete your internal processing (purchase order, etc.) and then send a check with a copy of the invoice to NSTEM™. Visit Payment Instructions for more information.
Chapters can be started anytime and registrations are processed throughout the year and renew annually July 1. The annual fee for each Chapter is $295 and NSTEM does not require student member membership fees. Visit How to 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. Visit How to 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.
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 page 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. Since Advisors have access to student records and private information, NSTEM™ strongly encourages care in choosing an Advisor.
Although not required by NSTEM™, some Chapters will develop an Advisory Council to help with managing the Chapter and its activities. This Advisory Council Sample Chapter Bylaws template will assist you in drafting bylaws for your Chapter.
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, Directors and Advisory Council Members, see the Leadership page.
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.
Members can purchase t-shirts, hats, hoodies, polos and other merchandise. Schools can purchase t-shirts, caps, event banners, induction certificates, award and graduation certificates, membership cards, pins, graduation cords. See the Store for more.
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
Please visit Contact Us
Researching and discovering new merchandise that matches our mission. This department includes chapter apparel and merchandise, personal apparel, and recognition items (such as pins, cords, certificates). Building relationships with e-commerce experts and fulfillment centers outside of NSTEM along with researching specific products to maximize profit. Promoting NSTEM in creative ways our line of merchandise is a key objective.
SKILLS REQUIRED: E-Commerce requires the following skillset: critical thinking, persistent work ethic and willingness to learn, express enthusiasm and creativity for creating new, captivating content, creative writing, organization, and working with various personas. An in-depth knowledge of GSuite office and various Google applications is essential for NSTEM interns across the board.
