Edith Nourse Rogers STEM Scholarship Opportunity Act of 2025
Edith Nourse Rogers STEM Scholarship Opportunity Act of 2025
Plain Language Summary
# Summary of the Edith Nourse Rogers STEM Scholarship Opportunity Act of 2025 **What it does:** This bill would make it easier for military veterans to access additional educational funding for science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and healthcare degrees. Specifically, it removes a restriction that currently limits the scholarship to veterans with very little educational benefits remaining, and reduces the amount of coursework veterans must complete before becoming eligible. The scholarship provides up to 9 additional months of benefits, capped at $30,000. **Who it affects:** The primary beneficiaries would be Post-9/11 GI Bill recipients—primarily post-2001 military veterans—who are studying or considering studying STEM or healthcare fields.
The Department of Veterans Affairs would also be affected, as it administers the program. **Current status:** The bill is currently in committee (S. 3040, 119th Congress), meaning it has been introduced but has not yet advanced to a full Senate vote. It was sponsored by Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN).
CRS Official Summary
Edith Nourse Rogers STEM Scholarship Opportunity Act of 2025This bill expands eligibility for and modifies administration of the Edith Nourse Rogers STEM Scholarship. The scholarship allows individuals who are entitled to Post-9/11 GI Bill educational assistance and are pursuing eligible degrees in science, technology, engineering, mathematics, or health care to receive up to nine additional months of benefits (capped at $30,000).The bill eliminates the requirement that an individual must have less than 180 days of remaining educational assistance entitlement (or no entitlement remaining) to be eligible for the scholarship.Additionally, the bill reduces by 25% the number of credits an individual must have completed in order to be eligible for the scholarship.In situations where there are insufficient funds available in a fiscal year, the bill authorizes the Department of Veterans Affairs to give priority to individuals who have used the most months of their educational assistance entitlement and those who are using their entitlement to pursue a program of post-secondary education in specified fields (e.g., engineering).The bill specifies that individuals who receive the scholarship benefit may only use the benefit after they have used all of their educational assistance entitlement under the Post-9/11 GI Bill.
Latest Action
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs.