Welcome to HSTA
Health Sciences & Technology Academy, known as HSTA, is a one-of-a-kind mentoring program in the state of West Virginia that helps participating high school students enter and succeed in STEM-based undergraduate and graduate degree programs. HSTA marshals the efforts of hundreds of mentors—teachers, community members, higher-education faculty and staff, and the HSTA participants themselves—through a framework that supports students facing social and financial challenges to obtaining a diploma and moving on to college.
HSTA Scholars Are:
- 75% Rural
- 37% African American
- 69% Female
- 68% First-Generation College Attendees
- 46% Financially Disadvantaged
And They Achieve Phenomenal Success:
- 2,879 high school students have graduated from HSTA, 1998-2019
- 99% of HSTA graduates matriculate to college
- 89% graduate from college; 86% graduate with a four-year degree or higher
- 84% of HSTA college graduates continue to live and work in West Virginia
- On average, HSTA students earn $30,000 per year more than their parents
- State schools provide substantial tuition support through medical school and other advanced STEM-based degrees