The Undergraduate Team Experience Award Program is intended to fund student-led, research projects that develop diverse, capable, and prepared human capital in aerospace related science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines and provide a unique student team experience. Projects are hands-on STEM based research projects that support NASAs vision to reach for new heights and reveal the unknown so that what we do and learn will benefit all humankind, relevant to the NASA Mission Directorates. Preference is given to projects that lead to participation in national and international student competitions. Potential projects include but are not limited to the NASA Micro-g NExT Opportunity, High Altitude Student Platform (HASP) Program, NASA University Student Launch Initiative (USLI), AIAA Experimental Sounding Rocket Association Intercollegiate Rocket Engineering Competition, AIAA Design, Build, Fly Competition, NASA Robotics Mining Competition, Mars Society University Rover Challenge, and the RockOn!, RockSat-C, or RockSat-X NASA Wallops Programs.
Preference may be given to group activities in partnership with Society of Women Engineers (SWE), Society of Black Engineers, Society of Hispanic Engineers, and the American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES). Women and underrepresented minorities in the STEM fields are strongly encouraged to apply. Teams are encouraged to but not required to conduct K-12 outreach activities in association with their research projects.

Six Undergraduate Team Experience Awards were made in the FY2017 funding cycle. 54 students are direct participants of the program and are included in the FY2017 Spreadsheet Summary Report.