Staff Report
Beginning Saturday, March 8, 138 middle school students representing 45 schools across the Commonwealth will gather in Bowling Green to compete in the 2025 MATHCOUNTS State Competition hosted by Western Kentucky University.
The students are advancing from 13 National Society of Professional Engineers – Kentucky (NSPE-KY) Chapter invitational competitions that were held in February.
Thirteen first place individual finishers at each chapter won a one-time $500 scholarship from the Kentucky Engineering Foundation and a full tuition scholarship to Morehead State University.
At the state competition, in addition to receiving trophies and certificates, the top four students will win a four-year $3,000 college scholarship to the University of Kentucky Pigman College of Engineering or a full tuition scholarship to the University of Louisville — five years if the student attends U of L and majors in engineering. — and a chance to compete at the 2025 RTX MATHCOUNTS National Competition May 11-12 in Washington D.C. The students will represent Kentucky for the national title and individually compete for additional scholarships.
Students who place fifth through tenth on March 2 will receive a four-year $1,500 scholarship at the University of Louisville. In total, Kentucky MATHCOUNTS awards a total of 53 scholarships for middle school Mathletes each year.
MATHCOUNTS was founded in 1983 by the National Society of Professional Engineers, CNA Insurance Company, and the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics and is celebrating its 42nd year. It is estimated that over 250,000 students nationally and 9,000 students in Kentucky will be exposed to MATHCOUNTS through the classroom, home study, or private coaching experiences each year.
MATHCOUNTS represents NSPE-KY’s on-going commitment to encourage sixth, seventh, and eight-grade students to gain leadership skills, problem solving techniques, and a general understanding for solving problems in real world situations while using their love for math. Engineers hope to impress such skills to students as essential to their future academic and professional careers. Students compete individually and as teams in written and fast-paced, oral, and often awe-inspiring, think-on-your-feet matches designed to stimulate their exposure to a wide range of mathematics.
NSPE-KY, headquartered in Frankfort, sponsors the MATHCOUNTS program through its non-profit, education-based corporation, the Kentucky Engineering Foundation, Inc. Among the Kentucky supporters are the University of Kentucky Pigman College of Engineering, the University of Louisville, Western Kentucky University, and Morehead State University, which provide the scholarships.
Kentucky’s MATHCOUNTS program is one of the most successful in the United States with several Top Ten success stories, including having the 1995 National Champion and placing 9th overall in 2000 and 2007.
National Society of Professional Engineers – Kentucky