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The Ronald E. McNair Postbaccalaureate Scholars Program

Application Eligibility

Eligibility Requirements:

 

1,  Must have a desire to earn a Ph.D. (Research Doctorate). Please note that an MD or other professional degrees (JD, MBA, PharmD, etc.) are not eligible for the program.

2.  Must be a low-income student (please see table below) who is also a first-generation college student (neither parent nor legal guardian had a Bachelor’s degree during the formative years);

OR 

be a member of a group that is underrepresented in graduate education. These groups are defined for all McNair Programs as follow:  Ethnic and racial groups are considered underrepresented in graduate education: Black (non-Hispanic), Hispanic, American Indian, Alaskan Native (as defined in section 7306 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, as amended by the ESEA), Native Hawaiians (as defined in section 7207 of the ESEA), and Native American Pacific Islanders (as defined in section 320 of the HEA).

3.  Must be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident

4.  Must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0

5.  Must be an enrolled undergraduate student at WSU Pullman

6.  Must have at least four semesters left before graduation (The program takes a minimum of four semesters to complete)

What is considered low-income?

 

Size of Family Unit

48 Contiguous States,
D.C., and Outlying Jurisdictions

Alaska

Hawaii

1

$21,870

$27,315

$25,155

2

$29,580

$36,960

$34,020

3

$37,290

$46,605

$42,885

4

$45,000

$56,250

$51,750

5

$52,710

$65,895

$60,615

6

$60,420

$75,540

$69,480

7

$68,130

$85,185

$78,345

8

$75,840

$94,830

$87,210

For family units with more than eight members, add the following amount for each additional family member: $7,710 for the 48 contiguous states, the District of Columbia and outlying jurisdictions; $9,645 for Alaska; and $8,865 for Hawaii.

The term “low-income individual” means an individual whose family’s taxable income for the preceding year did not exceed 150 percent of the poverty level amount.

The figures shown under family income represent amounts equal to 150 percent of the family income levels established by the Census Bureau for determining poverty status. The 2023 poverty guidelines are in effect as of January 19, 2023. Federal Register notice was published January 19, 2023.

Application for the McNair Scholars Program is now open. Accepting Application
To get started, please click HERE!

Questions about the application process?

We are happy to answer any questions or address concerns.  Please email us at mcnair.gs@wsu.edu for further assistance.

For more information about the McNair program, Click Here for our program FAQ page.