McNair Scholars Program

ELIGIBILITY: The McNair Scholars Program is open to UC San Diego undergraduate students in all majors. Applicants must be US citizens or have Permanent Resident status. Applicants must have junior standing or above (at least 90 units) by the end of Fall Quarter in the year in which they participate in the program. Participants may not graduate prior to the end of the program; participants who would graduate in June will instead graduate in September after enrolling for an Independent Studies class during the Special Summer Session. Note that participants may not take any classes for credit (other than 4 units of Independent Study with their faculty mentor) during any summer session during their participation in the McNair Summer Research Program. Applicants must have a serious interest in pursuing a Ph.D. (including combined Ph.D. programs, such as M.D./Ph.D.). Applicants should also have a cumulative GPA of 2.8 or above, as a 3.0 cumulative GPA is necessary for participation in the McNair Summer Research Program. In addition, applicants must meet at least one of the two eligibility criteria as follows: applicants must either be first-generation college students from low-income households and/or must be members of an under-represented ethnic group as defined by the US Federal Government (African American / Black, Hispanic, Native American, Pacific Islander). “Low-income” status is determined by number of dependents in the household and household taxable income for the most recent tax year. The most recent “low-income” levels can be found online; this level is defined as 150% of the Federal Poverty Level for households: https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ope/trio/incomelevels.html . *bold PLEASE NOTE that your electronic signature on your McNair Program application serves as consent to allow McNair Program staff to consult with the Financial Aid Office at UC San Diego to determine your eligibility on the basis of household taxable income.bold

Award
$2,800.00 plus GRE preparatory training and housing for the 8-week McNair Summer Research Program
Scopes
Academic Year, Summer Research Program
Deadline
11/13/2023
Supplemental Questions

  1. McNair Scholars - Information about your letter of recommendation writer

    Your application will not be complete until a letter of recommendation is received (only one letter is needed). Please provide the name and contact information of your letter writer below. Once you save the McNair Scholars portion of the application, the letter writer will receive instructions about how to submit the letter of recommendation online (you can save your application without submitting it). *We strongly recommend that applicants contact potential letter writers in advance to confirm that they will be able to write a letter and complete the required form on the applicant's behalf, and that they notify the prospective recommender that letters of recommendation are due by 11:59 pm on November 13th, 2023.* Saving your application will automatically send the letter request to your letter writer, so be sure to contact them in advance. Letters from faculty are preferred. Letters from supervisors in research-focused industry or organizations are also acceptable, as are letters from supervisors in non-faculty academic positions. Applicants who have transferred to UC San Diego this quarter typically obtain a letter from a professor at their former institution.
    • a. Faculty recommender's name (first and last) and email address)
    • b. Faculty recommender's department
    • c. Faculty recommender's institution/university
  2. McNair Prospective Faculty Mentor
    • If you are admitted to the McNair Program, you will next need to secure a faculty mentor within the next several weeks afterward, as your research will begin in January at the beginning of the winter quarter. It is strongly recommended that you begin thinking about prospective faculty mentors before you are admitted. If you are considering any professors as possible faculty mentors for your McNair Program research, which professor(s) are you considering? Please tell us why you're considering each of these professors (one name per line, please). If you are not considering any particular faculty as prospective mentors, you may simply enter "N/A".

  3. McNair Program -- Personal Statement:

    In 750 words or less state your purpose in applying to the McNair Scholars Program at UC San Diego. State your research interests, experience, educational goals, and career objectives. Explain how participation in the UC San Diego McNair Program will help you attain your educational and career goals. You may want to include any additional information that might aid the selection committee in evaluating your motivation, potential, and aptitude for doing research. This is also a good opportunity to explain the development of your educational and career goals, and how you overcame obstacles, achieved academic goals, and/or conditions that may have adversely impacted your academic advancement in college.
  4. Are there any responses in your general application or in the McNair Program application that you feel need clarification? For instance, if you indicated that one of your parents received a college degree, but that person was a non-custodial parent with whom you had few interactions, you could indicate that here.
  5. How did you hear about this application?
    • How did you hear about this application?
    • If you selected any option(s) that ask(s) you to "Specify Below," please elaborate here. Otherwise, type N/A.