The Ronald E. McNair Post-Baccalaureate Achievement Program at CSU Stanislaus and UC Merced is a unique and exciting two-year program designed to encourage and prepare individuals coming from low-income, first-generation and/or historically underrepresented backgrounds in graduate education to pursue doctoral study. The McNair Program, funded by the U.S. Department of Education, prepares talented and eligible undergraduates for doctoral studies through involvement in faculty mentored independent research, GRE training, graduate preparation seminars, leadership development, advising and other scholarly activities and resources.  Named for the Challenger space shuttle crew member, the Ronald E. McNair Program serves as a living memorial to a man who overcame insurmountable odds to be awarded his Ph.D. in physics and later, to realize his dream of becoming an astronaut for NASA.

Please be sure to review all application instructions and elegibility requirements below.

How to Apply

To apply, select one of the following links below:

UC Merced Applicants Only, Click Here to Access the 2012 Online Application 

IMPORTANT: The UC Merced application process consists of the online application and two supplemental documents (one letter of recommendation and a copy of unofficial transcripts). If you are applying to more than one graduate preparation program, you only need to submit one copy of your supplemental documents.  As part of the online application, you will be prompted to upload your unofficial transcript as a PDF file.  For the letter of recommendation, applicants will report the name and email address of their recommender and the recommender will receive a seperate email with instrucitons on how to submit the letter of recommendation online.

CSU Stanislaus Applicants Only, Click Here to Download the 2012 PDF Application

IMPORTANT: CSU Stanislaus applicants will need to download the PDF version of the application and return it to the College of Humanities & Social Sciences, L-175 by March 16, 2012. Please be sure to include a copy of your unofficial transcripts and a sealed letter of recommendation with your completed application.

Eligibility Requirements

1. Applicants must be either low-income individuals who are first-generation college students, and/or members of a group traditionally underrepresented in doctorate education – African-American, Hispanic/Latino, American Indian/Alaskan Native, Pacific Islander/Native Hawaiian. (The Federal Guidelines define the term "first generation college student" as (A) an individual both of whose parents did not complete a baccalaureate degree; or (B) in the case of any individual who regularly resided with and received support from only one parent, an individual whose only such parent did not complete a baccalaureate degree.)

2. Applicants must have completed 60 academic units. (For the purpose of determining the number of units you have completed, you may include the number of units you are currently enrolled in this semester.)

3. Applicants must be enrolled in a formal degree program at either California State University, Stanislaus or the University of Calfornia, Merced on a full-time basis.

4. Applicants must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.8.

5. Applicants must be U.S. Citizens or permanent residents of the United States.

6. Applicants must be considering graduate study. (Students interested in professional school programs such as law, dentistry, business, medicine or veterinary careers are not eligible for this program.)

7. For full consideration, applicants must submit the completed Ronald E. McNair application packet with all the necessary supporting documents by March 16, 2012.

Selection will be made on a competitive basis from those applicants who best meet the purposes of the program as defined by the U.S. Department of Education. Specifically, at least two-thirds of the individuals participating in the McNair Program must be low-income individuals who are first-generation college students. Applicants who best meet the federally-mandated guidelines will then be selected on the basis of having the greatest potential for pursuing doctoral studies and for whom the program will have the greatest impact. Once selected, students must continue to make progress toward their degree program and toward completing McNair goals and regulations.

Program Awards and Benefits

 As a McNair Scholar you will...

• be matched with a faculty mentor whose research interests are related to your own academic interests.

• participate in a competitive eight-week summer research project under the direction of your faculty mentor from approximately June 11 through August 3 and gain recommendation to receive up to a $2,800 competitive stipend.

• write an abstract and paper based on your summer research findings which will be published in the McNair Scholars' Journal and presented at the annual McNair Research Symposium.

• attend seminars designed to introduce participants to the nature of graduate education, and to successful role models who have obtained doctoral degrees.

• attend research and teaching institutes designed to increase participants' knowledge of the culture of the academy.

• participate in an intensive GRE workshop.

• receive assistance in defining, setting, and realizing your education goals, as well as in applying to graduate programs of your choice.

• benefit from a supportive network of McNair Scholars, who, like you, are working toward a graduate degree.

• have the opportunity to attend a professional meeting or conference with your faculty mentor or to visit selected institutions for research purposes with your faculty mentor.

• benefit from ongoing support from faculty mentors and program staff dedicated to ensuring student advancement.

Contact Information

If you have any questions or concerns about our UC Merced and CSU Stanislaus McNair Scholars Program, please don’t hesitate to contact us.

Jesus Cisneros, Director

Ronald E. McNair Scholars Program

University of California, Merced

Kolligian Library, Suite 167

5200 N. Lake Road

Merced, CA 95343

Email: jcisneros@ucmerced.edu

Phone: (209) 228-4248