Eligibility Criteria


Mcnair with other space shuttle challenger crew

In order to apply for the McNair Program, you must meet the following eligibility criteria, set by the Department of Education. Because this is a federally funded program, these are strict requirements.

To be eligible, you:

  • Must be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident;
  • Must be a low-income student who is also a first-generation college student or must be a member of a group that is underrepresented in higher education (African American, American Indian/Alaskan Native, Hispanic/Latino, or Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander) regardless of parents' education or family income;
  • Must be currently enrolled as an undergraduate in a degree program at CWU;
  • Must have completed 90 quarter credits by the time you begin the Research Fellowship,
  • Must have at least one year remaining before graduation;
  • Must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.9, and a major GPA of at least 3.1;
  • Must express a desire to attain a Ph.D
Post-baccalaureate students and students who already have one bachelor's degree are not eligible for the program.

Students whose career goals include a medical (MD) or other professional degrees (JD, MBA, PharmD, etc.) are not eligible for the program unless they are paired with a Ph.D. (i.e. MD -Ph.D. or JD-Ph.D.). You can see a list of alternate degrees that satisfy the McNair requirements.

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McNair Scholars Program