Students currently in their sophomore or junior year of college who meet the following criteria are eligible for The McNair Scholars Program at Claremont Graduate University:

• You are first-generation (the first in your family to attend college) and low-income (Click on our low-income graph to see if you qualify)

OR

• You are from a group underrepresented at the doctoral level (e.g., African-American, Latino-American, or Native-American)

If you are eligible, before you apply, make sure that you qualify given the criteria described below and fully understand our expectations. To read about how our program benefits you, go to Program Details.

Qualifications to Apply

To qualify for The McNair Scholars Program, students must meet all of the following criteria:

1. You have a minimum 2.7 cumulative grade point average
2. You have U.S. citizenship or have permanent U.S. residency
3. You intend to pursue a doctoral degree (Ph.D.) after graduation (This does not include professional degrees such as Law (JD), Medicine (MD), Veterinary Medicine (DVM), and Pharmacy (PharmD).

Scholar Expectations

The program has high expectations for our scholars. We offer support throughout the year for our students so they can maximize their potential and obtain their educational goals . In return, we ask that our scholars:

• Take part in all scheduled classes, workshops, and seminars
• Attend all scheduled academic counseling sessions
• Complete all assignments given
• Utilize support services when appropriate
• Maintain a 3.0 GPA or better
• Maintain full-time course load during the academic year
• Take the appropriate graduate examination when needed
• Complete the necessary graduate school applications when needed
• Complete research project under guidance of a faculty mentor in a timely manner
• Present research of scholarly work at a conference and/or
  professional meeting

At the beginning of the program, you will be asked to sign a contract committing yourself to the items listed above. If you fail to meet the standards set forth by the program, you will be advised to drop the program to make room for students who are more committed.