Eligibility

We formally recruit scholars every fall, but we invite you to contact us any time. We want to meet you and help you find an educational and career path that best fits your needs and interests. If you want to obtain your Ph.D. and have an opportunity to conduct research, we strongly encourage you to click here to fill out a brief interest survey telling us more about yourself.

To qualify for the program, you must be both first-generation and meet income eligibility requirements.

• First-generation college student means: (1) an individual neither of whose natural or adoptive parents received a baccalaureate degree; or (2) an individual who, prior to the age of 18, regularly resided with and received support from only one parent and whose supporting parent did not receive a baccalaureate degree; or (3) an individual who, prior to the age of 18, did not regularly reside with or receive support from a natural or adoptive parent.
• The U.S. Department of Education establishes the income eligibility requirements.

Or

If you are not considered first-generation and low-income, you may also be eligible if you are a member of a group underrepresented in graduate education, including African American, Native American, Native Hawaiian Pacific Islanders, Native Hawaiians, and Chicano/Latino. Students who have transferred from a community college are especially encouraged to apply.

All applicants must:

• Be a U.S. citizen or permanent U.S. resident.
• Have completed at least 90 quarter units (60 semester units) at the time of entry.
• Have a 3.0 minimum cumulative GPA.
• Intends to pursue a Ph.D. after graduation. This program is only for junior or senior-level undergraduate students. Students who have transferred from a community college are especially encouraged to apply.

Application Components

• UC Davis McNair Scholars Program application
• Personal statement
• Two letters of recommendation
• Transfer students need to provide us with their college transcripts. Current UC Davis students are not required to submit transcripts. We have access to your grades via Oasis.
• Financial information (If 1040 is not available, please complete the verification of income form)
• Verification of income-dependent form
• Verification of income-independent form

This program is not open to students pursuing professional degrees in medicine, dentistry, veterinary medicine, business management, or law.

We are accepting applications for our 2025-2026 cohort, starting in the fall quarter of 2025. The application deadline is July 31. If you have any questions, please email Juan Cervantes at jmcervantes@ucdavis.edu or mcnair@ucdavis.edu.