Eligibility
We formally recruit scholars every fall, but we invite you to reach out to us at 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 be eligible for the McNair Scholars Program, a student must meet the following criteria:
- Completed at least 90 quarter units (60-semester units) at the time of entry.
- A 3.0 minimum cumulative GPA.
- U.S. citizenship or permanent U.S. residency.
- Major in agriculture, biological sciences, physical sciences, social sciences, math, engineering, or humanities.
- Be both low-income and first-generation to complete a baccalaureate degree OR be a member of a group underrepresented in graduate education (Including African American, Native American, and Chicano/Latino).
- Students who have transferred from a community college are especially encouraged to apply.
- Intend to pursue a Ph.D. after graduation. This program is not open to students pursuing professional degrees such as medicine, dentistry, veterinary medicine, management, or law.
- Students who have already completed a Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science are not eligible to participate in the program. This program is for junior or senior-level undergraduate students only.
Application Components
- UC Davis McNair Scholars Program application
- Personal statement
- Two letters of recommendation
- Transfer students need to provide us with your college transcripts. Current UC Davis students do not need to provide us with 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
Application materials may be submitted separately. You may email your documents to jmcervantes@ucdavis.edu or mcnair@ucdavis.edu.