Overall Eligibility for McNair Application

Eligibility Criteria

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 (for detailed descriptions, click on the links); or 
  must be a member of a group that is underrepresented in graduate education (African American, American Indian/Alaskan Native, Hispanic/Latino, or Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander)
• must be currently enrolled as an undergraduate in a degree program at the UW¹
• must have completed 36 credits by the time of initial entry into the program
• must have at least one year remaining before graduation (i.e., if you are graduating within the year, you are not eligible for the program)
• must have a minimum cumulative GPA of: 2.8 (sophomores), 3.0 (juniors), 3.2 (seniors)
• must have STRONG desire to attain a Ph.D.

 ¹Post-baccalaureate students and students who already have one bachelors degree are not eligible for the program. 
²Students whose career goals include a medical (MD) or other professional degree (JD, MBA, PharmD, etc.) are not eligible for the program.