Ronald E. McNair Postbaccalaureate Achievement Program Resources

(for Prospective Graduate Students)

Named to honor Dr. Ronald E. McNair, one of the astronauts who perished with the Challenger mission, this national TRIO program assists eligible first-generation students from low-income families to prepare for and to enter graduate programs leading to the Ph.D.  Participants include academically talented low-income, first-generation students and students from groups that are traditionally underrepresented in graduate programs. 

Recruitment Efforts

We encourage McNair Scholars to contact the Office for Diversity in Graduate Education at gsdo@umn.edu early in their graduate studies process in order to advise them with their graduate school pursuits and introduce them to the appropriate program(s).  We offer application fee grants to qualifying McNair Scholars.  The deadline to request and submit an application to receive the grant is December 15; be aware that some programs may have an earlier deadline.  If your deadline is after December 15 and you need more time, students can opt to pay and submit their own application.   

In addition, our staff invites McNair Scholars' Programs to our Graduate School Visitation Program held once a month during the summer on the Twin Cities campus.  The day consists of a presentation about the process of applying for admission to graduate programs.  The students meet with faculty and staff to discuss their research, and receive a staff-led tour of the campus.  We encourage students to attend our annual Summer Undergraduate Research Symposium held in August.   Students participating in the University of Minnesota McNair Scholars' Program are required to meet with our staff one-on-one during their summer research experience.  In addition, we recruit nationally at National McNair Scholar Symposiums to attract McNair Scholars.  Please refer to our recruitment schedule to see the events we attend.

For scholars in the area, we encourage them to attend the University of Minnesota's Graduate and Professional Graduate Fair to be held on Wednesday, October 14, 2009.

McNair Scholar/DOVE Fellowship

The Graduate School of the University of Minnesota has designated at least two of its  Diversity of Views and Experiences (DOVE) Fellowships to be awarded to McNair Scholars.  The award includes a stipend, tuition at regular graduate school rates (up to 14 credits per semester), and subsidized health insurance for one academic year.  For further information please refer to the DOVE Fellowships Website.

Community of Scholars Program (COSP)

The Community of Scholars Program works towards creating an institutional environment that supports the academic and professional success of graduate students who have historically been under-represented in academia. COSP assists students (US citizens and permanent residents) to more fully participate in the University; develop supportive relationships with advisors and mentors; build a sense of community through academic seminars and professional development workshops; and connect students to the Twin Cities community through research, teaching and civic engagement opportunities.  For further information please refer to the COSP Website.

Request for Application Fee Grant  (request/submit deadline: December 15)

Please be aware of the National McNair Fee Waiver Roster website. More information...

The Office for Diversity in Graduate Education at the University of Minnesota will offer application fee grants to McNair Scholars who are applying to the Graduate School for Fall 2010.  Since this fund targets students (U.S. Citizens and permanent residents) with financial hardships, some students may prefer to pay the application fee.  To qualify, students must have an undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or above, need to be entering graduate school for their first time, and complete the following:

1. To request a fee grant: provide the following information as soon as possible so that I can put you on our roster and inform the graduate program(s) that you are interested in applying:

Name:
Address:
E-mail:

Phone number:
Undergraduate institution:
Undergraduate GPA:
McNair Program attended (college/institution):
Program to which you are applying:
Term you plan to start program:
Ethnic background (optional):
Research interest:

 2.   The on-line application is available at: www.grad.umn.edu. Please fill out the entire graduate school application.  Once your application is completed let me know that it is ready to submit.  I will submit your application.  Include your signature, but omit the credit card information and the date submitted. You will need to e-mail your password and PIN number to me so that I can pay your application fee using our office credit card.  Please note that we are unable to reimburse application fee grants to students who choose to apply on-line with their own credit card.

3.    Send your transcript(s) (a photocopy is sufficient) to the Graduate School to complete your application.  See the on-line application web-site for complete details.

4.   Mail a letter (to the address below) from your Program McNair Director indicating that you were a McNair Scholar.

Most graduate programs require that separate program application materials be sent to them directly in addition to the Graduate School application.  If you have not already done so, you should contact your major program or visit their web-site for information about financial aid and any other additional program application materials you may be required to submit: letters of recommendation, statement of purpose, GRE scores, etc.  Programs that require such materials will not consider the Graduate School application for admission until all materials are received.

Only one application fee grant ($75.00) will be allowed per student to apply to a University of Minnesota graduate school program.  The deadline to request the application fee grant and submit your application is December 15, 2009.  As funds are limited, application fee grants may not be available after the deadline date.   Please note some programs may have earlier or later deadlines.

The Graduate School does not waive application fees for professional programs that are not administered by the Graduate School such as the College of Veterinary Medicine, Carlson School’s MBA program, Medical School, Law School, M.Ed. Programs and the School of Public Health.

We look forward to working with you.  Should you have questions please contact me (612.625.3524; dmaness@umn.edu).

Sincerely,

Derek Maness, M.A.
University of Minnesota, The Office for Diversity in Graduate Education
333 Johnston Hall, 101 Pleasant Street S.E.
Minneapolis, MN 55455

www.grad.umn.edu/outreach/

PLEASE NOTE:  

1)  Students with a graduate or professional degree are not eligible for the application fee grant (such as M.A., M.S., M.D., J.D., Ph.D., Ed.D., etc.).  Students need to be entering graduate school for their first time.  

2)  Psychology Ph.D. McNair Prospective Students: Due to the high volume of request for application fee grants for the Psychology Ph.D. program, we regret that we are not able to award the application fee grant for every request.  Unlike other institutions, the University of Minnesota must pay the fees; it is not a wavier but a grant.  Our limited funds thus require us to follow strict guidelines.   We do, however, wish to advise you with your questions and encourage you to peruse the Psychology Ph.D. program website for prospective students (to include admission statistics, curriculum, requirements, financial support, etc...).

Information provided in this memo is subject to change.