Apply to McNair

      

Eligibility

A participant must meet the following requirements before becoming a McNair Scholar:

  • Quarter and Cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher
  • Completed at least 60 units (Transfers Exempt)
  • US citizen or permanent resident
  • Intention to pursue a Ph.D. after graduation
  • Low income as defined by the US Department of Education and a first generation college student (where neither parent completed a 4-year degree) or a student underrepresented in graduate education as defined by US Department of Education (African American, Hispanic-Latino, Native American and Alaskan, Pacific Islander/Native Hawaiian, i.e., a person having origins in any of the original peoples of Hawaii, Guam, Samoa, or other Pacific Islands)

Program Requirements and Expectations

All McNair participants are required to commit in writing to all program requirements and expectations. For a complete list, please contact us. Some requirements and expectations include:

  • Participation in the UCSB Summer Research Program
  • Attendance at weekly and/or bi-weekly seminars
  • Completion of a one year academic research project
  • Presentation of research at a national conference and at the UCSB undergraduate symposium
  • Preparation for the GRE general examination
  • Completion of a doctoral degree within ten (10) years of attaining a bachelor’s degree from UC Santa Barbara

Application Materials Required

To apply to the UCSB McNair Scholars Program you will need to obtain or produce the following:

  • Two letters of recommendation from faculty or staff at UCSB or the community college you attended - one letter must be from a faculty member, instructor/lecturer, or a teaching assistant (TA). Please have your recommender submit their letter to us at mcnair@mcnair.ucsb.edu and we will upload it to your application.
  • Three short statements (approximately 300-400 words each)- Please begin an application to see the prompts.
  • Unofficial transcripts from UCSB and any community college you may have attended. Please email transcripts to mcnair@mcnair.ucsb.edu.
  • Student Aid Report - obtained from https://studentaid.gov/h/apply-for-aid/fafsa. Please email SAR to mcnair@mcnair.ucsb.edu.

Application Deadlines

Fall 2024: Accepting Applications from UCSB Continuing Juniors (i.e., entered UCSB as freshmen) -- APPLICATION DEADLINE: Monday, October 28, 2024 at 4PM (i.e., Week 5)

  • Continuing juniors with expected graduation in Spring/Summer 2026 
  • Application available soon!

Sophomores and First-Year Transfer Students -- Recruitment Begins Winter 2025

  • New/first-year transfer students entered UCSB in Summer/Fall 2024 or Winter 2025 with expected graduation in Spring/Summer 2026
  • Sophomore students with expected graduation in Spring/Summer 2027 

 

Upcoming Fall 2024 Info Sessions

To learn more, please attend our virtual information sessions.