• McNair Student Application

  • The Ronald E. McNair Postbaccalaureate Achievement Program (McNair Scholars Program) is a federally funded TRIO program under the U.S. Department of Education. The mission of the McNair Scholars Program is to prepare first generation college students with financial need, or from traditionally underrepresented groups, for Ph.D. programs.

    Sophomores and Juniors CLU who are both limited income and first generation, or underrepresented in graduate education are eligible to apply. College students who are underrepresented in grad school, as defined by federal regulations, are any students who identify as African American, Hispanic, Americ Indian, Alaskan Native, Native Hawaiians, and Native Pacific Islanders. Additionally, students must be a citizen or permanent resident; an undergraduate student who in enrolled full-time at CLU (sophomore or junior); have a minimum 3.0 GPA; have an interest in conducting research and is committed to attending graduate school and earning a Ph.D. Degree.

    We recommend you have the follwing application materials ready before you begin: Statement of Purpose, contact information for family and recommeders. The application takes 20-30 minutes to complete. You will be able to save your progress, however, your application will not be reviewed until complete. All students who successfully apply by October 4 will be guaranteed an interview and all students who apply by the Fall Deadline of November 25 will be considered for an interview. Students are accepted into the program on a rolling basis as early as November 18th or sooner.

    • Applicant Information 
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    • Contact Information

    • Family Information 

    • Parent #1

    • Parent #2

    • Refer to your FAFSA application and/or IRS tax fillings to determine your student status as dependent or independent

      • A dependent student  is under the age of 24, single, with no dependents, no military service, and parental income is reported on the FAFSA.
      • An independent student is one of the following: at least 24 years old, married, a graduate or professional student, a veteran, a member of the armed forces, an orphan, a ward of the court, someone with legal dependents other than a spouse, an emancipated minor, or someone who is homeless or at risk of becoming homeless.

    • Emergency Contact #1

      List a family member other than your Parent or Guardian

    • Emergency Contact #2

      List a family member other than your Parent or Guardian

    • Tracking Information 

    • The McNair Scholars Program is required by the federal government for tracking students until they attain their Ph.D. or ten (10) years after graduation, whichever comes first.

    • The McNair Scholars Program may use social media to contact you after graduation if your email or phone isn't working.

      Please list your username on the following social sites:

    • Major (Secondary, if any)

    • Minors (if any)

    • California Lutheran University

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    • Academic History

    • The next McNair Summer Research Program starts Monday, May 26th and ends Friday, June 27th, 2025.

    • Statement of Purpose 

    • A statement of purrpose is required of all applicants. Write a single essay addressing the following topics and upload it to your application.

      In your statement, Include:

      1. Who are you?

      2. Do you have any research experience?

      3. What do you want to do?

      4. How will a Ph.D. or other degree help?

      5. Do you have a graduate program in mind?

      6. Why do you want to join McNair?

      7. Why are you the right candidate?

      8. What's in your future?

      *Address each of these topics in a double-spaced statement not to exceed 1000 typed words and upload it to this application.

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    • Letters of Recommendation 

    • For Sophomores and Juniors,  two (2) letters of recommendation are required to be considered for program eligibility. At least one letter must be from a professor or staff member at CLU with a Ph.D. The other letter can be from a lecturer, instructor, teaching assistant, academic counselor, or undergraduate advisor at CLU.

       

      For Transfers, two (2) letters of recommendation are required to be considered for program eligibility. At least one letter must be from a professor, lecturer, instructor, teaching assistant, academic counselor, or undergraduate advisor at CLU.

      Your recommenders will be required to fill out a Letter of Recommendation form online. The form will automatically be emailed to the individuals you designate upon submission of this application.

      Recommender (1)

    • Recommender (2)

    • Letter of Recommendation #1

    • Letter of Recommendation #2

       

    • Scholar Signature 

    • I understand that if selected as a McNair participant, the personal information provided will be protected by the Family Educational Acts and Privacy Act (FERPA), and will be kept Confidential.

      I authorize the release of my financial aid information, including but not limited to, FAFSA data, Aid Offer information to representatives of the Cal Lutheran McNair Program for the specific purpose of determining my eligibility for additional support programs.

      And if accepted and for continued program participation, I authorize California Lutheran University McNair Program to receive copy of transcripts, grade reports, and other records necessary for application review.

      Upon admission to the McNair program, I recognize that I will be required to fully participate in the program as well as attend all program requirements.

      In addition, I hereby give permission for my name, photograph, work and/or statements to be used by McNair for promotional, publicity and/or instructional purposes.

      I understand that participation in the McNair Scholars Program includes a highly involved academic year and a summer commitment. If selected as a McNair Scholar, I will

      • Attend all program requirements
      • Maintain a minimum CLU GPA of 3.0
      • Take the Graduate Record Examination (GRE)
      • Complete a grad application and apply to graduate school.

      If my goal to attend graduate school changes, I will notify McNair Program administrators promptly. During the course of the mentored summer research component, I will perform five weeks of research, submit an abstract and a journal article, and present my research at a conference.

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