Located in the Conroy Honors College, the McNair Scholars Program is one of the federal TRIO programs funded by the U.S. Department of Education. Through premiere, personalized scholarly activities and services throughout their junior and senior years, our students receive support from our staff and faculty in preparing for, gaining entrance to, and completing doctoral (Ph.D.) programs. We encourage academically talented NMSU students interested in graduate studies and who are first generation with financial need, or from groups underrepresented in graduate education, to apply.

You can find more detailed information about eligibility requirements by visiting the U.S. Department of Education.

Benefits
Students admitted to the McNair Scholars Program will get to work closely with a faculty mentor, engage in their own research in a paid internship, enroll in credit-bearing seminars that will result in attaining an honors certificate, and more:

  • Support in researching and applying to graduate/doctoral programs
  • Instruction to prepare them for taking the GRE (Graduate Record Exam)
  • Funding/travel opportunities to visit and explore graduate programs
  • Funding/travel opportunities to attend and present their research at conferences
  • Information and access to funding opportunities, scholarships, fellowships, and McNair-specific graduate school application fee waivers at universities across the nation
  • A sense of belonging from their peers in the NMSU McNair Scholars community and the nationally acclaimed McNair community


Thank you for your interest in the McNair Scholars Program!  Please complete this application as thoroughly as possible.  You cannot save and restart this application.  You may want to review the included items, take some time to make notes and gather the required documents, and then return to submit your application.  If you have any questions, please call our office at (575) 646-2005.

General Information:
First Name: *
Middle Name:
Last Name: *
Aggie Student ID Number: *
Social Security Number (used for grant reporting purposes ONLY) *
Date of Birth (mm/dd/yyyy): *
Gender *
Marital Status *
Local Address *
Local City *
Local State *
Local Zip *
Personal Email Address *
Cell Phone Number *
Student Email Address *
Where or from whom did you hear about this program? *
Ethnicity:
American Indian or Alaskan Native *
Race (Mark all that apply):
Are you of Hispanic descent? *
Asian *
Black or African American *
White *
Hawaiian or other Native to Pacific Island *
Eligibility:
How would you describe your citizenship? *
Mother's Educational Level *
Father's Educational Level *
Current Education Level? *
What semester (or quarter) did you first attended college *
Where did you first attend college *
What other colleges or universities have you attended? (not including institutions where you earned only dual credit while you were still in high school)
Are all transcripts on file at NMSU? *

Educational Information:
How many hours of college credit have you earned? *
Please complete a personal statement that includes the following: describe your strengths as a student, describe any past research experience or research training that you might have had, what are your plans, if any, beyond a Bachelor’s degree attainment (800 word limit) *
Approximately how many semesters do you think it will take you to complete your Bachelor degree at NMSU? *
Declared Major *

Income Verification:

As a federally funded TRIO program, McNair Scholars program is required to provide documentation of a Student's eligibility for the program to the U.S. Department of Education and implement the TRIO Regulations that state two-thirds of the students served must meet federal low-income guidelines. 

All applicants must complete this section whether or not you believe you qualify as low-income. Verification requirements for TRIO vary depending on whether students are independent or dependent.

To determine whether you are a DEPENDENT or an INDEPENDENT student, please answer the following:
Were you at least 24 years old by December 31st? *
Are you a veteran of the U.S. Armed Forces? *
Are you married? *
Are you an orphan or a ward of the court, or were you a ward of the court until age 18? *
Do you have any legal dependents (other than a spouse), such as children or parents who get more than 1/2 their support from you? *

If you answered NO to every question, you are considered DEPENDENT. Please enter  the number from the TAXABLE INCOME line of your parent(s) or guardian(s) most recent Federal Income Tax Return
Parent/guardian taxable income: (Enter N/A if you are independent) *
If you answered YES to any question, you are considered INDEPENDENT. Please enter the number from the TAXABLE INCOME line of YOUR most recent Federal Income Tax Return
Your taxable income: (Enter N/A if you are dependent) *
Number in Household

Academic References

Please indicate the names and contact information of two academic references (one MUST be a NMSU faculty member) who can speak towards your academic strengths and who can best assess your ability for academic research and your motivation to attend graduate school. After you have submitted your references information with your application, a representative of the McNair program will send them an email inviting them to complete an online reference form for you.  

You should communicate with the faculty (before submitting this application) about your interest in this program, and your hope to have them complete a confidential reference form about you.  Consider the following statement to include in this communication:

"Dr. (Faculty), I am interested in the new McNair Scholars program here on campus. It is a program that will help me develop the skills necessary to be successful in graduate studies. Would you be willing to complete a confidential reference form supporting my application to this program? Thank you for your support."
Reference 1 (Faculty):
First name *
Last Name *
Position/title *
Email: *
Phone Number *
Reference 2:
First Name *
Last Name *
Position/title *
Email *
Phone Number *
By checking this box I confirm that I have contacted the above references before submitting this application, and they have both agreed to serve as my references for my application to the McNair Scholars Program.

By signing below, I authorize the McNair Scholars Program to obtain, copy, review, and discuss education records and other materials necessary for participation in the McNair Scholars Program.

I understand that the McNair Scholars Program reserves the right to admit or deny any student enrollment in the McNair Scholars Program. Completion of the application does not guarantee acceptance into the program. I also certify that all of the above information is true and correct to the best of my knowledge. I give the McNair Scholars Program permission to use my statements, images, voices, or combination of these in promotional items (i.e. brochures, web sites, etc.) Furthermore, I understand that further documentation of income may be needed and all my records will be kept in confidence in accordance with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), codified at 20 U.S.C. §1232g.

I verify that I am at least 18 years of age, I have read this agreement and am fully familiar with the contents. 

Notice of Non-Discrimination and Equal Opportunity

NMSU does not discriminate on the basis of age, ancestry, color, disability, gender identity, genetic information, national origin, race, religion, retaliation, serious medical condition, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, spousal affiliation or protected veteran status in its programs and activities as required by equal opportunity/affirmative action regulations and laws and university policy and rules.
Sign and Submit:
Signature *
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