McNair Scholars Program Receives New Funding

Opportunities for First-generation, Low-income and Underrepresented Students Go On

The McNair Scholars Program at UC Davis provides research opportunities and financial support to first-generation, low-income and underrepresented STEM (Science, Technology, Education, and Math) students during their junior and senior years of undergraduate study and prepares them for entrance into graduate school. The program recently received new funding for another five-year term, an accomplishment that gets increasingly more difficult each time around.

Hundreds of universities around the nation compete for the federal McNair Scholars Program funding, with available spots dwindling every year. Last grant cycle, approximately 200 schools were awarded the prestigious grant. “This cycle was different,” said Siria Martinez, the Director of the McNair Scholars Program on campus. “Out of the 200 schools from the previous grant cycle, only 158 of them were renewed.” Competition was obviously tighter, and UC Davis is only one of four UC campuses that received the funding (Berkeley, Los Angeles and San Diego were the others). “Our retention of the program is primarily because of our student’s success record and our ability to provide research opportunities in STEM fields,” Martinez shared. “The U.S. Department of Education [who funds the program] looks at the rate of McNair students completing graduate school and doctoral degrees, and UC Davis is top-notch in this respect.”

UC Davis’ McNair Scholars Program currently provides aid to 36 students at any one time during the five-year span – half of them being transfer students. To receive this prestigious award, students go through a rigorous application process that includes three letters of recommendation, a personal statement and an interview. Throughout the time of their participation, they also have to maintain a minimum of a 3.0 GPA, with a 3.5 recommended.

“The program’s main goal is to provide access to research opportunities and support these first generation, low-income and underrepresented students through their undergraduate careers and prepare them for graduate school,” said Martinez.

With the new funding in place, the McNair Scholars Program will continue to do just that.