brookings hall

The McNair Fellowship

McNair Fellowship

One of the TRIO programs funded under Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965, the McNair Scholars Program was established in memory of Ronald E. McNair, physicist, and astronaut, who died aboard the Challenger space shuttle.

The McNair Program is a national effort to encourage first-generation college students of a specified income level, and students from other groups underrepresented in graduate education, to pursue doctoral degrees and careers in college or university teaching.

First-Year Fellowships are offered to former McNair scholars who are admitted to selected doctoral programs at Washington University. The Fellowship provides full tuition plus an enhanced stipend for the first two years.  Five years of support are guaranteed by a combination of University Fellowships and Assistantships. The deadline to apply is January 31st. To be eligible we will need a letter from your NcNair Director, in additon to completing the application and a 250 word count of the impact of education and what it means to you.

First-Year Fellowships are offered for PhD Programs in the following areas:

  • Anthropology
  • Art History and Archaeology
  • Chemistry
  • Comparative Literature
  • DBBS
  • Earth and Planetary Sciences
  • Economics
  • Education
  • English
  • German
  • History
  • Mathematics
  • Music
  • Philosophy
  • Physics
  • Political Science
  • Psychology
  • Romance Languages
  • Sociology
  • Statistics

How to Apply

The Application deadline for the McNair fellowship is January 25.  Please note, this deadline may differ from your academic program's admission application deadline. To apply for the McNair Fellowship, complete a one-page statement of purpose detailing how your experience as a McNair Scholar has shaped your desire to pursue a graduate degree.  Also, discuss how your education as a McNair Scholar has prepared you for graduate study at Washington University. 

apply and submit a statement of purpose