Ronald E. McNair Postbaccalaureate Achievement Program
The McNair Scholars Program is a federal TRIO program funded by the U.S. Department of Education. The goal of the McNair Scholars Program is to increase graduate degree awards for students from underrepresented segments of society; either first-generation college students with financial need, and/or members of a group underrepresented in graduate education. McNair participants have demonstrated strong academic potential and will prepare for graduate study through involvement in research and other scholarly activities. The McNair Scholars Program was created by the U.S. Congress in honor of Dr. Ronald E. McNair, the astronaut and physicist who was among the first African Americans in the U.S. space program.
- Annually, 27 undergraduates participate in the Augsburg McNair Scholars Program.
- Two-thirds of the participants meet federal income guidelines and are from a family in which neither parent graduated from a four-year post-secondary educational institution.
- One-third of the participants may be from groups that are traditionally underrepresented in graduate studies. (The federal government defines “underrepresented” to include: Black (non-Hispanic); Hispanic (Latinx); and American Indian/Alaskan Native, Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders.)
The Augsburg University Ronald E. McNair Postbaccalaureate Achievement Program was approved for the next five years (2022-2027). The McNair Scholars Program is a federally funded TRIO program of the U.S. Department of Education and has been approved to receive $261,885.00 for the 2022-2023 year. Slight fluctuations are dependent on congressional decisions.