Prospective Scholars

Eligibility for McNair Scholars Program

Eligibility Criteria

To be eligible, you must meet the following criteria as set by the US Department of Education:

- Low-income and first-generation, or identify as underrepresented. Please see definitions below.
- At least a rising junior with a 3.0 or better GPA
- Enrolled in a PSU degree program
- US citizen or permanent resident

Low-income Individual

The term “low-income individual” means an individual from a family whose taxable income for the preceding year did not exceed 150 percent of an amount equal to the poverty level determined by using criteria of poverty established by the Bureau of the Census.

Low-income levels

Under-represented Groups

The US Department of Education considers African-Americans, Hispanic/Latinos, Native Americans, Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians, and Native American Pacific Islanders as groups that are underrepresented in higher education.

McNair Legislation

First-generation student

A “first generation college student” is (A) an individual both of whose parents did not complete a baccalaureate degree; or (B) an individual who regularly resided with and received support from one parent, and that parent did not complete a baccalaureate degree.

McNair legislation