McNair Graduate Assistantship Program

Ronald E. McNair Graduate Assistantship Program

The Ronald E. McNair Graduate Assistantship Program is awarded to new Ph.D. students. It is designed to recruit academically talented students who were McNair scholars in their undergraduate studies and is open to students pursuing doctoral studies in all fields. The Ronald E. McNair Graduate Assistantship Program award is offered on a competitive basis upon recommendation by the candidate's prospective department and the Financial Aid Advisory Committee.

Deadline: Friday, January 13, 2023

Funding Type: Assistantship

Related Degrees: Ph.D.

Award Eligibility 

Candidates must be first-time applicants to the Graduate School at Howard University. Candidates submitting their applications to Ph.D. programs for fall 2023 entry must submit the Ronald E. McNair Graduate Assistantship application by the deadline of January 13, 2023 (5:00 p.m. EST). The minimum cumulative GPA (grade point average) requirement from the applicant's current or most recently attended institution is 3.5.  Applicants who were McNair scholars in their undergraduate studies and applicants pursuing doctoral studies in all fields are eligible to apply. Applicants should hold a master's degree, or if they have a master's degree in progress, the degree should be conferred by the time they enroll in their graduate program should they be admitted. 

Eligible Programs

Applicants to any of the doctoral programs within the Graduate School are eligible to apply for the Ronald E. McNair Graduate Assistantship. 

Award Terms

The award includes full tuition coverage (not including student activity fees) and a stipend of $24,000 for the fall and spring semesters. Successful applicants will be offered the award for one academic year and may be eligible to apply for renewal in subsequent years. 

Ronald E. McNair Graduate Assistantship Scholars are required to: (1) participate in a 15-hour per week supervised research assignment during each academic year; (2) maintain a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.5; (3) submit written approval from their advisors of an outlined written assignment required for the academic year; (4) take part in the Graduate School's Annual Research Month; (5) participate in Preparing Future Faculty (PFF) and (6) not hold outside employment. 

Application Deadline

Applications for the Ronald E. McNair Graduate Assistantship must be submitted by email to graduateschool@howard.edu no later than 5:00 p.m. EST on Friday, January 13, 2023. 

Application Checklist

  1. Ronald E. McNair Graduate Assistantship Application Form (PDF)
  2. Transcript from current or most recently attended institution (an unofficial transcript is acceptable)
  3. Research Writing Sample that demonstrates your writing and research skills (10-12 pages/12pt font)
  4. Statement of Research Interest that articulates your research interests and your research agenda for the Ph.D. program to which you are applying (4-6 pages/12pt font)
  5. Statement of Professorial or Career Goals that describes your interests in joining the professoriate upon completion of the Ph.D. program (4-6 pages/12pt font)
  6. Three (3) Letters of Recommendation: List three (3) names and email addresses of faculty who will provide letters of reference for you and who can speak to your readiness to pursue the Ph.D. and your commitment to joining the professoriate. Faculty must send letters of reference directly to graduateschool@howard.edu. Please ask that your references indicate the Award and your name in the subject of the email (i.e., McNair Graduate Assistantship Recommendation_Alexander Graham).

Submission Guidelines

  • Please include only the application checklist items noted above.
  • The PDF application and supporting materials must be submitted by email as a single PDF file to graduateschool@howard.edu no later than 5:00 p.m. EST on Friday, January 13, 2023. Late and incomplete applications will not be reviewed. 
  • The subject line of your e-mail must read the ''Ronald E. McNair Graduate Assistantship _Applicant First Name_Applicant Last Name) 
  • List the names of three (3) faculty on the PDF application who can speak to your readiness to pursue the Ph.D. and your commitment to joining the profession. All recommendations from the faculty should be sent to: graduateschool@howard.edu. Recommendation letters must be submitted separately no later than 5:00 p.m. EST on January 20, 2023.
  • If applications are late or incomplete for any reason (i.e., not completely filled out or missing required documents, etc.), they will not be reviewed by the Financial Aid Advisory Committee.
  • Applications will be reviewed by the Financial Aid Advisory Committee and recommended to the Dean for approval. Applicants will be notified via email of their Fellowship application status. 
  • If you have any questions pertaining to the application, e-mail Ms. Gloria Lloyd at glloyd@howard.edu. 

Documents & Forms

Ronald E. McNair Application Form