Ronald E. McNair Graduate Assistantship Program

Ronald E. McNair Graduate Assistantship Program

The Ronald E. McNair Doctoral Scholars Assistantship is a renewable assistantship awarded to new Ph.D. students who were McNair scholars in their undergraduate studies. The assistantship is open to students pursuing doctoral studies in all disciplines. The Ronald E. McNair Doctoral Scholars award is offered on a competitive basis upon recommendation by the candidate’s prospective department and the Financial Aid Advisory Committee. 

 

Deadline: December 2, 2024

Funding Type: Assistantship

Related Degrees: Ph.D.

Award Eligibility 

Candidates must be first-time applicants to the Graduate School at Howard University and must have participated in the Ronald E. McNair Scholars program at their undergraduate institution. The minimum cumulative GPA (grade point average) requirement from the applicant’s current or most recently attended institution is 3.5. Spring applicants are not eligible to apply for this award.

Eligible Programs

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

Award Terms

The award includes full tuition (not including student activity fees) and a stipend of $24,000 for the fall and spring semesters and can be renewed for a maximum of 4 years. Note that renewal eligibility varies by department.

Ronald E. McNair Doctoral Scholars are required to: (1) participate in a 15-hour per week supervised research assignment during each semester or serve as a teaching assistant for an undergraduate course; (2) maintain a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.5; and (3) take part in the university’s Annual Research Month. Ronald E. McNair Doctoral Scholars cannot hold outside employment.

Application Deadline

New Applicants applying for the Ronald E. McNair Doctoral Scholars Assistantship must be submitted by email to graduateschool@howard.edu no later than 5:00 p.m. EST on Monday, December 2, 2024.

Re-apply for the Ronald E. McNair Assistantship

Applications for continuing students who hold this assistantship currently and are eligible to reapply must be submitted by email to graduateschool@howard.edu no later than 5:00 p.m. ET on January 10, 2025. For questions, please email Ms. Gloria Lloyd at glloyd@howard.edu.  

Submission Guidelines

  • Complete the application form.
  • The subject line of your e-mail must read “Ronald E. McNair Doctoral Scholars Assistantship Applicant First Name Applicant Last Name”)
  • Incomplete and/or late applications will not be reviewed by the Financial Aid Advisory Committee.
  • Applicants will be notified via email of their assistantship application status by March 3, 2025.
  • If you have any questions pertaining to the application, e-mail Ms. Gloria Lloyd at glloyd@howard.edu.