McNair Scholars Program

Eligibility Criteria

A potential McNair Scholar must:

• Be a first generation college student from a low-income background
• Be a United States Citizen or permanent resident
• Be of sophomore standing or higher
• Be committed to becoming an undergraduate researcher
• Be committed to obtaining a doctoral degree
• Have a competitive GPA

FIRST GENERATION COLLEGE STATUS (one of the following) is:

 

·        A student neither of whose natural or adoptive parents received a bachelor’s degree; or

·        A student who regularly resided with and received support from only one parent, and whose supporting parent did not receive a bachelor’s degree; or

·        An individual who, prior to the age of 18, did not regularly reside with or receive support from a natural or an adoptive parent.

CITIZENSHIP:  Applicants must be a United States Citizen or permanent resident.

DEPENDENT/INDEPENDENT STUDENT STATUS

If you are under the age of 24, you must have your independent status documented by the Texas Tech University Financial Aid Office.  Only the Financial Aid Office can issue a student a dependency override.  Please be aware that the McNair Scholars Program staff must verify your independent status with the Financial Aid Office.  If you can not be documented as independent, your parents’ income tax returns will be used.

LOW INCOME STATUS

 The Low Income Levels for eligibility in the McNair Scholars Program are set by the U.S. Government and are not flexible.  If your taxable family income is less than or equal to the amounts that follow, you are eligible under the low income criteria.  Remember you must also be a First Generation College (FGC) student to be eligible for the McNair Scholars Program.

 Taxable income – the amount on which you pay taxes, the amount after deductions

 For dependent students taxable family income is your parents’ taxable income.

Federal TRIO Programs
2006 Annual Low Income Levels

(Effective February 2006 Until Further Notice)

For family units with more than 8 members, add the following amount for each additional family member: $5,100 for the 48 contiguous states, the District of Columbia and outlying jurisdictions; $6,375 for Alaska; and $5,865 for Hawaii.

The term "low-income individual" means an individual whose family's taxable income for the preceding year did not exceed 150 percent of the poverty level amount.

The figures shown under family income represent amounts equal to 150 percent of the family income levels established by the Census Bureau for determining poverty status. The poverty guidelines were published by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in the Federal Register, Vol. 71, No. 15, January 24, 2006, pp. 3848-3849.