2008-2009 Graduate Fellowships for McNair Scholars

• Maximum Amount of Award: $12,667
• $9,500.25 for one academic year (fall, spring, summer) of full-time graduate study
• Departments may increase the total amount of the award by supplements with teaching or research assistantships if available

Purpose:

The purpose of the fellowship program is to provide McNair Scholars with financial support through their first year of graduate study at UNT until they qualify for admission and/or funding for doctoral work. The award is competitive. Application forms are available here.

Eligibility:

The fellowship competition is open to Scholars in any of the McNair programs in the United States who complete their bachelor's degrees as a McNair Scholar and who have not yet begun graduate study. McNair Scholars must apply and be admitted to a graduate degree program at UNT to qualify for the fellowship. The competition is open to McNair Scholars seeking admission to a UNT master's degree program or to a UNT doctoral program immediately upon the completion of a bachelor's degree. Students who have already received any other University of North Texas Graduate Fellowship and/or have begun graduate study prior to the Fall 2008 semester are ineligible for this fellowship.

Award conditions:

• For McNair Scholars seeking a master's degree

For students seeking a UNT master's degree, the McNair Scholars Fellowships will provide one year of support for full time study in pursuit of the master's. The fellowships are in the amount of $9,500.25 for the first twelve months of the master student's full time graduate study. Students who have not completed the master's degree in one year, but who are in good standing and making progress toward the degree, may renew the fellowship for an additional fourth semester or second academic year at $3,166.75.

• For McNair Scholars seeking a doctoral degree

McNair Scholars Fellowship recipients who are admitted to UNT doctoral degree programs directly upon completion of their bachelor's degrees will receive $9,500.25 for the first twelve months of full time doctoral study. In addition, they will receive 3,166.75 for a fourth semester or second year of doctoral study, unless they have received another Graduate School Fellowship. Departments are encouraged to supplement the McNair Scholars Fellowships in whatever ways their resources will allow.

Monthly disbursement amount:

The fellowships will be awarded in monthly disbursement payments of $791.69 for the twelve months of the fellowship. The $3,166.75 disbursement for the fourth semester or second year will be prorated over four or twelve months, as applicable. Fellowship recipients do not receive their first disbursement payment until the first of the month following the beginning of their fellowships.

Enrollment requirements:

Fellowships require YEAR ROUND full time graduate enrollment. Full time graduate enrollment means enrollment in a minimum of nine (9) hours of 5000 or 6000 level UNT courses applicable to the degree being sought during fall, spring, and summer. In the summer semester, a student may be allowed to substitute up to three hours of prerequisite/leveling courses or language or other appropriate research tool courses for up to three hours of otherwise required courses.

Will this fellowship waive tuition and fees?

Fellowship recipients will still have to pay tuition and fees. However, fellowship recipients, regardless of their state of residence, will pay only the very reasonable tuition charged to Texas residents.

Is there funding available to continue support of the graduate degree after the McNair Scholars Fellowship is completed?

Toulouse School of Graduate Studies Doctoral Fellowships, in the amount of $20,000 for one year, are available on a competitive basis for UNT students who have completed the initial 30 hours of graduate work toward the doctoral degree and for those who have completed their master's degrees and have been admitted to a UNT doctoral program. Candidates for the Doctoral Fellowship program are by departmental nomination only. Additionally, individual departments and schools offer graduate fellowships and assistantships.

How do I apply for the UNT Graduate School McNair Scholars Fellowship?

• Applications and awards are limited to students who have NOT previously been enrolled for graduate credit at the University of North Texas. McNair Scholars who wish to apply for a fellowship should:
  1. Complete the top part of the attached application form.
  2. Give the completed form to their faculty mentor or McNair Director. The mentor or director completes the Candidate Assessment part of the application.
  3. If not previously submitted, complete the University of North Texas graduate application form available here. Your McNair Director should attach a page to the application verifying that you are a McNair Scholar. With this written verification, you will not need to submit an application fee.
  4. Request that UNT receive your official university transcripts and official Graduate Record Examination or Graduate Management Admissions Test scores from the Educational Testing Service.
  5. Additional information, such as letters of recommendation and personal essays describing aspirations for graduate study and career goals may be included.
  6. Complete any other admissions requirements of the department offering the graduate degree program you want to pursue. These may include a departmental admission form, personal statements, letters of reference, entrance examinations, interviews, auditions, portfolios or other program-related materials. (Please submit specific degree program admission materials directly to the department.)
• Your completed application packet should be submitted to the Toulouse School of Graduate Studies through your McNair Director. Ask your McNair Director to send the application packet to the following address:

UNT McNair Scholars Graduate Fellowships
c/o Toulouse School of Graduate Studies
ESSC 354
University of North Texas
P. O. Box 305459
Denton, TX 76203-5459

Deadlines for applications:

To guarantee consideration, we must receive your completed application packet in the UNT Toulouse School of Graduate Studies by 5:00 p.m., March 1, 2008 for all programs except Psychology. McNair Scholars seeking admission to Clinical or Counseling Psychology must be sure to send their completed application to the graduate school and to the Department of Psychology so that they will be received no later than January 1, 2008. We will consider later applications whenever they are submitted, provided we still have funding available.

When will the awards be announced?

Awards will be made by a committee selected and chaired by the Dean of the Graduate School on the basis of the quality of the applicants and university and graduate school priorities. We will announce decisions no later than May 2, 2008 if we receive your application by the above deadlines. You will have two weeks to accept or decline the offers.

If you have questions about the McNair Scholars Master's Fellowships or admission to the graduate school, if you want us to refer you to a specific degree program to speak to a faculty advisor, or if you simply want additional information about the University of North Texas, please contact the UNT Toulouse School of Graduate Studies:

• (940) 565-2383 or toll-free 1- (888) UNT-GRAD
• E-mail: gradsch@unt.edu
• fax: (940) 565-2141

To learn about undergraduate McNair opportunities, visit the University of North Texas Ronald E. McNair Post-Baccalaureate Achievement Program.