Eligible candidates for the McNair Scholars Program are:

• Full-time students at Henderson State University who: a) have completed 60 college credit hours, and b) have a minimum cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.0;
• U.S. citizens or permanent residents of the United State;
• Either a first generation college student (neither parent has received a four-year bachelor's degree) of any ethnic background who has a low-income level as established by the U.S. Department of Education; or a member of a group that is underrepresented in graduate education as defined by the U.S. Department of Education (African American, Hispanic American, Native American, or Alskan Native);
• Students who have a serious interest in pursuing graduate study leading to the Ph.D. This program is not open to students intending to pursue professional degrees such as medicine, dentistry, veterinary medicine, management, or law.