Ronald E. McNair Post-Baccalaureate Achievement Program Alumni – Graduate Application Fee Waiver Process
McNair Scholars/Alumni of the Ronald E. McNair Post-Baccalaureate Achievement Program (McNair Scholars Program) who are UWM Graduate School applicants may submit confirmation of their McNair Scholars Program participation within the Graduate School Admission Application, to request the UWM Graduate School application fee waived. To be eligible for this request, a McNair Scholar/Alumni must upload the following in pdf format in the Questionnaire section of their Graduate School Admission Application at least 7-10 business days prior to their UWM graduate program’s application deadline.
- A McNair Participant Verification Letter developed, signed, and dated by the McNair Scholar/Alumni’s McNair Project Official confirming the applicant’s successful participation in their McNair Scholars Program. A McNair Participant Verification Letter must be developed on the McNair Project Official’s university letterhead and signed/dated by the McNair Project Official. This McNair Participant Verification Letter include the following details, at minimum:
- McNair Scholar/Alumni name
- Dates of their McNair Scholars Program participation
- UWM graduate program(s) to which the McNair Scholar/Alumni is applying.
- Printed name of the McNair Project Official completing the fee waiver form
- Title of the McNair Project Official (Director, Assistant Director, or Coordinator)
- University email and university phone number of the McNair Project Official
- Date and Signature of the McNair Project Official. Adobe and Web-based signatures will not be accepted.
- A completed McNair Graduate Application Fee Waiver form (formally known as the Certification of McNair Program Participation and Request for Admission Application Fee Waiver) signed by a McNair Project Official of the applicant’s McNair Scholars Program. We encourage use of this official form developed by the Council of Graduate Schools and the Council for Opportunity in Education; we also will accept this McNair Graduate Application Fee Waiver form set on university/program letterhead. The McNair Graduate Application Fee Waiver form must be submitted within the Graduate School Admission Application and is considered complete with entry of these required details:
- McNair Scholar/Alumni name
- Their undergraduate major
- The undergraduate university where the applicant completed the McNair Scholars Program
- Dates of their McNair Scholars Program participation
- Title of their McNair Scholars Program research project
- Name, title, and department of their McNair Research Mentor
- Printed name of the McNair Project Official completing the fee waiver form
- Title of the McNair Project Official (Director, Assistant Director, or Coordinator)
- University email and university phone number of the McNair Project Official
- Signature of the McNair Project Official. Adobe and Web-based signatures will not be accepted
No refunds will be provided to applicants who elect to pay the application fee prior to the UWM Graduate School approving the request for a waived application fee. Current or prospective UWM graduate students who have not completed participation in a McNair Scholars Program are not eligible.
The Certification of McNair Program Participation and Request for Admission Application Fee Waiver project is sponsored by the Council of Graduate Schools and the Council for Opportunity in Education.
McNair Graduate Entrance Fellowship (MGEF)
McNair Scholars/Alumni who enroll full-time in a graduate degree program at UWM are eligible to receive the McNair Graduate Entrance Fellowship, a one-time $5,000 fellowship open to McNair Scholars in their first semester of graduate studies at UWM. The McNair Graduate Entrance Fellowship (MGEF) serves to recognize the exceptional scholarship, research background, and doctoral readiness of Ronald E. McNair Post-Baccalaureate Achievement Program (McNair Scholars Program) participants. In supporting the McNair Scholars Program’s pipeline path from undergraduate studies to the PhD, the UWM Graduate School offers the MGEF to recruit qualified students from an experienced talent pool. McNair Scholars carry research skills and graduate preparatory experience that broaden the possibilities of innovation in research.
MGEF Eligibility:
McNair Scholars Program participation must be approved prior to the start of the student’s first semester of their UWM graduate degree program and full-time enrollment will be monitored throughout the term. Awarding is after the last add/drop deadline of the semester. To confirm McNair Scholar status, submit a McNair Participant Verification Letter and the McNair Scholars Program Application Fee Waiver form with UWM Graduate School application. Both documents must be signed by the McNair Program Director. Eligibility for the MGEF will be identified exclusively through your submission of a McNair Participant Verification Letter and a McNair Graduate Application Fee Waiver (see above section for full details).
MGEF Requirements & Conditions:
- Verification documents must be submitted with the McNair Scholar’s graduate program application
- You must apply, be admitted, and accept admission to a graduate degree program at UWM
- You must begin your full-time graduate program enrollment in Fall 2025 or Spring 2026
- This award may be accepted in addition to other fellowships/financial aid
- The MGEF is a one-time payment that is non-transferrable and cannot be used as a reimbursement
- Full-time graduate enrollment will be reported to the Office of Student Scholarships at the start of the semester’s contractual period and confirmed after the semester’s “Drop with a W” deadline.
Additional Details:
Current or prospective UWM graduate students who have not participated and completed a McNair Scholars Program are not eligible for the MGEF and cannot apply for the MGEF.
Please contact the Graduate School Fellowships Coordinator with any questions at dbaldwin@uwm.edu.