What do you want to accomplish in 15 years?
What is your secret dream, the one you almost don’t dare to articulate because it seems so impossibly out of reach?
The answer is your Plan A, and it’s the future you long for but don’t know how to create — and that’s where the Office of Fellowships and the McNair Scholars Program at St. Edward’s can help.
Excelling academically at a private university is no small feat. Yet students from St. Edward’s University stand out when they apply for prestigious scholarships, fellowships and graduate schools. These programs provide a unique inside look at a particular field or area of research — and an opportunity to earn an allowance for living expenses, study abroad or research.
Ronald E. McNair Scholars Program
For undergraduate students challenged by financial, social or other obstacles that may prevent them from pursuing doctoral degrees, the Ronald E. McNair Scholars Program opens up new opportunities. McNair Scholars at St. Edward’s have gone on to graduate studies at Stanford and Columbia universities, Harvard Divinity School and the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, among others. Students in the McNair Scholars Program show strong academic potential, a commitment to postgraduate study and a passion for rigorous research.
Explore more about the Ronald E. McNair Scholars Program. Meet our current scholars and some of our McNair alumni.
- Guidance from a faculty mentor who provides advice, research direction and an introduction into the academic profession
- Presentation of your research at national conferences and in a St. Edward’s faculty blind-reviewed research journal
- Individual assistance in preparing graduate school applications
- Seminars that provide insights into being a graduate student and help get you ready for graduate studies
- Fully funded GRE test preparation
- Visits to graduate schools
- Application fee waivers from participating graduate schools
McNair Scholars may be eligible for Summer Research Internships, which include:
- An eight-week stipend of up to $2,800
- Paid room and board on campus
- Three semester hours of tuition-free credit
- An opportunity to present your research at the St. Edward’s University McNair Research Symposium
For eligible students, the Ronald E. McNair Scholars Program provides academic and personal support to prepare for doctoral studies in all fields, from the humanities to the sciences.
Who is eligible for the McNair Scholars Program?
All St. Edward’s University students who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents are eligible if they count as one or both of the following:
• Low-income and first-generation college student
• A member of a group underrepresented in graduate study (e.g., Hispanic, African-American, American Indian, Alaskan Native, Native Hawaiian, Native Pacific Islander)
Eligible students must also have a GPA of 2.7 or better, have completed at least 60 hours of college credit by the end of the spring semester, and have at least one year remaining before graduation. Students with at least 45 hours of college credit but fewer than 60 hours may still apply for the program, but they may only participate in some preparatory activities until they have earned 60 credit hours
Fellowships
With opportunities ranging from teaching English abroad to conducting neuroscience research, high-achieving students can explore their passions through fellowship programs offered by private foundations and government agencies. Fellowships are available in a range of disciplines such as humanities, natural sciences, mathematics, law, finance and many others.
St. Edward’s University can assist you with identifying and preparing applications for a variety of fellowships, including:
- American Psychological Association Minority Fellowship Program
- Andrew Mellon Fellowship in Humanistic Studies
- Cintas Fellowships
- Common Ground Fellowship in Creative Responses to Homelessness
- Coro Fellows Program
- Donald Harrington Graduate Student Fellows Program – University of Texas
- Ford Foundation – Pre-doctoral Fellowships for Minorities
- Fulbright U.S. Student Program
- German Chancellor Scholarship
- Herbert Scoville Jr. Peace Fellowship
- Hertz Foundation
- Jacob K. Javits Fellowship Program
- James H. Dunn Jr. Memorial Fellowship Program
- James Madison Memorial Fellowship Foundation
- Minority Fellowship Program in Neuroscience Training
- Minority Graduate Fellowships – National Science Foundation
- National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate Fellowships
- National Physical Science Consortium – Graduate Fellowships
- National Science Foundation
- Paul and Daisy Soros Fellowship for New Americans
- Pre-doctoral Fellowships in Biological Sciences
- Russian-U.S. Young Leadership Fellows for Public Service Program
- Self Graduate Fellowship – University of Kansas
- Stoody-West Fellowship
- The Urban Fellows Program