McNair Scholars
ListedCollege program
- Award
- McNair: $24,000 annually plus tuition reduction to the in-state rate for four years/eight terms and a $14,000 enrichment fund. Renewal requires full-time Columbia enrollment, ordinarily 12 undergraduate credits each fall/spring, and cumulative USC system GPA at least 3.0, checked after spring.
- Timeline
- Nov 15, 2026Complete the separate Honors/Top Scholars application
- Dec 1, 2026All required credentials, including one recommendation, by . Optional Early Action admission deadline October 15, 2026. Mandatory semifinalist virtual interviews in late January 2027, followed by finalist campus weekend February 27–March 1, 2027. No cutoff time or time zone is stated.
- How to apply
- Apply for undergraduate admission and indicate Honors interest; the separate Honors application appears in the portal after approximately 48 hours. Complete the admission essay/activities, two additional Honors essays, unofficial transcript, and one recommendation. A resume is optional. Semifinalists interview virtually and finalists attend Top Scholar Weekend.
- What you'll need
- An honors college application
- Recommendations
- An essay
- An interview
- A finalist round or selection weekend
- Who can apply
- First-time first-year nonresident applicants admitted to a USC degree program; nonresidents must be lawfully present in the U.S. Eligibility is based on academic merit without a financial-need criterion. Published GPA/test/class-rank ranges are profiles, not mandatory floors. Tests are explicitly optional for Fall, Spring, and Summer 2027.
- Good to know
- Up to 20 nonresident McNair awards annually. Stamps and Horseshoe are separate Top Scholar awards with different values. Normally one General University Scholarship may be held, with named exceptions. Summer use counts toward the eight-term maximum; donor approval is required to use remaining McNair eligibility for graduate/professional study.
- Details
- Test optional