Penn State McNair Scholars Program

What Penn State McNair Scholars Program does

The Penn State McNair Scholars Program is a federally funded TRIO educational support program operated under the J. Jeffrey and Ann Marie Fox Graduate School's Office of Graduate Educational Engagement Programs (OGEEP) at The Pennsylvania State University. Established as part of the broader McNair Scholars initiative — named after NASA astronaut Ronald E. McNair who perished in the Challenger disaster — the program prepares qualified undergraduate students for doctoral studies. Specifically, it serves Pell-eligible, first-generation college students and those from underrepresented minority backgrounds, providing research opportunities, mentorship, and graduate school preparation services designed to increase the number of underrepresented minority students earning doctoral degrees. Leadership falls under Dr. Levon T. Esters, Vice Provost for Graduate Education and Dean of the Fox Graduate School.

The program is funded by the U.S. Department of Education through the federal TRIO program framework and operates within Penn State's institutional budget structure. It does not generate revenue, has no commercial products, and does not sell services in a market sense. The program's "product" is academic programming: research placements, faculty mentorship, and structured preparation for graduate admissions. Outreach occurs through Penn State's graduate school communications channels and engagement events, including the 2026 Welcome Engagement Fair for Graduate Students. Operating geographies are limited to Pennsylvania, consistent with its function as a campus-based academic program rather than a distributed service.

From a structural perspective, the McNair Scholars Program is not a freestanding entity — it is an institutional program within a public state-related university system. There is no independent ownership, no external investors, no subsidiaries, and no M&A potential. The program's value is mission-driven rather than financial: it serves as a pipeline for diversifying doctoral degree attainment in the United States. No technology stack, AI/ML capabilities, patents, or proprietary commercial assets are associated with the program in the available data.

Name

Penn State McNair Scholars Program

Legal name

Penn State McNair Scholars Program

Website

https://gradschool.psu.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

1991

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Penn State McNair Scholars Program is a federally funded TRIO program at Penn State's Fox Graduate School that prepares Pell-eligible, first-generation, and underrepresented minority undergraduates for doctoral studies through research opportunities and mentorship.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education Support Services

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113), Educational Support Services (611710), Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (611310)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Research Universities with Comprehensive Graduate & Professional Schools (EDAHAAAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Title I & Compensatory Education Programs (EDAJAGAJ), Research Grants, Fellowships & Stipends (International) (EDAIAOAJ), Accelerated Learning & Grade Advancement Programs (EDAJAGAE)

Keywords

• TRIO program
• Graduate school preparation
• Doctoral readiness program
• Undergraduate research mentorship
• First-generation student support

Headquarters

HQ city

University Park, Pennsylvania

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others

Core offering

The Penn State McNair Scholars Program is a federally funded TRIO program that prepares Pell-eligible, first-generation, and underrepresented minority undergraduate students for doctoral studies. It delivers research opportunities, faculty mentorship, graduate school preparation workshops, and academic support services as part of the Office of Graduate Educational Engagement Programs (OGEEP) within the J. Jeffrey and Ann Marie Fox Graduate School. The program aims to increase doctoral degree attainment among students from underrepresented backgrounds.

Product overview

The Penn State McNair Scholars Program is a TRIO program operated by the J. Jeffrey and Ann Marie Fox Graduate School at Penn State. It is designed to prepare qualified undergraduate students—specifically those who are Pell-eligible, first-generation, and from underrepresented minority backgrounds—for entry into and success in doctoral programs. The program provides research opportunities, mentorship, and graduate school preparation services as part of the Office of Graduate Educational Engagement Programs (OGEEP).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• McNair Scholars Program A federally funded TRIO program under Penn State's Office of Graduate Educational Engagement Programs (OGEEP) that prepares Pell-eligible, first-generation, and underrepresented minority undergraduate students for doctoral studies through research opportunities, faculty mentorship, and graduate school preparation services. Funded by the U.S. Department of Education.

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Recent moves1 record

Expansion highlights1 record

Emerging players

• National Center for Faculty Development & Diversity (NCFDD): An independent professional development organization supporting underrepresented faculty and graduate students through mentoring and training programs. Comparable in mission to support underrepresented scholars transitioning into and through doctoral careers, though delivered through subscription-based professional development rather than federal TRIO funding.
• SREB Doctoral Scholars Program: A regional program administered by the Southern Regional Education Board that supports underrepresented minority doctoral students with mentoring and financial support. Comparable in mission of diversifying doctoral pipelines but operates regionally and focuses more on enrolled doctoral candidates than pre-doctoral preparation.
• Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship (MMUF): A national fellowship program aimed at increasing the number of underrepresented minorities in doctoral programs through mentored research, with overlapping mission and target population to McNair but operating under private foundation rather than TRIO federal funding.

Direct peers

• UC Berkeley McNair Scholars Program: A federally funded McNair Scholars Program at a major public research university, serving first-generation and underrepresented undergraduates with research experience, mentorship, and graduate school preparation. Directly comparable as a peer McNair site within a top-tier public research university context.
• Ohio State University McNair Scholars Program: A Big Ten peer McNair Scholars Program housed within a major public research university graduate school, providing research experience, mentorship, and doctoral preparation for underrepresented students. Directly comparable in public-university context and TRIO funding model.
• UCLA McNair Scholars Program: A TRIO-funded McNair Scholars Program at a leading public research university, providing research opportunities and graduate school preparation for first-generation and underrepresented students. Comparable as a direct peer McNair program housed in a large public research university graduate division.
• Cornell University McNair Scholars Program: A McNair Scholars Program at a private research university that prepares underrepresented undergraduates for doctoral study through research mentorship and graduate school preparation. Directly comparable in mission, structure, and federal TRIO funding model.
• Columbia University McNair Scholars Program: A federally funded McNair Scholars Program serving first-generation and underrepresented undergraduates with research opportunities and doctoral preparation. Comparable as a peer McNair site operating within a graduate school at a major research university.
• University of Michigan Summer Research Opportunity Program (SROP): A graduate-school preparation program at a peer Big Ten public research university offering research experience and mentorship to underrepresented undergraduates considering doctoral study. Comparable as a sister program within the same Fox Graduate School portfolio of engagement initiatives.

Broad incumbents

• Council for Opportunity in Education (COE): The national nonprofit association that administers and advocates for the federal TRIO programs, including McNair. COE is the umbrella and policy voice that connects all institutional McNair sites and shapes the federal funding environment in which Penn State's program operates.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat2 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/FoxGradSchool
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCNGSv0VPD-Spq4-Z4OQxksg
• Facebookfacebook.com/TheFoxGraduateSchool
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/penn-state-mcnair-scholars-program
• Instagraminstagram.com/foxgradschoolpsu

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Penn State McNair Scholars Program