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OMB Approval No: 1840-0640

Expiration Date: xx/xx/20xx 

Ronald E. McNair Postbaccalaureate Achievement (McNair) Program

Instructions for Completing the Annual Performance Report

For Program Year 2012-13

1. WHAT DOES THIS PACKAGE CONTAIN? 

This package contains the forms and instructions needed to prepare the annual performance 

report for the Ronald E. McNair Postbaccalaureate Achievement (McNair) Program. The 

Department of Education (Department) uses the information provided in the performance report 

to assess a grantee’s progress in meeting its approved goals and objectives and to determine a 

grantee’s prior experience points in accordance with the program regulations (34 CFR 647). 

2. WHAT ARE THE LEGISLATIVE AND REGULATORY AUTHORITIES 

TO COLLECT THIS INFORMATION?

Title IV, Section 402E, of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended (Public Law 102 -325), 

the program regulations in 34 CFR Part 647; and sections 75.590, and 75.720 of the Education 

Department General Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) permit the collection of this 

information. 

3. WHO MUST SUBMIT THIS DATA REPORT?

All grantees funded under the McNair Program must submit an annual performance report as a 

condition of the grant award. 

4. WHAT PERIOD OF TIME IS COVERED IN THE REPORT? 

The individual participant information provided in the report should cover the 12-month 

academic year of the grantee institution that most closely aligns with the 12-month budget-year 

for the grant that is found in Block 6 of the Grant Award Notification. The 2012-13 academic

year is approximately August/September 2012 through August 2013. 

5. WHEN SHOULD THE REPORT BE FILED? 

The annual report should be submitted within 90 days after the end of each 12-month grant 

period (budget). 

6. WHAT INFORMATION MUST BE SUBMITTED? 

The report consists of two sections. Section I requests project identifying information and 

Section II requests an electronic file of individual participant records. 

7. HOW MAY THE REPORT BE SUBMITTED? 

All McNair grantees must complete the APR online using the Web application. In addition, a 

grantee must fax a signed copy of Section I of the report form that certifies that the information 
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submitted electronically is readily verifiable and the information reported is accurate and 

complete.

Because the APR requests personal and confidential information on project 

participants; the secured Web site meets the Department of Education’s data security standards 

for sensitive data, including password and site access procedures. Further, to ensure that the data 

is accessible only to authorized individuals and protected from unauthorized uses, a grantee 

must submit the participant level data via the Web application; under no circumstances should a 

grantee transmit the data to the Department or the APR Help Desk via e-mail. 

The Web application and instructions for submitting the report electronically will be available 

on Month Day, Year at the following Web address: 

http://www.ed.gov/programs/triomcnair/report.html

The Web application that McNair grantees must use to submit the annual performance report has the 

following features:

 A Web form for completing Sections I and II on-line.

 Access to a grantee’s bachelor’s degree cohort file (Student Verification Tier 1A File) to ensure 

that all participants that should be on the 2012-13 data file are included.

 Functionality to upload a file with the individual participant records (Section II) to the Web 

application using a CSV or XLS file format. 

 Functionality to view/delete/add participant data online. 

 Online data field validations and error checks. In order for a grantee to be able to submit the 

APR, all of the sections of the APR must pass the first level of data field validations. Following 

the initial submission of the participant data, additional data quality checks will be run. If any 

errors or data inconsistencies are found, the grantee will be informed of needed corrections and 

the due date for resubmitting the Section II data. 

 A print button to make a hard copy of the information entered online for Sections I and II.

 Functionality to download an electronic file with the individual participant records (Section II).

 A submit button to send the entire report to the Department.

 An e-mail confirmation that the report has been submitted (a valid e-mail address must be 

provided in Section I). 

A project will receive confirmation that the report has been successfully submitted, if the person 

entering the performance report data provided a valid e-mail address in Section I. After the report has 

been submitted, a confirmation will be automatically sent to the e-mail address provided. If you do not 

receive an e-mail confirmation, contact the APR Help Desk.

If for any reason, and prior to the deadline date, you need to revise your performance report data after it 

has been submitted, please contact the APR Help Desk as soon as possible but prior to MONTH DAY 

YEAR.
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8. WHO MAY BE CONTACTED FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION 

CONCERNING THE SUBMISSION OF THE PERFORMANCE REPORT?

Please contact your program specialist directly if you have questions regarding the performance report 

requirements. A state listing of program specialist names, telephone numbers, and e-mail addresses is 

available at: http://www.ed.gov/programs/triomcnair/report.html. 

If you have technical problems accessing the Web site or using the Web application, please contact the 

APR Help Desk at (703) 846-8248 or via e-mail at: mcnairweb@cbmi.com. 

GETTING STARTED 

1. To begin completing this report online, from the Department’s Web page click on:

https://trio.ed.gov/mcnair

2. Once at the Web site (entitled "McNair Online, Program Year 2012-13"), you will need to register; 

you may do so well in advance of actual submittal of reports. To allow time to resolve any 

problems that might occur with registration, we ask you to register as early as possible.

To register, please do the following:

 Click on "Register Here Each Year,"

 Enter the project's PR award number (found on the Grant Award Notification), 

 Enter project director's first and last names,

 Enter project director’s e-mail address, and 

 Select and answer two security questions. 

If the project director’s information matches the data that the Department currently has on file, a user 

ID and temporary password will be sent to the e-mail address on file. 

If the project director’s information does not match the data that the Department currently has on file , 

you will be directed to a "Registration Failed" page; if necessary, your program specialist and the 

Help Desk will be sent an e-mail message requesting verification of data on the project. Verification 

will occur within 24 hours if the program specialist can readily confirm a change in project director 

or e-mail address; if the program specialist has no prior knowledge of the change, it may take longer. 

Once the Help Desk has received verification from the program specialist, you will be notified to 

continue with registration.

3. Once you have your user ID and temporary password, you may enter them on the site in the top box 

of the left side of the page; click "Log in." You will be guided to select a new password. Once you 

complete this step, you will automatically be logged in. 

Your new password must be at least eight characters, and include combinations of the following: 

at least one English uppercase character (A-Z) 

at least one English lowercase character (a-z) 

at least one numeric number (0-9) 

at least one non-alphanumeric special character (e.g.,:, !, @, #, $, &, *, %, /, +, -) 
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After three failed attempts to access the Web site, you will be locked out and must call the Help Desk 

to obtain access.

Forgot Your Password?

If you forget your password, a "Forgot Password" link is available on the log-in page. The link will 

route you to a screen that will allow you to retrieve your password by answering the two security

questions you provided at initial registration. Once you answer the two security questions, your 

password will be sent to the email on file.

Nonetheless, if you require additional assistance, you may call or e-mail the Help Desk at: 

 703-846-8248

 mcnairweb@cbmiweb.com

4. Follow the instructions for completing and submitting the report via the World Wide Web. 
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Ronald E. McNair Postbaccalaureate Achievement (McNair) Program

Specific Instructions for Completing the Performance Report

For 2012-13

SECTION I, Part 1 -- Project Identification/Characteristics Certification and Warning 

Statements

A. Identification 

Fields #1 through #6 are pre-populated. You cannot change the data in these fields. 

B. Project Director and Data Entry Person Information

Fields #7a through #7d are also pre-populated, however, you may change the data in these fields. Please 

review these fields, including the project director's e-mail address, and revise and update these fields as 

needed. Also, please review fields #8a through #8c (Data Entry Person Information) and update as 

needed.

C. Project Characteristics

Fields #9a through #9e are related to characteristics of your project such as types and amounts of 

institutional and federal funds received, GPA scale, STEM, etc.

Select “Yes” in field #9a, if your project received institutional or other non-federal funds, and then provide 

the amount of institutional and other non-federal funds in #9b.

Select the GPA scale in field #9c your institution uses and only update in subse quent reporting periods if 

there is a change to the GPA scale.

Select “Yes” in field #9d if your project implemented a plan for increasing the number of STEM 

participants; otherwise, select “No”.

Select “Yes” in field #9e if your project developed evidence based system for evaluating its own 

performance; otherwise, select “No”. 

D. Certification 

You must fax a signed copy of Section I of the report form that certifies that the information submitted 

electronically is accurate, complete, and readily verifiable to the best of your knowledge. Section I must 

be signed by both the project director and the certifying representative at the grantee institution and 

faxed to 703-832-1360. 

With the exception of Section I of the report, do not fax a paper copy of the performance report.

E. Warnings 

Any person who knowingly makes a false statement or misrepresentation on this 

report is subject to penalties which may include fines, imprisonment, or both, under the United 

States Criminal Code and 20 U.S.C.1097.
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Further Federal funds or other benefits may be withheld under this program unless this report is 

completed and filed as required by existing law (20 U.S.C. 1231a) and regulations (34 CFR 75.590 and 

75.720). 

SECTION I, Part 2—Project Services

Section I, Part 2 aims to capture information on a project’s provision of required and permissible 

services. 

The “Number of participants receiving service that was provided by project” is defined as those 

participants that were offered services by the project and subsequently received services from the 

project. This figure does not include participants that were offered services by the project but declined 

them (e.g., due to lack of need, participant refused the service, etc.).

The “Number of participants referred to another service provider” is defined as those participants that 

were offered services by the project but were subsequently referred to another service provider. Note 

that the Department is not asking projects to report on whether participants actually received services 

from the service provider or for projects to follow-up with these participants to ensure services were 

rendered. The Department is only requesting that the projects report on the number of participants that 

were referred to another service provider.

The Department is asking projects to report on the number of participants, not the number of contacts. 

For instance, if a participant received a service that was provided by a project multiple times, he/she 

should only be counted once for the purposes of this report. However, it is possible for a participant to 

be counted once in each of the two columns for a given service; that is, a participant received a servic e 

that was provided by the project and was also referred to another service provider. 

Seminars/workshops means group activities that provide participants with the opportunity to receive information 

or practice methodology in one or more areas necessary for the successful navigation of the educational system

relative to the attainment/completion of their doctoral studies. 

Tutoring means individual or small group tutoring provided by a graduate student or a professional staff person. 

Academic counseling means assisting students in making educational plans, selecting appropriate courses, 

meeting academic requirements, and planning for graduation and graduate education. 

Financial aid assistance to graduate school means assisting students individually or in small groups in completing 

financial aid applications and securing fellowships and other forms of financial assistance for graduate study. 

Admission assistance to graduate school means assisting students in choosing graduate or professional programs 

and applying for admission to those programs.

Mentoring means professionals, other than project staff, working with project students to expose them to careers 

that require doctoral degrees. 

Exposure to cultural events and academic programs means any project sponsored activities, such as field trips, 

special lectures, and symposiums that have as their purpose the improvement of the project participants’ 

academic progress and personal development.
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SECTION II: PARTICIPANT LIST

General Instructions for the Participant List 

(1) Who should be included on the annual data file? 

A project should use the McNair Program’s regulatory definition of a project participant in 34 CFR 646.7(c) to

determine which project participants should be included on the data file. Since the Department of Education needs 

to be able to track the academic progress of McNair participants from one academic year to the next, this 

performance report needs to follow the 12-month academic year of the grantee institution instead of the 12-

month budget/project year for the grant. For example, the 2012-13 academic year is roughly 

August/September 2012 through August 2013 while the budget/project year for most McNair grants is 

October 1, 2012, through September 30, 2013. To ensure consistency in data reporting, please provide 

information on participants based on the “academic year” not the project’s budget/project year.

For this report, the academic year being reported is from the fall 2012 term through the end of the summer 

term 2013.

(2) What’s new?

 New Reporting Requirements to accommodate the use of a single year file when calculating the 

doctorate degree attainment objective.

 Relocating related fields to the same sections of the APR

 Adding fields to collect data related to new PE point requirements, competitive preference 

priorities, and data analysis requirements.

 Adding fields related to graduate school enrollment for easier comparisons to the graduate 

student population

 Removing fields from the APR that collect redundant information 

New Reporting Requirements. To enable the Department of Education to more accurately report on 

student outcomes, particularly the doctoral degree objective, projects must retain participant records for a 

period of ten (10) years after the attainment of a bachelor’s degree. 

In the summer of 2013, the Department will implement a verification process that will require projects to 

verify the student cohorts for project participants who have attained a bachelor’s degree. The cohort years 

will include all students who have attained a bachelor’s degree between academic years 2002 -03 and 2011-

12. This information will be extracted from each of the APR data files that the project has submitted. This 

process will be known as the Tier 1A—Student Verification of the Bachelor’s Degree Attainment. Once the 

records have been verified, projects will need to retain these records for a period of 10 years. As students 

attain a bachelor’s degree after the 2011-12 academic year, new cohorts will be added to the Tier 1A file 

(also known as the Match File).
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Relocating related fields to the same sections of the APR. The McNair APR fields was redesigned so 

that where possible, fields pertaining to similar topics and fields that reference each other were placed 

within the same section in the APR. As such, the McNair APR contains the following sections:

 Section I, Part 1—Project Identification/Characteristics Certification and Warning Statements

 Section I, Part 2—Project Services

 II.A. Project Identifiers (pre-populated)

 II.B. Participant’s Personal Information 

 II.C. Participant’s Demographic Information and Eligibility Status

 II.D. Participant’s Project Enrollment Information

 II.E. Participant’s Academic and Degree Status

 II.F. Participant’s Research and Internships during the Academic Year

 II.G. Participant’s Graduate School Information

Adding fields to collect data related to new PE point requirements, competitive preference 

priorities, and data analysis requirements. Changes in project reporting requirements and priorities 

necessitate several additions to the McNair APR. As such several new fields have been added to help 

TRIO with McNair project administration and/or the measurement of program outcomes. 

Adding fields related to graduate school enrollment for easier comparisons to the graduate 

student population. This would allow TRIO to compare groups of entering graduate students who are 

McNair participants with their fellow first-year graduate students more generally and would eliminate 

the need for the field “Current Grade Level at the end of the academic” which has a history of not being 

very reliable.

Removing fields from the APR that collect redundant information. Removing fields that are 

redundant will reduce the overall time and effort required for each project to submit its annual data. For 

example, the Eligibility field is not necessary since the APR already contains each eligibility criteria 

(i.e., first-generation, low-income, and underrepresented) individually. Other fields such as the Record 

Update and Tracking Completed have also been eliminated because the new reporting requirements will 

require that tracking of project participants be conducted over a ten year span.

(3) What are the data fields? 

The McNair APR contains 46 data fields of which two are file identifiers. The remaining 44 fields are 

student data fields and may or may not require updates as noted below.

File Identifiers (pre-populated)

Field # Field Name

1 PR/Award Number

2 Batch Year
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The following fields should never be updated because these are the primary fields used to match participant 

records across project years and to verify pre-established cohorts.

Unless the grantee provided incorrect information in a previous reporting period, the following fields do not 

need to be updated annually once information is provided. As such, we ask that grantees refrain from 

updating the fields below. 

Fields that DO NOT require an update

Field # Field Name

6 Student’s Middle Initial

8 Gender

9 Ethnicity—Hispanic

10 Race—American Indian/Alaskan Native

11 Race—Asian

12 Race—Black or African American

13 Race—White

14 Race—Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander

16 Low-income

17 First-generation

18 Under-represented racial/ethnic group

19 First Enrollment Date

20 Project Entry Date

21 Grade Level at Project Entry

26 Main field of undergraduate study

28 Attendance at Community College

29 Bachelor’s Degree *

30 Date of Bachelor’s Degree *

35 Graduate School Applications

Fields that CANNOT be updated annually

Field # Field Name

 3 Social Security Number

 4 Student’s Last Name

 5 Student’s First Name

 7 Student’s Date of Birth

 31 Academic (Cohort) Year of Bachelor’s Degree
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Fields that DO NOT require an update (cont.)

Field # Field Name

37 Date of First Graduate School Enrollment

38 Institution Attended for First Year Graduate Students

39 Main field of graduate study

45 Institution Where Doctorate Degree was Earned

46 Doctorate Student’s Employment Status

* Once a bachelor’s degree has been attained and the information has been 

provided, please do not change the response in field #29 and #30 in subsequent 

reporting periods.

The following fields require that the project review the data and update annually, as needed.

Fields that may need to be updated annually

Field # Field Name

15 Number of Hours Worked Per Week

22 Participant Status (during academic year)

23 Enrollment Status

(during academic year being reported)

24 Project Participation (during

25 Funding Source

27

Cumulative GPA (upon graduation with a 

bachelor’s degree)

32 Research (2012–13 academic year)

33 Internships (2012–13 academic year)

36 Graduate School Enrollment Status 

(at the beginning of the 2013–14 academic year)

40 Graduate Assistantships

41 First-Year Graduate Student Persistence Status 

(at the beginning of the 2013–14 academic year)

42 Reason Left Graduate School

43 Highest Graduate Degree Earned (as of the end of 

the academic year)

44 Date Highest Graduate Degree Earned
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(3) How should the date fields be formatted (fields #7, #19, #20, #30, #37, and #44)? 

Please review carefully the Valid Field Content column to ensure that the data submitted is in the 

correct format. All date fields should be formatted as follows: 2 digits for month; 2 digits for day; 2 

digits for century; and 2 digits for year. Also, please include slashes between the month, day and year. 

For example, a participant’s birth date of January 1, 1990, would be formatted as follows: 01/01/1990. 

To ensure that the date is properly imported, always use the zero before one-digit months and days and 

insert slashes.

Please make every effort to provide accurate dates. If you find it necessary to estimate a date, please do 

not enter “00s.” Rather, use 15 for the day and your best estimate for the month. If date is unknown, 

please enter 00/00/0000.

Specific Instructions for Participant List

Field #1—PR Award Number 

A grantee should use the PR Award Number applicable to the project (budget) period covered by this 

report. This number can be found in Block 5 of the Grant Award Notification. Be sure that you use the 

PR Award Number applicable to the reporting year even if you have been awarded a new grant and 

PR/Award Number for the next reporting period. 

Please note that the PR Award Number is eleven (11) digits in length. Please be sure you use “zeros” 

instead “O” when entering the PR/Award Number into your database. 

Field #2—Batch Year 

Use the four-digit year provided on the form. This number will change with each year’s submission. 

The Batch Year designates the fiscal year funding for the project period reported. TRIO grants are 

forward-funded. For example, fiscal year 2012 funds would be used to support project activities in the 

2012-13 program year. Thus, the data file for Batch Year 2012 would include information on project 

participants served or tracked during academic year 2012-13. 

Field #3—Social Security Number (SSN) 

SSNs are very important as they assist the Department in tracking participant outcomes over multiple 

years and facilitate matching of participant records with other databases. If a project does not know a 

student’s SSN, please leave it blank or enter zeros, “000000000.”

Once a student’s SSN is verified through the student verification process known as Tier 1A, a 

project cannot change the SSN in subsequent reporting years. In addition, once a project 

provides an SSN for new participants, the project cannot change the change the SSN in 

subsequent reporting years.

Fields #4 (Last Name), #5 (First Name) and #7 (Date of Birth)

In order to be able to track participant records from one academic to another, the information in these

fields should not be changed in subsequent reporting years.
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Fields #9 - #14—Ethnicity (Hispanic) and Race

On October 19, 2007, ED released revised, Department-wide guidance on how institutions should 

collect and maintain data on race and ethnicity and on how they should report such data in the 

aggregate:

http://www.ed.gov/legislation/FedRegister/other/2007-4/101907c.pdf ; or

http://www.ed.gov/legislation/FedRegister/other/2007-4/101907c.html

Because McNair grantees report individual data, they should not follow the portions of the guidance that 

cover aggregate reporting; they must, however, collect and maintain data as indicated in the guidance . 

The new guidance was implemented by the fall of 2010 for the 2010–11 academic year. (Note that 

projects may leave the race and ethnicity fields blank for prior-year participants if the project is unable 

to determine the race and/or ethnicity of these participants, however, projects should provide the race 

and ethnicity of participants who received services in 2012-13.)

Collection procedures in the guidance require grantees to collect data on race and ethnicity on all 

participants using a two-part question: first, the grantee asks the respondent whether the participant is 

Hispanic/Latino; second, the grantee asks the respondent to select one or more races from the five racial 

groups listed. The grantee reports the responses in fields #9 through #14 of the APR. 

For example, if a McNair participant is identified as Hispanic and White, select option #1, “Yes’ in 

fields #9 (Hispanic/Latino) and #13 (White) and select option #2, “No” in fields #10, #11, #12, and #14.

If the participant declines to answer questions about race and ethnicity, the grantee should use 

observation, as discussed in the guidance. For further details on the guidance for collecting data, please 

see the full Federal Register notice. Grantees are responsible for implementing all relevant aspects of 

the guidance. 

Field #15—Number of Hours Worked Per Week

The number of hours worked per week is defined as the average of hours worked per week in the 

reporting period and includes hours worked from: regular job, college work-study, assistantships, and 

traineeships. The number of hours worked per week can be from either paid or unpaid work.

Fields #16, 17, and 18—Program Eligibility

The statute and regulations governing the McNair Program require that an eligible project participant 

must be a “low-income individual who is a first-generation college student” or a “member of a group 

that is underrepresented in graduate education” (definitions are provided below). At least two-thirds of 

project participants each year must be both low-income and first-generation college students; the 

remaining participants can be members of groups underrepresented in graduate education.

Three fields allow for the analysis of project participants by all combinations of eligibility status: lowincome and first-generation and underrepresented racial/ethnic group. 

Low-income individual means an individual whose family’s taxable income did not exceed 150 

percent of the poverty level amount in the calendar year preceding the year in which the individual 

initially participated in the project. The poverty level amount is determined using criteria of poverty 

established by the Bureau of the Census of the U.S. Department of Commerce. 
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First-generation college student means (1) an individual neither of whose natural or adoptive parents 

received a baccalaureate degree; or (2) an individual who, prior to the age of 18, regularly resided 

with and received support from only one parent and whose supporting parent did not receive a 

baccalaureate degree; or (3) an individual who, prior to the age of 18, did not regularly reside with or 

receive support from a natural or adoptive parent. 

Groups underrepresented in graduate education currently include the following ethnic and racial 

groups: Black (non-Hispanic), Hispanic, and American Indian/Alaskan Native. (Note: The Secretary 

has determined as a policy issue that Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders may be included 

in this definition.)

Field #19—First School Enrollment Date 

The “first school enrollment date” is the date the McNair participant first enrolled in a program of 

postsecondary education. Provide this information for all students served by the McNair project even if 

the student did not begin or is not currently enrolled at your institution. The purpose of this data field is 

to determine the length of time from initial enrollment in postsecondary education through 

undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral degree completion. Once the information has been provided, 

please do not change the response in subsequent reporting periods.

Field #20—Project Entry Date 

Provide the date of first project service. If you do not know the exact date, use 15 for the day and use your 

best estimate for the month. Once the information has been provided, please do not change the response in 

subsequent reporting periods.

Field #21— Grade Level at Project Entry

In determining the student’s postsecondary grade level, use the criteria of the grantee institution regarding 

grade level classifications and academic standing. Most postsecondary institutions use credits earned and 

grade point average to determine the college grade level. Use options 3, 4, 5, and 6 only for students who 

have the required number of credits and GPA to be classified at the institution as sophomore, junior, senior, 

and other undergraduate, respectively. Once the information has been provided, please do not change the 

response in subsequent reporting periods.

Field #22—Participant Status 

For this field, please use the following definitions: 

A new participant is an individual who was served by the McNair project for the first time during the 

academic year being reported. 

A continuing participant is an individual who was served by the project for the first time in another 

academic year and also received project services during the academic year being reported. Do not count 

as continuing participants, individuals for whom the main contact from the project during this academic 

period was for tracking purposes; these individuals should be designated as prior year participants. 

Note: The sum of the number of new and continuing participants should equal the total number of 

participants the projects served during the reporting period. 

A prior year participant is one who received project services in a previous academic year but who did 

not receive services on a continual basis during the academic year being reported. 
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A prior-year participant who is deceased is an individual served by the project in any prior reporting 

period but is now deceased.

Field #23—Enrollment Status (during the academic year being reported)

Field #23 allows projects to report whether or not the participant was enrolled in postsecondary 

education during the academic year only, part of academic year, or summer only.

NOTE: Enrolled is defined as a student who was enrolled in postsecondary education at least one term 

in the academic year being reported. Not enrolled is defined as a student who was not enrolled in 

postsecondary education for any of the terms in the academic year being reported. 

Field #24—Project Participation 

Project Participation will provide grantees with the means to report whether the student was active in 

the project during the academic year only, the summer component only or a combination of both. This 

will allow the Department to determine the level or degree of student participation during the reporting 

period and will help eliminate double reporting of students. 

Options 1 through 5 should be reported for new and continuing students only; select option “9” for prior 

year participants. 

Field # 25—Funding Source 

Funding Source will provide grantees with the means to report the funding source(s) used to support the 

activities afforded to individual students under the McNair program. It will also clarify why the actual 

student served number reported for some projects exceeds the Department’s approved student service 

number of official record (funded to serve number).

Options 1 through 3 should be reported for new and continuing students only—select option “9” for 

prior year participants

Field #26—Undergraduate Major Field of Study 

Please use Appendix A of the instructions and provide the 3-digit code for the participant’s 

undergraduate main field of study. Please provide the main field of study for participants who are 

ENROLLED in undergraduate studies. If the participant attained a bachelor’s degree in this reporting 

period, please provide the main field of study. For all other participants, please enter “001”. Also enter 

“001” if you do not know the participant’s undergraduate main field of study. 

Field # 27—Grade Point Average (GPA) 

This field collects information on a student’s academic performance at the time of the attainment of the 

bachelor’s degree. The data in this field should reflect the cumulative GPA of the participant upon 

graduation with a bachelor’s degree only. Do not provide any other GPA in this field.

Field # 28—Attendance at a Community College 

Select option #1 (Yes) if the participant transferred from a community college (2-year institution) or 2-

year program. Please do not select option #1 if the participant earned college credit through a dual 

enrollment program.
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Field #29—Bachelor’s or Equivalent Degree

Please select option #1 (Yes) if the participant has earned a bachelor’s degree or equivalent of a 

bachelor’s degree in this reporting period or in a previous reporting period; otherwise select option #2 

(No). If the participant’s highest degree attained is a Master’s degree but has earned a bachelor’s degree 

or equivalent in a previous reporting period, in field #43, select option #1 (Master’s Degree) and in field 

#29 select option #1 (Yes).

Field #30—Date of Bachelor’s or Equivalent Degree

Please provide the date the bachelor’s degree was attained. This date must be the date of the bachelor’s 

degree (or equivalent) noted in field #29. If you do not know the exact date, use 15 for the day and use 

your best estimate for the month. If the participant has not earned a bachelor’s degree, please enter 

99/99/9999. If the bachelor’s degree date is not known, please enter 00/00/0000.

Field #31— Academic Year Bachelor’s Degree Attained (Bachelor’s Degree Cohort Year)

This field collects information on the academic year the participant received a bachelor’s degree or 

equivalent and is used to determine the denominator for the doctoral degree objective. The information 

provided here for the cohort years between 2002-03 and 2011-12 must match the data the project 

verified during the Tier 1A Student Verification Process. Please refer to your final approved Tier 1A 

data file when providing the bachelor’s degree cohort year. 

If the participant earned a bachelor’s degree or equivalent in this reporting period, please select option 

#12, (2012-13). 

If the participant has not yet earned a bachelor’s degree or equivalent, select option #99 (No bachelor’s 

degree earned yet). Once the Bachelor’s Degree Cohort Year is determined, projects cannot change the 

year in subsequent reporting periods.

Fields #32 and 33—Research Activities and McNair Internships

These fields capture information needed to determine if the project met its “Research” objective for the 

academic year being report. The standard “Research” objective and related definitions are listed below:

___% of McNair participants will complete research* and scholarly activities that will directly impact 

their educational progression each McNair Program academic year**.

*A structured research activity must be definitive in its start and end dates and contain appropriate 

benchmarks for completion of the various components. In addition, the activity should be conducted 

under the guidance of an appropriate faculty member with experience in the discipline selected by the 

McNair participant.

**The McNair Program academic year is the period that most closely aligns with the 12-month budget 

period. The 2012-13 McNair Program academic year is roughly August/September 2012 through 

August 2013.

Research refers to any unpaid research activities participants engaged in or research activities that were 

paid from non-McNair sources. 

McNair internships refer only to those activities for which the legislated stipend of up to $2,800 was 

paid to students who participated in research activities. 
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Select option #1 if the participant participated in a research activity but did not complete all of the 

components of the research activity during the academic year being reported. 

Select option #2 if the participant did not participate in a research activity. 

Select option #3 if the participant participated in a research activity and completed all of the 

components of the research activity during the academic year being reported. 

Select option #9 for all prior year participants. 

Because the objective states that the participants will “complete” the research and scholarly activities, 

only those participants that completed the McNair research activity (field #32, option 3) and/or the 

McNair internship (field #33, option 3) during the academic year being reported will be counted toward 

achieving this objective. McNair participants who participated in research during the reporting period 

but did not complete all of the components of the research activity until a subsequent reporting period 

will be counted toward the objective in the year the research was completed. 

Field #34—Graduate School Admissions Test

Select option #1 (Yes) if the participant completed a graduate school admissions test such as the GRE, 

LSAT, MCAT, etc.

Field #35—Graduate School Applications

Select the option that best corresponds for the number of applications the participant submitted for 

graduate school.

Field #36—Graduate School Enrollment Status (at the beginning of the 2013-14 academic year)

Enrollment status at the beginning of the 2013-14 academic year, provides a grantee with the means to 

report, on an annual basis, the extent to which its approved objective to enroll participants in a post 

baccalaureate program by the fall term immediately following completion of the bachelor’s degree (e.g. 

fall 2013) has been achieved. 

Options 1 and 2 are for participants who received a bachelor’s degree in the reporting period. 

Therefore, select option #1 if the student received a bachelor’s degree in this reporting period and 

enrolled in a post baccalaureate degree program by the fall term of the next academic year. Select 

option #2 if the student received a bachelor’s degree in this reporting period but did not enroll in a post 

baccalaureate degree program by the fall term of the next academic year.

Select option #3 if the student did not receive a bachelor’s degree in this reporting period, received a 

bachelor’s degree in a previous reporting period, or received a master’s degree or higher.

Field # 37—Date of First Graduate School Enrollment

This field collects information on the date the participant first enrolled in graduate school. Please 

provide the date the participant first enrolled in graduate school. Unless the project provided an 

incorrect date in a previous reporting period, please do not update this field in subsequent reporting 

periods. 

Field # 38—Institution Attended for First Year Graduate Students

Provide the six-digit postsecondary institution NCES IPEDS ID for 1st year graduate students only. 

Once a valid NCES IPEDS ID is provided, please do not update this information in subsequent 
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reporting periods. You can obtain the NCES IPEDS ID from the following web site: 

http://nces.ed.gov/globallocator/.

Enter “888888” if the participant has not completed their undergraduate studies.

Enter “999999” if the participant completed undergraduate studies but never enrolled in graduate 

school.

Field #39—Graduate Student’s Main Field of Study 

Field #39, graduate student’s main field of study, allows for reporting of the precise major or main field 

of study the McNair participant undertakes in graduate school. Please use Appendix A of the 

instructions and provide the 3-digit code for the participant’s undergraduate main field of study. A 

major field of study is to only be reported for graduate students who are enrolled; therefore, for all other 

students enter “001”.

Field #40— Graduate Assistantships

This field can be helpful in examining graduate persistence. For graduate students only, please indicate 

the type of graduate assistantship the participant received during the reporting period.

Field #41—First-Year Graduate Student Persistence Status (at the beginning of the 2013–14 

academic year)

Persistence status at the beginning of the 2013-14 academic year, provides a grantee with the means to 

report, on an annual basis, the extent to which its approved objective for first year graduate students 

continued enrollment in a post baccalaureate program by the fall term has been achieved. 

Options 1 and 2 are for first year graduate students only. Therefore, select option #1 if the first year 

graduate student continued to be enrolled in a post baccalaureate degree program by the fall term of 

the next academic year. Select option #2 if the first year graduate student did not enroll in a post 

baccalaureate degree program by the fall term of the next academic year.

Select option #3 if the participant was not a first year graduate student.

Field #42—Reason Left Graduate School

Please select the option that best describes the reason the participant left graduate school. Select “88” if 

the participant is still enrolled in graduate school. Select “99” if the participant is still in undergraduate 

school or never enrolled in graduate school.

Field #43—Highest Degree Earned

Field #43 reflects the degree attainment information of participants. Select option #1 if a participant’s 

highest degree earned is a master’s degree. If the participant has not earned a postgraduate degree, 

please select option “99.” If the participant has earned more than one degree, report only the highest 

degree obtained and in field #44 provide the date the degree was earned. If the participant earned a 

degree in the academic year being reported, update this field appropriately, however, once the doctorate 

degree has been earned, please do not update this field in subsequent reporting periods.

Field #44—Date Highest Degree Earned 

Field #44, Date of Highest Degree, tracks changes in a student’s status relative to degree attainment. 

Use “99/99/9999–No graduate degree earned yet” for participants that have not yet earned a graduate 

degree including participants who earned a bachelor’s degree only. Use “00/00/0000—Unknown” if 
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you do not know the date of highest graduate degree earned or if the data are not available for prior year 

participants. 

Field # 45—Institution Where Doctorate was Earned

Provide the six-digit postsecondary institution NCES IPEDS ID for participants who have earned their 

doctorate degree. Once a valid NCES IPEDS ID is provided, please do not update this information in 

subsequent reporting periods. You can obtain the NCES IPEDS ID from the following web site: 

http://nces.ed.gov/globallocator/.

Enter “888888” if the participant has not earned a doctorate degree.

Field # 46—Doctorate Recipients Primary Employment Activity

Please select the work activity the doctorate recipient is primarily employed in only for participants who 

have earned a doctorate degree. If the participant has not earned a doctorate degree, please select “99”.
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The Main Field of Study listing on pages 19 and 20 is to be used in 

responding to fields #26 and #39. Please choose the code that best 

describes the participant’s main field of study.
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