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Title 20, EducationRelease 119-110

§1070a–15 Postbaccalaureate Achievement Program Authority

Title 20 › CHAPTER 28 — HIGHER EDUCATION RESOURCES AND STUDENT ASSISTANCE › SUBCHAPTER IV — STUDENT ASSISTANCE › Part A — Grants to Students in Attendance at Institutions of Higher Education › subpart 2 — federal early outreach and student services programs › § 1070a–15

Last updated Sep 22, 2026|Official source

Summary

The Secretary must run the Ronald E. McNair Postbaccalaureate Achievement Program to give disadvantaged college students strong preparation for doctoral study. Projects in the program must offer research or scholarly work, summer internships, seminars, tutoring, academic counseling, and help getting into and paying for graduate school. They may also offer financial and economic literacy training, mentoring with college faculty or students, and chances to see cultural or academic events students might not usually access. At least two-thirds of each project’s participants must be low‑income first‑generation college students. The rest must come from groups underrepresented in graduate education, including Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians, and Native American Pacific Islanders. Participants must be enrolled at eligible colleges that have an agreement with the Secretary, and summer interns must have finished their sophomore year. The Secretary will favor projects with strong research, active faculty involvement, and good recruitment plans. Student awards can include a stipend up to $2,800 per year and may cover summer tuition, room and board, and travel. The law aims to fund at least $11,000,000 each year for fiscal years 2009 through 2014.

Full Legal Text

Title 20, §1070a–15

Education, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)Program authority
The Secretary shall carry out a program to be known as the “Ronald E. McNair Postbaccalaureate Achievement Program” that shall be designed to provide disadvantaged college students with effective preparation for doctoral study.
(b)Required services
A project assisted under this section shall provide—
(1)opportunities for research or other scholarly activities at the institution or at graduate centers designed to provide students with effective preparation for doctoral study;
(2)summer internships;
(3)seminars and other educational activities designed to prepare students for doctoral study;
(4)tutoring;
(5)academic counseling; and
(6)activities designed to assist students participating in the project in securing admission to and financial assistance for enrollment in graduate programs.
(c)Permissible services
A project assisted under this section may provide services such as—
(1)education or counseling services designed to improve the financial literacy and economic literacy of students, including financial planning for postsecondary education;
(2)mentoring programs involving faculty members at institutions of higher education, students, or any combination of such persons; and
(3)exposure to cultural events and academic programs not usually available to disadvantaged students.
(d)Requirements
In approving applications for projects assisted under this section for any fiscal year, the Secretary shall require—
(1)an assurance that not less than two-thirds of the individuals participating in the project proposed to be carried out under any application be low-income individuals who are first generation college students;
(2)an assurance that the remaining persons participating in the project proposed to be carried out be from a group that is underrepresented in graduate education, including—
(A)Alaska Natives, as defined in section 7546 of this title;
(B)Native Hawaiians, as defined in section 7517 of this title; and
(C)Native American Pacific Islanders, as defined in section 1059g of this title;
(3)an assurance that participants be enrolled in a degree program at an eligible institution having an agreement with the Secretary in accordance with the provisions of section 1094 of this title; and
(4)an assurance that participants in summer research internships have completed their sophomore year in postsecondary education.
(e)Award considerations
In addition to such other selection criteria as may be prescribed by regulations, the Secretary shall consider in making awards to institutions under this section— (1)
(2)the level of faculty involvement in the project and the description of the research in which students will be involved; and
(3)the institution’s plan for identifying and recruiting participants including students enrolled in projects authorized under this section.
(f)Maximum stipends
Students participating in research under a project under this section may receive an award that—
(1)shall include a stipend not to exceed $2,800 per annum; and
(2)may include, in addition, the costs of summer tuition, summer room and board, and transportation to summer programs.
(g)Funding
From amounts appropriated pursuant to the authority of section 1070a–11(g) of this title, the Secretary shall, to the extent practicable, allocate funds for projects authorized by this section in an amount which is not less than $11,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 2009 through 2014.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Amendments

2015—Subsec. (d)(2)(A). Pub. L. 114–95, § 9215(oo)(7)(A), made technical amendment to reference in original act which appears in text as reference to section 7546 of this title. Subsec. (d)(2)(B). Pub. L. 114–95, § 9215(oo)(7)(B), made technical amendment to reference in original act which appears in text as reference to section 7517 of this title. 2009—Subsec. (d)(2)(C). Pub. L. 111–39 struck out period before semicolon at end. 2008—Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 110–315, § 403(e)(1)(A), (B), inserted “Required” before “services” in heading and, in introductory provisions, substituted “A project assisted under this section shall provide—” for “A postbaccalaureate achievement project assisted under this section may provide services such as—”. Subsec. (b)(5) to (8). Pub. L. 110–315, § 403(e)(1)(C)–(E), inserted “and” after the semicolon in par. (5), substituted a period for the semicolon in par. (6), and struck out pars. (7) and (8) which read as follows: “(7) mentoring programs involving faculty members at institutions of higher education, students, or any combination of such persons; and “(8) exposure to cultural events and academic programs not usually available to disadvantaged students.” Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 110–315, § 403(e)(3), added subsec. (c). Former subsec. (c) redesignated (d). Subsec. (d). Pub. L. 110–315, § 403(e)(2), (4)(A), redesignated subsec. (c) as (d) and struck out “postbaccalaureate achievement” after “applications for” in introductory provisions. Former subsec. (d) redesignated (e). Subsec. (d)(2). Pub. L. 110–315, § 403(e)(4)(B), inserted “, including—” and added subpars. (A) to (C) before semicolon. Subsec. (e). Pub. L. 110–315, § 403(e)(2), redesignated subsec. (d) as (e). Former subsec. (e) redesignated (f). Subsec. (f). Pub. L. 110–315, § 403(e)(2), (5), redesignated subsec. (e) as (f) and substituted “project under this section” for “postbaccalaureate achievement project” in introductory provisions. Former subsec. (f) redesignated (g). Subsec. (g). Pub. L. 110–315, § 403(e)(2), (6), redesignated subsec. (f) as (g) and substituted “section 1070a–11(g)” for “section 1070a–11(f)” and “2009 through 2014” for “1993 through 1997”. 1998—Subsec. (e)(1). Pub. L. 105–244 substituted “$2,800” for “$2,400”.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date

of 2015 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 114–95 effective Dec. 10, 2015, except with respect to certain noncompetitive programs and competitive programs, see section 5 of Pub. L. 114–95, set out as a note under section 6301 of this title.

Effective Date

of 2009 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 111–39 effective as if enacted on the date of enactment of Pub. L. 110–315 (Aug. 14, 2008), see section 3 of Pub. L. 111–39, set out as a note under section 1001 of this title.

Effective Date

of 1998 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 105–244 effective Oct. 1, 1998, except as otherwise provided in Pub. L. 105–244, see section 3 of Pub. L. 105–244, set out as a note under section 1001 of this title.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

20 U.S.C. § 1070a–15

Title 20, Education

Last Updated

Sep 22, 2026

Release point: 119-110