The McNair Scholars Program was established at UConn during the 2012-13 academic year. UConn is one of over 150 institutions across the United States receiving funds for this federal TRIO program. The program was developed in honor of Robert E. McNair and was designed to prepare undergraduate students for doctoral studies through involvement in research and other scholarly activities with the ultimate goal of increasing graduate degree awards for students from underrepresented segments of society.

The McNair Scholars Program is in its 9th year at UConn. In addition to supporting McNair Scholars, UConn has also implemented the McNair Apprentice Program which gives students a background in independent research and prepares them for success in the McNair Scholars Program. UConn also supports McNair Summer Fellows—qualified students who may not be an Apprentice or Scholar, but who nonetheless desire to continue independent research between semesters.

UConn McNair Alumni have gone on to pursue graduate study at a number of institutions including Boston University, Brown University, Harvard University, University of California, Berkeley, UCLA, UConn School of Medicine, University of Houston, University of Rochester, University of Virginia, and Weill Cornell Medicine.

In the future, the UConn McNair Scholars program will seek to support independent research and a path to graduate study for qualified students in addition to STEM disciplines including the Humanities and Social Sciences.