NEW: The National Science Foundation Supports the National Name Exchange
CGS is pleased to announce that a recent award from NSF (#2331287) will allow CGS to expand its data collection and technological infrastructure for the National Name Exchange (NNE) program. Originally established to help connect graduate schools to underrepresented students interested in pursuing graduate degrees, NSF and CGS aim to expand the number of institutions participating in NNE – including minority-serving institutions – and increase participation of groups underrepresented in STEM so that all Americans have the opportunity to engage in these programs. The expanded NNE will be a strategic tool to help universities recruit graduate students and strengthen pathways into careers in STEM. The funding will also help identify gaps in data about transitions to STEM graduate programs. Read the full press release here.
Information about the National Name Exchange
New: Resources for NNE Coordinators
History

Watch: About the National Name Exchange
Or watch on YoutubePurpose
The National Name Exchange was established to help match graduate schools with students from historically underrepresented racial and ethnic groups interested in graduate education. The National Name Exchange seeks to:
- Increase the number of qualified students from underrepresented groups accepted into graduate school;
- Improve student access to information on graduate school opportunities.
- Work towards personalizing the recruitment effort by designating a National Name Exchange institutional representative to facilitate information exchange between the institution and prospective students.
- Assist graduate schools in identifying qualified candidates from underrepresented groups for consideration for graduate study.
How Students Benefit
Pursuing a graduate degree is often not a consideration for many underrepresented students—particularly those who may be first generation college students. By providing students easy access to information on the many graduate opportunities available to them, the NNE hopes that students will see graduate study as a viable goal.
2023 Participating Institutions
Schools with an asterisk next to their name are offering application waivers to NNE students.
Arizona State University
Boston University
Case Western Reserve University
Colorado School of Mines
Columbia University
Cornell University
Duke University
East Carolina University
Emory University
Georgetown University
Georgia Institute of Technology
Grand Valley State University
Hood College
Howard University
Indiana University
Iowa State University
James Madison University
The Johns Hopkins University
Kennesaw State University
Lehigh University
Louisiana State University and A&M College
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Metropolitan State University of Denver
Michigan State University
Michigan Technological University
Mississippi State University
Missouri University of Science and Technology
Montana State University
New Jersey Institute of Technology
New York University
North Carolina State University
Northern Michigan University
Northwestern University
Princeton University
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Rice University
Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science
Rowan University
Rutgers University, Newark Campus
Rutgers University, The School of Graduate Studies
Stanford University
State University of New York at Oswego
Temple University
The University of Alabama at Birmingham*
University of Alabama
University of Arizona
University of California, Irvine
University of California, Los Angeles
University of California, Merced
University of California, San Diego
University of Central Florida
The University of Chicago
University of Colorado, Boulder
University of Delaware
University of Florida
University of Georgia
University of Illinois, Chicago
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
University of Kansas
University of Kentucky
University of Maryland, Baltimore County
University of Massachusetts Amherst
University of Miami
University of Michigan – Ann Arbor
University of Michigan – Flint
University of Minnesota
University of Missouri, Columbia
University of Nebraska at Omaha
University of New Hampshire
University of New Mexico
University of Notre Dame
University of North Carolina at Charlotte
University of North Carolina at Wilmington
University of North Texas
University of Oklahoma
The University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center
University of Oregon
University of Pennsylvania
University of Pittsburg
The University of Rochester
The University of South Carolina
University of Southern California
University of Washington
University of Wisconsin-Madison
The University of Texas at Austin
Villanova University
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Washington State University
Washington University in St. Louis
Western Kentucky University
Western Michigan University
Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Contact
For more information about the National Name Exchange, please contact Matt Linton.
Ronald E. McNair Postbaccalaureate Achievement Program
McNair is one of the TRIO programs funded under Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965. It is designed to encourage and prepare low-income, first-generation in college, and minority students to pursue doctoral degrees and careers in college teaching.