At ILS, we admit students with a wide variety of academic backgrounds. In fact, we consider it one of our strengths: academic diversity among our students and faculty leads to creativity and innovation.
All ILS programs are residential. Read ahead to learn more about application requirements, deadlines, and required materials.
To apply to ILS, you’ll use the CAS Graduate Application.
To apply to ILS, you must have the equivalent of a four-year U.S. bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university. If you're an international student, learn more about equivalent degrees at the IU Office of International Services.
If you’re currently completing your bachelor's degree, send your application materials in the fall semester of your senior year.
If you’re earning your bachelor’s degree at IU Bloomington, consider applying to our 4 + 1 master's program in your junior year, where you can earn your bachelor’s and master’s in just five years.
ILS offers rolling admission for our Master’s and SpLIS degrees, admitting students to the Fall and Spring semester each year, and we accept applications at any time for these programs. The 4 + 1 programs, Graduate Certificate in Information Architecture, and Ph.D. in Information Science have set application deadlines.
If you are an undergraduate student interested in our Library Science 4 + 1 M.L.S. or Information Science 4 + 1 M.I.S. program, there are different steps you’ll need to take to apply. Find out what to do.
For Master’s degrees, to be considered for funding opportunities, applicants interested in the following programs should apply and submit all required application materials by the priority deadline below for either the fall or spring semester.
If you are applying for a Ph.D. in information science, submit your application and all related materials by December 1st. Our doctoral program does not have rolling admissions; applications received after December 1st will not be considered. All doctoral applicants are considered for funding.
Spring 2021 Application Deadlines for MLS, MIS, and SpLIS
Spring 2021 Application Deadlines for 4 + 1 Programs
Fall Application Deadlines, all programs
Deadlines for international students
We encourage you to apply at least three months before the start of classes.
To apply to ILS, you’ll submit your Indiana University Graduate CAS application online, pay the non-refundable application fee of $70, and upload your supporting documents to the online application. Application fee waivers are available in certain circumstances. For more information, visit the University Graduate School.
For consideration, you must upload transcripts from every previous college attended (U.S. and international) to your application in the Academic History quadrant of the application. Official transcripts showing degree conferral are not required until you have been accepted into the program and prepare to enroll in classes.
International Applicants: You may upload a scanned copy of your transcripts from every previous college attended (U.S. and international) to begin the application process. Please check the specifications for transcripts on the Office of International Services website.
Please note, if you completed fewer than 15 hours from a school, you are not required to include that transcript as long as those courses are reflected on an official undergraduate transcript.
Letters of reference need to be from professors or employers who are familiar with your abilities and can estimate how well you would do in a rigorous graduate program in this field. We will accept letters in any format, as long as contact information for the recommender is included.
Include a current curriculum vitae or resume with your application materials.
Please submit an essay that is a minimum of 500 words in length describing your academic and professional goals. Professional jobs in the field of information and library science value leadership, teamwork, creativity, and the ability to work with people.
For your essay, think about why you want to come to graduate school in this field. Your writing skills demonstrated in this statement are also considered as part of the admission decision. Essays should be in your own words, and written with academic integrity.
Ph.D. applicants must submit a statement that is 800 to 1,000 words and identifies your professional goals and discusses your commitment to teaching and/or research in information science.
Your statement should address the following questions:
Ph.D. applicants: GRE or GMAT scores are required.
All other applicants: GRE or GMAT are not required unless your:
The Indiana University institutional code is 1324.
The ILS Library Science code is 4701.
The ILS Information Science code is 0404.
Approximate GRE minimum scores expected:
Verbal: 153
Quant: 144
Analytical Writing: 4.0
We will also look at the score percentages, since the tests vary.
Note that while your scores will be used to evaluate your candidacy for the program, they aren’t the determining factor for acceptance. We will do a full review of all application materials to make a final decision.
*If your first language is not English, but you have completed a full bachelor’s degree in the U.S., you can petition the ILS Director of Graduate Programs, Dr. Howard Rosenbaum to waive the GRE or GMAT tests. Please note that this does not apply to Ph.D. applicants.
TOEFL scores are required if your first language is not English. At a minimum, you should score at least 100.
The IELTS is an option, too. At a minimum, you should score at least 7.0.
International students should review the IU admissions standards for the demonstration of English proficiency.
If your first language is not English, but you have completed a full bachelor’s degree in the U.S., you can petition Howard Rosenbaum, the ILS Director of Graduate Programs, to waive the TOEFL requirment.
The writing sample must be a single-author work written by you.
It can be a published journal article, a book chapter, a technical white paper, a grant proposal, or a paper written for a course.
If you plan to earn a dual degree, you’ll need to submit two separate online applications: one for ILS, and one for your partner department. This applies even for the Dual MLS/MIS program. Contact the University Graduate School about getting a fee waiver so you only pay for one application.
You can register as an ILS graduate nondegree student and take up to 6 credit hours of graduate coursework. If you decide to apply to an ILS program at a later date and are admitted, these six credit hours would count towards your degree. In order to register as a nondegree student, you must first the Graduate Studies Office at gradvise@indiana.edu.
All supplemental materials, including your transcript, should be attached to your electronic application. If you have any questions, please contact the Luddy Graduate Studies Office - Admissions Team at admit2iu@indiana.edu.
