Application Procedures

Application Procedures for U.S. Citizens
Application Procedures for International Citizens

Application Procedures for U.S. Citizens

Apply online through the SLIS Web site (www.slis.indiana.edu). Check the Web site for application requirements for your specific program. Contact the SLIS Admissions Office if you have any questions (slis [at] indiana [dot] edu).

Application to SLIS graduate programs includes a minimum of the following (additional requirements may be found under listings for individual degrees):

1. Completed application forms (online).
2. Three letters of recommendation that address the applicant’s academic and professional capabilities. It is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure that letters of recommendation reach the Admissions Office by deadline dates.
3. A personal essay explaining academic and career objectives (minimum 500 words).
4. Official transcripts from each college attended (except IU transcripts, which the school can obtain from the IU Registrar’s online system). From all other colleges and universities, applicants should arrange to have transcripts sent directly to the SLIS Admissions Office.
5. Graduate Record Examination (GRE) General Test scores are required of all doctoral program applicants. Master’s program applicants whose grade point average (GPA) in undergraduate college course work is below a 3.0 on a 4.0 scale, or whose GPA on course work completed for a previous graduate degree is not 3.2 or higher, must submit GRE scores in support of their applications. GRE minimum scores are 500 verbal, 500 quantitative, and 4.5 analytical. Otherwise, GRE scores are not required for master’s or specialist applicants who are U.S. citizens with English as their first language. Master’s program applicants are advised that GRE scores, if provided, will be taken into account in the competitive admissions process and in the awarding of departmental financial aid. The test must have been taken within three years. GRE information and application forms can be obtained from Educational Testing Service (www.gre.org). GMAT scores may be submitted for GRE scores for SLIS master’s degree applicants (minimum score of 31 in each area).
6. An application fee. Online applications require payment by credit card.
7. International students, those in Ph.D. or joint degree programs, and students whose first language is not English, have application requirements in addition to those listed above.

When the completed application forms are received, an applicant’s individual file is established, and other elements of the application are added to the file as they are received. Students may contact the SLIS Office to check on the status of their application. Admission, once granted, is good for a period of one year. Students may request a deferral of their admission via e-mail. Files of admitted students who neither matriculate nor request an extension may be purged soon after the beginning of the semester for which admission was granted.

Application Deadlines for U.S. Citizens
Applications are processed on a rolling basis for master’s and specialist degree students. Priority deadlines for students not applying for SLIS financial aid are May 15 for the fall semester, November 1 for the spring semester, and March 15 for second summer session, although applications are accepted beyond this date.

Applications for Ph.D. students are due January 15.

Applications will not be reviewed until all required documents have been received. Ordinarily, applications for master’s and specialist degrees are processed within one month of their completion. Decisions on admission to the doctoral program are usually made by April 15.

The SLIS financial aid deadline for all degrees is January 15.

Students must have a completed application on file at SLIS by January 15 to be considered for financial aid. Financial aid opportunities from SLIS are detailed elsewhere in this bulletin. For information on financial aid not directly funded by SLIS, applicants should contact the Office of Student Financial Assistance (OSFA), Franklin Hall 208, Bloomington, IN 47405, (812) 855-0321, or visit the OSFA Web site (www.indiana.edu/~sfa).

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Application Procedures for International Citizens

International students should apply online. All supporting materials must be sent to the Office of International Admissions, Indiana University, 300 N. Jordan Avenue, Bloomington, IN 47405-7707, (812) 855-4306. Payment of an application fee is required. Questions should be directed to International Admissions via e-mail (intladm [at] indiana [dot] edu). Their Web site has additional information: www.indiana.edu/~iuadmit/international/welcome/.

All international applicants for any SLIS degree program—master’s, specialist, or Ph.D.—must submit a recent official Graduate Record Examination (GRE) General Test score report from the Educational Testing Service. The test must have been taken within three years of application. Scores on all three sections (verbal, quantitative, and analytical) will be considered. GRE minimum scores of 500 verbal, 500 quantitative, and 4.5 analytical are required. (Ph.D. minimum scores are 500 verbal and quantitative and 4.5 analytical.) The Educational Testing Service provides GRE information (www.gre.org). It is the responsibility of the applicant to take the GRE test at a time that will allow scores to arrive at the SLIS Admissions Office to meet all school deadlines. GMAT scores may be submitted for GRE scores for SLIS master’s degree applicants (a minimum score of 31 in each area is required).

Students whose first language is not English must submit recent official scores from the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). A minimum TOEFL score of 100 (or 600 on the paper test), or 250 (on the earlier computer test), is required for admission to SLIS graduate programs. See the TOEFL Web site for details: www.toefl.org.

Students whose first language is not English must also take an IU English Proficiency Test during orientation. The results of this test are used to determine what, if any, remedial English courses must be successfully completed before graduate study begins (or during the first semester). International students should understand that all admissions are granted conditionally, upon verification of English language proficiency, and that enrollment in graduate course work is not permitted, or is limited, until all language deficiencies have been removed.

Additional Bloomington campus information for international applicants can be found on the International Center’s Web site: www.indiana.edu/~intlserv/Content/International_Center/welcome.

Application Deadlines for International Citizens
The SLIS Admissions Office will not act upon applications until all required documents have been received (including transcripts, letters of recommendation, application fee, and GRE and TOEFL test scores as required).

Ordinarily, applications for master’s and specialist degrees are processed within one month of being completed and received at SLIS from the Office of International Admissions. International applicants must comply with the deadline dates indicated in international application materials. International students wishing to be considered for SLIS financial aid packages must have their completed applications with the SLIS Office by January 15. Since these applications must first be processed by the Office of International Admissions, we recommend that you apply by October 1. Students may check on the status of their applications with International Admissions by e-mail (intladm [at] indiana [dot] edu).

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