Graduate

Admission

Information and Library Science

Application Procedures

U.S. Citizen Applicants

Apply online through the ILS website. Check the website for application requirements for your specific program. Contact ilsmain@indiana.edu (ILS Admissions) if you have any questions.

Application to ILS graduate programs includes a minimum of the following (check the website for additional requirements for specific 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 department 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 ILS 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. 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 be taken within three years of application.  GMAT scores may be submitted for GRE scores for ILS master's degree applicants (minimum of 31 in each area).
6. An application fee. Online applications require payment by credit card.

When the completed application forms are received, an applicant’s individual file is established, and documents are added to the file as they are received. Applicants may contact the ILS Office to check on the status of their application. Admission, once granted, remains valid for one year. Applicants may request a deferral of admission via email. 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 programs. Priority deadlines for students not applying for ILS financial aid are May 15 for the fall semester, November 1 for the spring semester, and March 15 for summer session, although applications are accepted beyond these dates.

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 ILS financial aid deadline for all degrees is January 15.

Students must have a completed application on file at ILS by January 15 to be considered for financial aid. For information on financial aid not directly funded by ILS, applicants should contact the Office of Student Financial Assistance (OSFA), 408 N Union, Bloomington, IN 47405, (812) 855-0321 or visit the OSFA website.

International Applicants 

Apply online through the ILS website. All supporting material 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 ois@iu.edu.  Their website has additional information.

All international applicants for any ILS degree program 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 threee sections (verbal, quantitative, and analytical) will be considered.  GRE minimum scores of 500 verbal, 500 quantitative, and 4.5 analytical are required.  GMAT scores may be submitted for GRE scores for ILS 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) is required for admission to ILS graduate programs. See the TOEFL website for details.

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 Office of International Services website.

Application Deadlines for International

The ILS 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 ILS 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 ILS financial aid must have their completed applications with the ILS office by January 15.  Because these applications must first be processed by the Office of International Admissions, we recommend applying by October 1.  Students may check on the status of their applications with International Admissions by emailing ois@iu.edu.