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 Graduate and Professional Admission 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 accelerated master’s degree 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 Masters and SpLIS degrees, admitting students to the Fall and Spring semester each year, and we can accept applications at any time. In order to make sure we can process applications before the start of the semester, we have priority deadlines of July 1 for the Fall semester, and December 1 for the Spring semester.
January 1
To be considered for funding opportunities, applicants interested in the following programs should apply and submit all required application materials by January 1.
Master of Library Science (M.L.S.)
Master of Information Science (M.I.S.)
Graduate Certificate in Information Architecture (GCIA)
Specialist in Library and Information Science (SpLIS)
Nondegree-seeking applicants
December 1
If you are applying for a Ph.D. in information science, submit your application and all related materials by December 1 to be considered for funding.
Deadlines for the Accelerated Master’s Degree
If you are an undergraduate student interested in our Accelerated Master’s Degree program, there are different steps you’ll need to take to apply, and different deadlines to follow. Find out what to do.
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 Graduate and Professional Admission Application online in addition to these supporting documents.
Official transcripts from every previous college attended (U.S. and international) should be sent directly from that institution to the Department of Information and Library Science.
Students enrolled in their bachelor’s degree program may apply. Send a transcript when you submit the application, and then a final transcript showing the degree granted once available.
If you attended Indiana University at any campus, we can print that transcript. If you completed fewer than 15 hours from a school, and if those courses are reflected on an official undergraduate transcript, you are not required to send that 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 Student Services to waive the GRE or GMAT tests. To do this, email ilsmain@indiana.edu.
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 Corey Tarbell, the ILS Director of Graduate Student Services, 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.
Your resume/CV, personal goals essay, letters of reference, and writing sample (if applicable) can be attached to your electronic application. If you need to submit materials by mail, send them to:
ILS Admissions
School of Informatics, Computing, and Engineering