MLIS Admissions Overview
Admissions Timeline
Use the link below to get detailed information about the timeline and process. The application for Autumn 2026 opens on Sept. 1, 2025, and has four rounds of admissions.
See the Admissions timeline for more details:
Admissions timeline and deadline policy
Application Requirements
All applicants to the MLIS program must meet the following basic requirements:
- Bachelor's degree* or higher in any discipline (must be equivalent to a baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited U.S. institution)
- Law Librarianship applicants must hold a Juris Doctor degree from an American Bar Association (ABA) approved law school. See the Law Librarianship admissions page for details about applying to that program.
- Non-native English speakers must fulfill the UW English language proficiency requirements.
- Note: The UW Graduate School has a minimum GPA requirement. As detailed on their website, individual programs may consider qualified applicants with a GPA below a 3.0.
- Applicants with a lower GPA are strongly encouraged to provide additional information in the extenuating circumstances part of the application.
- Though not part of our standard process, the Graduate School may consider GRE scores for applicants who require a low GPA petition. Therefore, applicants with a lower GPA are also encouraged to submit GRE scores (ETS report code 4854).
*Applicants must earn their bachelor's degree by the end of the summer prior to the beginning of the Autumn Quarter. Applicants do not need to have earned their bachelor's degree prior to applying to the program.
Application Materials Checklist
- Online application through the Application for Graduate Study
- Applicants for the MLIS program should select "Information School — MLIS"
- Select mode preference (area of interest) after selecting the program — residential or online
- Personal statement
- Diversity statement
- Essay
- Short answer response
- Recommendations (two required, three recommended)
- Resume or Curriculum Vitae
- Program mode preference
- Transcripts
- Extenuating circumstances (optional)
- Scholarship information (optional)
- Official GRE scores (optional)
- Non-native English speakers - English language proficiency
Get detailed information about these application materials.
Review and/or consideration of incomplete applications or late materials is at the discretion of the MLIS admissions committee. If application materials are missing due to circumstances beyond the applicant's control, the committee will take that into consideration and make its judgment based on the information available.
Application Fee and Fee Waiver
The application fee is $90 USD, payable online by debit or credit card. Learn more about the Application Fee Waiver Policy on this page.
All application materials are submitted online or electronically. Please do not mail paper application materials to the Information School.