MLIS Admissions Overview
Admissions Timeline
Use the link below to get detailed information about the timeline and process. The Autumn 2022 application opens on September 1, 2021.
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. For questions regarding the ABA status of a degree-granting institution, please refer to this list of ABA-approved law schools. In exceptional cases, the Admissions Committee will consider candidates who have obtained a foreign degree in law substantially equivalent to a Juris Doctor degree awarded by an ABA-approved law school.
- 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).
*In order to be eligible to apply for autumn quarter, applicants must have earned their bachelor's degree by the end of that summer. Applicants do not need to have earned their bachelor's degree prior to applying for the program.
Application Materials Checklist
- Online application through the Application for Graduate Study
- Applicants for the MLIS program (either mode - residential or online) should select "Information School - Master of Library and Information Science "
- Applicants for the Law Librarianship program should select "Information School - Master of Library and Information Science (Law Librarianship)
- 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 $85 USD, payable online by debit or credit card. Qualified applicants can request a fee waiver through the Graduate School following the process outlined on the Graduate School's website.
All application materials are submitted online or electronically. Please do not mail paper application materials to the Information School.
Meet an iDiversity Ambassador
Information science needs more diverse and equity-minded voices and perspectives in research and the professoriate. In an effort to recruit and support BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and People of Color) students and students from other underrepresented minoritized groups, iSchool Diversity Ambassadors — current Information School graduate student volunteers — assist prospective students who are considering study at the UW Information School. Please visit our iDiversity Ambassador page for more information.