Library and Professional Organizations

The library science profession has many scholarship opportunities open to students pursuing an MLIS degree.  These tend to be smaller awards that can help offset the cost of pursuing your graduate degree.

• American Library Association’s (ALA) website is a great place to start.
• Research scholarships for more specific areas of librarianship such as the Association for Library Science to Children or the Medical Library Association, among others.
• Check out the blog I Need A Library Job or Library Land Index.

Suggested Scholarship Databases

There are a number of scholarship databases for you to search for funding based on your specific background, interests and experiences.

• Look through our list of scholarships
• Peterson’s Guide     
• Fastweb              
• Scholarships.com
• Bold.org Scholarships
• College Scholarships

Specific Populations

Look for scholarship opportunities based on gender, ethnicity, disabilities and other diversity areas.

ALA has the Spectrum Scholarship Program for supporting ethnically underrepresented groups in the library profession. UW MLIS students receiving an ALA Spectrum scholarship are awarded an additional scholarship from the iSchool.

Check with civic groups or religious organizations.

If continuing to work while in school, check to see if your employer has a tuition reimbursement program.