Admissions Overview

To gain admittance to the School of Information, applicants must meet the following basic requirements:

• The completion of a bachelor's degree from an accredited institution in the United States or proof of equivalent education at a foreign institution
• A grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 or higher (on a scale on which the grade of "A" is equal to 4.0) in all junior- and senior-level upper-division and graduate-level coursework attempted or completed
• A satisfactory score on the Graduate Record Examination General Test (GRE). In the admission-decision process, an applicant's GRE scores are judged in conjunction with his or her GPA. The median GRE (combined Verbal and Quantitative Aptitudes) of School of Information master's-level students in recent years has typically been slightly above 1250. (Note: If a master's degree, in any program, has been obtained from the University of Texas at Austin, a GRE is not required.

Two applications must be completed for admission: one to the Graduate School of the University (GIAC) and one to the School of Information. Both applications must be complete for admission to be granted.

Please submit official documents to GIAC as far in advance of the deadline as possible to allow for processing time, as there are many students applying for admission through GIAC every semester.

Deadlines for Admissions Applications

In order to be considered for academic awards, applications need to be received by February 1 in both offices (GIAC and the iSchool), regardless of the entrance semester. Applications from students not seeking academic awards are due March 1 for the fall semester and September 1 for the spring.

Please disregard the October 1, deadline indicated on the Texas Common Application.

Students Seeking Academic Awards

Students Not Seeking Academic Awards

Application Procedures

1. Admission to the Graduate School of the University

For complete information about applying to the Graduate School, refer to the UT Austin Graduate Catalog (http://www.utexas.edu/student/registrar/catalogs/grad05-07/). The catalog is the document of authority for all students. The Graduate School's Web page also provides a list of documents required for admission.

Applicants must submit the following materials to the Graduate and International Admissions Center (GIAC):

• An application to the Graduate School. Applicants may request a Graduate Admissions Bulletin by phone (512-475-7390), or apply electronically using the GIAC online application http://www.utexas.edu/student/giac/#online
• The GIAC application fee
• One official transcript from ever senior college attended. Note: To be considered for scholarships or fellowship awards, students should send an additional copy of the transcript to the School of Information.
• Official GRE Report

Applicants wishing to do graduate-level coursework without becoming a candidate for an advanced degree may apply for admission to a graduate program as a nondegree graduate student. An application and transcripts of all college coursework should be sent to GIAC; Graduate Record Examinations scores are not required.

2. Admission to the School of Information

In addition to applying through GIAC, applicants must also apply to the School of Information. Applicants must submit the following materials directly to the graduate coordinator, who will process and then direct them to the chair of the Admissions Committee of the School of Information:

• An Application for Admission to the Program Leading to the Degree of Master of Science in Information Studies: Personal Data Sheet and MSIS Application (pdf).
• References and letter of recommendation from three people who can attest to the applicant's aptitude for graduate work and professional promise. These letters must clearly indicate why the authors of the letters believe the student has the intellectual ability to succeed in graduate school. Forms for these letters are in the Graduate Admission Bulletin and at the GIAC Web site. These forms are now available on-line for the recommender. Once you indicate the recommenders name on the on-line application an email is sent to your recommender. Please notify the Graduate Coordinator once your recommender has submitted their letter and form in order to print out the material and place in your file. Please note that letters and forms kept on file at other educational institutions or career centers and sent to our program are not acceptable and do not replace the Request for Reference form from the GIAC Web site. Such letters and forms do not specifically attest to the applicant's qualifications for our program. A letter of recommendation must be attached to the completed reference form and sent directly to the School of Information, not to you or GIAC.
• Statement of Purpose. This form is found on the University of Texas Common Application but recommended to be sent directly to the department in order to be received in a timely manner.

Note: Once an applicant begins submitting materials to the School of Information, the applicant is solely responsible for following up with the graduate coordinator, Carol R. Carreon concerning status of application, until the deadline date.

Send completed applications to:

School of Information
The University of Texas at Austin
Sanchez Building (SZB) 564
1 University Station D7000
Austin, TX 78712-0390

Conditional Admissions

Once the application process is completed, students who fail to meet one of the requirements for regular admission may be granted conditional admission under strictly controlled criteria and conditions.

International Students

The University of Texas requires a score of 550 (paper test), 213 (computer-based test), or 79 (internet-based test) on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) OR an overall band of 6.5 on the Academic Examination of the International English Language Testing System (IELTS).

To gain admission to the School of Information, international students who are not native English speakers must achieve a total score of at least 600 on the traditional (paper-based) TOEFL or of at least 250 on the new, computer-based TOEFL.

The School reserves the right to require a re-administration of the TOEFL in Austin and/or to require an international student to take remedial work in English. The Graduate School offers courses in writing for graduate students for whom English is a second language. The School of Information often recommends that students who need further work with written English take these courses.

See Also: Master of Science in Information Studies degree program description

Funding Resources

For information about funding resources including grants, TAships, and more see Funding Resources.