Scholarships

Departmental scholarships (free tuition for your first and last courses) are available to new incoming degree-seeking School of Information Studies (SOIS) students. These scholarships are based on both need and merit. Need is measured by the student's Expected Family Contribution (EFC) as reported on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Merit is measured by the student's incoming GPA. A standardized test score is not required. A completed FAFSA must be on file with Dominican University’s Office of Financial Aid by the deadline. Dominican’s school code is 001750.

The scholarship eligibility and admission priority deadlines are the same:

  • Fall Semester: June 15 (for master's degree students); July 15 (for doctoral students)
  • Spring Semester: November 15
  • Summer Semester: March 15

SOIS departmental scholarships are awarded in an amount equivalent to tuition for the first and last courses in any SOIS degree program at the times the courses are taken.

Scholarships are awarded upon receipt of this acknowledgement form by the deadline, applied upon registration for the first and last courses, and disbursed at the end of the appropriate semester's add-drop period.

Students eligible to receive SOIS departmental scholarships will be contacted by SOIS. There is no application to fill out; however, eligible students wishing to accept the offer will need to formally do so by signing and returning a scholarship Acknowledgement Form by the deadline.

Deadlines for returning the Acknowledgement Form:

  • Fall Semester: August 1
  • Spring semester: December 6
  • Summer semester: April 5

SOIS departmental scholarships are generously supported by:

  • The Cromien Endowment
  • The Dean's Endowment (support future students by donating!)
  • The Denton Endowment
  • H. W. Wilson Co.
  • The Jencius Endowment
  • The McCusker Endowment
  • The PhD Scholars Endowment
Additional Resources

A variety of financial aid from outside the university is available for students who are pursuing the MLIS or PhD. Information about available aid appears in Financial Assistance for Library and Information Studies, published annually by the American Library Association. Many Internet resources are also available to help students locate sources of scholarships.

American Library Association

Each year the American Library Association awards a number of scholarships to students who are seeking master's degrees in library and information science. Scholarship winners must already be enrolled in an ALA-accredited master's degree program or must enter one. Factors considered include academic excellence, leadership qualities and evidence of a commitment to a career in librarianship. Several divisions and roundtables of the ALA also offer scholarships. Visit ALA for information about the various ALA scholarships. 

Beta Phi Mu

Beta Phi Mu, the international honor society of library and information science, offers a number of scholarships and fellowships for master's and doctoral students. Five scholarships and up to six Eugene Garfield Doctoral Dissertation Fellowships are awarded annually. The Beta Phi Mu Scholarship Review Committee meets during May and recipients are announced at the Beta Phi Mu General Assembly G-ALA in conjunction with the ALA Annual Meeting in June. Learn more or apply.

Illinois Board of Higher Education

The Diversifying Higher Education Faculty in Illinois program awards scholarships annually to students who are pursuing advanced degrees. Applicants must be residents of Illinois and must be from populations that are historically under-represented in the faculty and staff of Illinois institutions of higher education. Upon graduation an award recipient must agree to accept a position in teaching or administration at an Illinois post-secondary educational institution.