Numerous scholarships are available to current students enrolled in the master’s degree programs at the SJSU School of Information. From $500 to $3,250, scholarships funds can help offset course fees. Please review the scholarship opportunities, including the Special Session Scholarships.

Current students in Special Session who are enrolled in the MLIS, MARA or Informatics graduate degree program or in the BS in Information Science and Data Analytics undergraduate major are encouraged to apply for the Special Session Scholarships valued at $3,250 each.

Eligibility

All Special Session students who are actively enrolled in the MLIS, MARA or Informatics graduate degree program and have a current GPA of at least a 3.2 are eligible to apply for the Special Session Scholarships. A copy of your transcript showing your GPA is required. 

All Special Session students who are actively enrolled in the BS in Information Science and Data Analytics undergraduate major and have a current GPA of at least a 3.0 are eligible to apply for the Special Session Scholarships. A copy of your transcript showing your GPA is required.

Application Process

Using Prezi or Powtoon or any similar tools (such as emaze), creatively build a presentation that showcases your skills (e.g., technology, organization, research, and other skills) and illustrates your commitment to one of the following themes:

• impacting global and/or diverse communities and organizations
• showing leadership through initiatives related to libraries or records or information environments or external professional associations
• designing user friendly web interfaces
• presenting data sets in an understandable way

Entries will be judged by the School of Information Scholarship Committee based on creative presentation in the form of descriptive text, data points, visual elements, and your overall ability to convey your thoughts on one of the topics described above. Once you have created your presentation, complete the online scholarship application form (form will be open from January 5 through May 1, 2026). The scholarship applications will not be reviewed until after the application deadline.

Application Deadline

The deadline to apply for a Special Session Scholarship is May 1, 2026.  Scholarships will only be awarded to students enrolled in Special Session in the MLIS, MARA, Informatics, or BSISDA program for Fall 2026.

The scholarship committee members will review all submissions, select recipients, and notify recipients by early June 2026.

Receiving Scholarship Funds

Scholarship funds will be dispersed to the student’s account for the following term after all eligibility and gratitude requirements are met. Students must be actively enrolled to receive scholarship funds.

Endowed and Donated Scholarships

Eligibility

MLIS students must have successfully completed the four required core courses (INFO 200, INFO 202, INFO 203, INFO 204); have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.5; and cannot be in their last semester in the program at the time of submission of the scholarship application.

MARA students must have successfully completed the technology workshop and either: MARA 200 and MARA 204 OR MARA 210 and one MLIS elective; have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.5; and cannot be in their last semester in the program at the time of submission of the scholarship application.

Application Process and Deadlines

Interested students should complete and submit the iSchool Scholarship Application Form. Applications will be accepted between March 1 and March 31, 2026. Scholarship recipients are notified in May. Scholarships awarded in the spring will be dispersed toward a recipient’s course fees during the fall semester.

Scholarships

• Alumni & Friends Scholarship: Endowed by the iSchool Alumni Association to provide scholarships for iSchool students. Five scholarships of $1,000 each. Awarded in spring.
• Blanche Woolls Spectrum Scholarship: Endowed in honor of Dr. Blanche Woolls, former professor and director from 1997-2005. One scholarship of $500 for a student already holding a Spectrum scholarship from the American Library Association. Dr. Woolls is the author of numerous school library publications, and is a past president of the American Association of School Librarians and the International Association of School Librarianship. Awarded in spring.
• Faculty Scholarship: Endowed by the iSchool faculty to provide an annual scholarship for a iSchool student. One scholarship of $500. Awarded in spring.
• Friends of the San Carlos Library Scholarship: Will provide scholarships for students who live or work in San Mateo County and are pursuing a Master of Library and Information Science. Preference will be given to students who intend to pursue a career in school libraries. One award of $6,000 will be made on or before June 30, 2026.
• Global Impact Scholarship: For students who demonstrate a strong commitment toward using skills as an information professional to impact global communities and organizations. One scholarship of $500. Awarded in spring.
• Graduate Student Scholarship: Funds from donations. Students cannot be in their first semester. One scholarship of $1,000. Awarded in spring.
• H.W. Wilson Scholarship: Endowed by the H.W. Wilson Foundation. One scholarship of $500. Established in 1952, the H.W. Wilson Foundation supports libraries, library associations, historical societies, cultural programs and scholarships for library and information science programs accredited by the American Library Association. Awarded in spring.
• Kaiser Permanente Medical Librarianship Scholarship: Endowed by Kaiser Permanente to support candidates interested in a career in medical librarianship and health informatics. One scholarship of $500. Kaiser Permanente’s Health Sciences Libraries have grown into a national network of thirty-six on-site libraries. Kaiser librarians have consistently been at the forefront of encouraging the use of the latest technology to provide clinicians needed information resources. Awarded in spring.
• Leppe Scholarship: Established in 2014, the scholarship was endowed in honor of Louis C. Leppe, a southern California pharmacist, whose daughters, both teachers, were graduates of San Jose State University. “We would like for whoever receives this scholarship to know what a kind and generous man our dad was. We wish the recipients fulfillment of their dreams.” – Trustee, Dolores Daniels. Five scholarships of $1,000 each. Awarded in spring.
• Librarian Opportunity Scholarship: Endowed by Diana Lee Morabito and Keith Ball in support of the important part played by libraries in their life and education. Preference will be given to students who can demonstrate financial need. Four scholarships of $1,000 each to full-time students. Awarded in spring.
• Terry Crowley Scholarship: Endowed in honor of Dr. Terry Crowley, former iSchool professor emeritus specializing in reference and information services. One scholarship of $750. Awarded in spring.