Published: September 30, 2015

Finding a way to pay for school can be a challenge, but if you’re resourceful and articulate (and you are, because you’re studying to be an information professional), then there’s a wealth of opportunities out there to help you make your way through graduate school. It’s just a matter of finding the right one and hitting the right deadlines.

The iSchool has a few scholarships available for the spring semester, and there are also a few more from outside sources listed on the iSchool website—and you’d best take a look at those now because the deadlines coming up soon.

An iSchool Scholarship Just for New Students
If you’re starting the iSchool in January and you’re looking for a fun way to fund your schooling (who knew, right?), then check out the Director’s Scholarship for Excellence, with a unique scholarship application that involves making a Pinterest board with the theme of why you want to be an information professional or how you picture (or pin) your future as an information professional. Now you have a perfectly acceptable and possibly fruitful reason to scour the internet for those quintessential pins of amazing library collections, top ten lists, nifty charts and graphics, and other inspiring images.

Five scholarships of $1000 each will be awarded this spring semester, which will be applied to the fees of the students’ first semester at the iSchool. The five students whose innovative Pinterest boards won for the fall semester are linked to this news story.

Applications for the spring semester are due by November 1, 2015, and open to all new (I can’t apply, darn it) MLIS students already admitted for the 2016 spring semester. You also need to have an undergraduate GPA of 3.5 and will be asked to upload and submit a copy of your transcript when you apply for the scholarship. If you have any questions about the Director’s Scholarship for Excellence, contact the iSchool’s student services team.

Scholarships from Outside Sources for New and Continuing Students
Are you already taking courses at the iSchool and looking for funding for the spring semester? There are a variety of scholarship opportunities from organizations outside the iSchool that have fall deadlines, including the California School Library Association (CSLA) Jewel Gardiner Memorial Scholarship, due on November 1, the ALA Black Caucus E.J. Josey Scholarship, due on December 15, and the Medical Library Association (MLA) Scholarship for Minority Students, due on December 1.

Checking out these scholarships is good both for your present financial needs and as a source for networking and becoming connected with groups that share your career vision of the future. If you want to be a school media specialist in California, for instance, it’s never a bad idea to get connected with the CSLA.

There are several other scholarships listed for minority students, regional scholarships, special library and school library students, and even a couple general scholarships for students in library and information science.

Be sure to check all the guidelines, polish and proofread your essay, and shoot for just ahead of the deadline—being early is better than being late. But you already practice all these good habits, don’t you?

The majority of iSchool scholarships are awarded in the spring for continuing and graduating MLIS and MARA students, with the deadline at the end of March. Be sure to check back during the spring semester for even more opportunities to get help paying your way through graduate school.

For more posts about finding funding at the iSchool, check out:

1-Unit Courses Offer Financial Solutions, Further Flexibility and Finding Careers

Another Way to Pay for School—Be a Student Assistant

New Scholarship for New Students, Using Pinterest