MSIS Admissions
General Admissions Procedures
Application Deadline
Fall admission deadline is January 5th, 11:59 PM CT. All materials below must be received by the deadline. Spring admission is not available. Processing can take 24–72 hours after your initial application is submitted, so plan accordingly.
Admission to the iSchool's MSIS Program requires two parts: admission to the UT Graduate School, and completion of MSIS-specific application materials.
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Complete the Graduate School Application
Submit the online application to the Graduate School at The University of Texas at Austin. All applicants must satisfy the Graduate School's admission requirements.
As part of the application, you'll answer three short-answer questions (200–300 words each). Proofread carefully — you can't edit these once submitted.
- Question 1: Please address any information that you believe your application would be incomplete without and that sheds more light on your unique potential to succeed in the Master of Science in Information Studies program and contribute to the university community and the field or profession.
- Question 2: The core values of the iSchool are a people-first perspective, information serving humanity, technology for social good, and an interdisciplinary approach. How do your experience and career goals relate to these values?
- Question 3: Think of yourself in five years. What kind of job would you like to have? Feel free to create a job title if you like. Why is this program your preferred option to pursue?
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Submit Required Application Materials
Required by the Graduate School
- OGA application & admission fee
- Bachelor's degree (3.0+ GPA in upper-division/graduate coursework)
- One official transcript per institution attended
- TOEFL or IELTS scores (international students only)
Required by the MSIS Program
- Statement of Purpose (Step 4)
- Resume or CV
- Three letters of recommendation — provide contact info in the application; OGA emails your recommenders directly
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Access Your MyStatus Portal
Within 2–3 business days of submitting, you'll get a UT EID and MyStatus login. Use MyStatus to upload supporting documents, track your status, confirm your file is complete, and view your decision.
Check it regularly — it's how OGA communicates with you, and the only way you'll know if items are missing.
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Upload Your Statement of Purpose
Address each of the following, limit to 1,000 words, and upload as a PDF via MyStatus once you have a UT EID:
- Areas of Interest: the areas you wish to study in the MSIS program, and any issues or problems within them you'd like to explore.
- Background & Experience: how your academic background and work experience prepared you for graduate study in information studies, and why UT Austin's iSchool specifically.
- Career Objective(s): your long-term career goals and how the MSIS degree will advance them.
Before You Submit
- Graduate School application completed
- Three short-answer questions submitted
- Official transcripts submitted
- English proficiency scores submitted (if required)
- Three recommenders entered
- Resume/CV uploaded in MyStatus
- Statement of Purpose uploaded in MyStatus
- MyStatus reviewed for missing items
GRE Scores: The iSchool will not require GRE scores as part of the application for the MSIS, dual degree, or PhD programs. Submission is optional for applicants who'd like to give the Admissions Committee additional information. Scores must be sent from ETS to OGA using UT Austin's code (6882).
Dual Degree Programs
Students seeking admission to one of our dual degree programs must identify their interest by selecting the specific dual degree program code in the Graduate Application (Slate). These are listed in a separate "Dual Degree Programs" section at the bottom of the list of majors. If the two programs have different deadlines, submit by the earlier one. To enter a dual degree program, you must first be accepted by each program individually.
Master's Student Funding
New students are considered for iSchool scholarships automatically with their application. Additional funding may be available through the Graduate School: Graduate Student Funding
Admission to the University of Texas Graduate School
Admission to the iSchool is competitive and requires applicants to complete the UT Graduate School's application for admission and submit all required supplemental materials. The application can be found here. For further information, please refer to the Graduate School’s Admissions page. Please note that processing delays can happen so make sure to allow plenty of time for the Office of Graduate Admissions to process your application.
Materials required by the Graduate School:
- Office of Graduate Admissions (OGA) application for admission and admission fee: The application is available in August.
- Bachelor's Degree: A
- Grade Point Average (GPA): A GPA of 3.0 or higher in all junior-and senior-level upper division and graduate level-coursework attempted or completed.
- One official transcript from each college or university attended: Submit electronic copies of your official transcripts according to the OGA website. Please avoid mailing paper copies to ensure a quicker processing of your application.
- TOEFL or IELTS scores (international students only): International students may be required to submit official test results from either the TOEFL or IELTS exams, according to the guidelines provided by OGA. See the Graduate Admissions website for further guidance.
MSIS Program Requirements
Successful applicants will also need to submit the following specific iSchool requirements:
- Short Answer Questions: You will be required to provide short written answers to three questions within the application. Please see below for the actual prompts.
- Three letters of recommendation: You will be asked to submit the names and contact information of three recommenders at the time of your online application. After submitting the application, each recommender will receive an email with directions for submitting through the online submission portal. Strong letters of recommendation will be able to discuss the applicant's academic abilities.
- Statement of Purpose: Once your application is submitted, electronically upload a clear and thoughtfully written statement of purpose describing areas of interest, background and experience, and career objectives (see prompt below).
- Resume/CV: You will be required to submit a CV (curriculum vitae) or professional resume in support of your application for admission.
Short Answer Questions - Within Slate Application
The following questions will be asked as part of the application.
We would like to learn more about you, your interest in our program, and your career goals. All applicants must answer the following three questions. Please proofread your answers as you will not be able to edit these once they have been submitted.
Question 1: Please address any information that you believe your application would be incomplete without and that sheds more light on your unique potential to succeed in the Master of Science Information Studies program and contribute to the university community and the field or profession.
Please limit your responses to 200 - 300 words
Question 2: The core values of the iSchool are a people-first perspective, information serving humanity, technology for social good, and an interdisciplinary approach. How do your experience and career goals relate to these values?
Please limit your responses to 200 - 300 words
Question 3: Think of yourself in five years. What kind of job would you like to have? Feel free to create a job title if you like. Why is this program your preferred option to pursue?
Please limit your responses to 200 - 300 words
Statement of Purpose
The Statement of Purpose is a key document in your master’s application. Please address each of the following items in your statement:
- Areas of Interest: Discuss the areas of interest that you wish to study in the MSIS program as well as identify any significant issues or problems within those areas that you would like to explore or address during your studies.
- Background & Experience: Describe how your academic background and work experiences have prepared you for graduate studies in the field of information studies and why you wish to study specifically at the UT Austin iSchool.
- Career Objective(s): Discuss your long-term career goals and how you anticipate the completion of your MSIS degree will advance your career.
Please limit your statement of purpose to 1,000 words.
Your Statement of Purpose is uploaded as a PDF via MyStatus after your graduate application is submitted and you have been issued a UT EID by the Office of Graduate Admissions.
Contact us
For any admissions inquiries, please reach out to us at the email address below.