Tuition and Financial Aid

Tuition

Tuition per semester for full-time on-campus students for 2009/10 is $5,578 for Illinois residents and $10,934 for non-residents. Additional fees (covering university and general services, health insurance, health service, transportation, etc.) may apply. Complete information about these tuition and fee assessments, exemptions, and refunds is available from the Office of the Registrar, 901 W. Illinois St., Urbana, IL 61801; (217) 333-0210 or http://registrar.illinois.edu/financial/tuition_details.html.

Tuition for students in our LEEP online learning program follows a different schedule and is charged per hour. For academic year 2009/10, it is $2,040 for 4 graduate hours (in-state) / $3,824 for 4 graduate hours (out-of-state) including $45/hour Academic Outreach administrative fee. LEEP students are not charged on-campus service fees (covering university and general services, health insurance, health service, transportation, etc.) and therefore they are not eligible to receive these services. Complete information about these tuition and fee assessments is available from the Division of Academic Outreach, (217) 333-3061, or (800) 252-1360, or http://www.continuinged.uiuc.edu/outreach/tuitionfeeinformation.cfm.

On-campus housing for graduate students is available through the university; costs range from approximately $4,646 to $6,106 for single occupancy rooms for the academic year; double occupancy rooms and meal contracts also are available. Students also live in a variety of off-campus locations, including private apartments and university-operated family housing. For additional information, see http://www.housing.illinois.edu/Future/Graduate.aspx.

Financial Aid

GSLIS students are eligible for student loans based on guidelines administered by the UI Office of Student Financial Aid. Many jobs in LIS also qualify for Public Service Loan Forgiveness.

After admission to GSLIS applicants may be considered for financial support.

Financial support includes graduate assistantships, scholarships, and fellowships. Awards offered by the School are based on several factors including academic area, merit, and financial need. Prospective students should review the special funding opportunities currently available as well as the general types of financial aid described here:

• Graduate assistantships are the primary source of financial aid and are awarded by the School, the University Library, and a variety of other campus units. Students in these positions receive both financial support and enhanced professional experience. Assistantships range from 25-percent-time nine-month appointments to 50-percent-time 12-month appointments. All assistantships awarded to M.S. degree students provide a waiver of the graduate base in-state tuition and service fee as well as a stipend. Non-Illinois residents must pay the difference between in- and out-of-state tuition. After admission, applicants are responsible for pursuing graduate assistantship opportunities; information about assistantships and application procedures is provided upon admission. A number of assistantships are awarded by the University Library. The process for applying for these assistantships is similar to applying for a job. It requires submission of cover letters and resumes. Candidates are required to interview on campus for positions, and library unit heads select the most appropriate applicants from those who interview. Full instructions on applying for library and other assistantships are included in the letter of admission. Contact Assistant Dean Rae-Anne Montague with questions about assistantships at -rae, at illinois.edu- or (217) 333-3280; see also the GSLIS Jobs page for additional assistantship sources.
• Fellowships for academic excellence are offered by the School in limited numbers. These awards of at least $6,000 include full tuition and service fee waivers for fall, spring, and summer semesters. All applicants are considered for fellowships upon admission; awards are usually made by June 15 for the following fall. GSLIS students are also eligible for other UIUC and external fellowships. Visit the Graduate College Fellowship Opportunities for additional information.
• Scholarships are offered by the School in limited numbers. Information about external scholarships available to LIS students is maintained by the American Library Association and can be found on their scholarships page.
• Other sources of financial aid include employment as preprofessionals in the public libraries serving Champaign and Urbana. Contact Champaign Public Library and Information Center, 505 S. Randolph, Champaign, IL 61820 and Urbana Free Library, 201 S. Race St., Urbana, IL 61801. Some state libraries (including the Illinois State Library), a number of large city public libraries, and many regional or state library associations offer scholarships or loan funds to students who will return to work at the library, state, or region after graduation. Address inquiries to the appropriate agency or organization. Each year, the American Library Association publishes Financial Assistance for Library and Information Studies; write to the American Library Association, 50 E. Huron St., Chicago, IL 60611. The LIS Access Midwest Program (LAMP; www.lisaccess.org) specifically seeks to encourage the participation of students from statistically and historically underrepresented populations in LIS.

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