New Financial Aid Page

For all students:

We now have a new page on our blog site that will be devoted to Financial Aid opportunities for LIS  students. There you'll find information on how to apply for financial aid from the university and the department, as well as links to a number of external scholarships, travel grants, and other professional development opportunities that are available to LIS students.

Now is the time to start thinking about applying for financial aid for next year (as well as for Spring and Summer of '15), so here's a few reminders:

1. Make sure you check the links or call the sponsoring organization for upcoming deadlines, as well as eligibility requirements and what materials you need to submit (references, transcripts, statements of purpose, etc.). Create a checklist for yourself of all items you'll need to send.

2. Give your reference writers at least 2-3 weeks notice (more if possible) ahead of the application deadlines, and make sure you provide them with all necessary information: what scholarship, where the letter needs to go, how to submit it, and when it's due. Give them copies of your statement of interest or cover letters. If you live in the same town, it's always nice to provide an addressed, stamped envelope to your letter-writers for their convenience.

3. Write a general statement (1-2 pages) of your purpose in applying for scholarships, your interests within LIS, your previous experience, your professional goals, and how these scholarships will help you. Then tailor that statement for each application, taking note of the sponsoring organizations' focus and interest (i.e. Medical librarianship, minority recruitment, information technology, etc.) as well as their length requirements.

4. Have a resume prepared that shows your previous education, related work experience, skills & competencies, awards or honors you've received, and a list of references. Update and tailor the resume for each application, highlighting those items that might be of special interest to that sponsoring organization (i.e. emphasize your technological skills if applying for a scholarship that focuses on library technology).

5. See if you can get electronic copies of your transcripts for those applications that will accept them, but also bookmark your schools' Registrar web-page for easy access if you need to order and send official, sealed transcripts.

6. Remember to file a federal FAFSA application every year, in order to be eligible for state and federal financial aid, including loans. The University requires that you file the FAFSA in order to be eligible for school-sponsored financial aid as well. Many outside scholarships do not require the FAFSA, but it's good to have it filed anyway.