Admissions

Completion of any four-year undergraduate degree from an accredited academic institution recognized by the University of Alberta.

Effective on the Fall 2025 admissions cycle, students who have an In-Progress 4-year Bachelor’s Degree are eligible to apply, provided that your degree will be completed prior to the admission term you are applying for.

For students who have completed the degree by the time of application, you will be required to provide proof of degree completion. This can be satisfied through any of the following ways:

1. The degree and date conferred must be printed on your transcript. 
2. Degree Certificate (optional, if item 1 is already available). 
3. If you have completed all your courses but items 1 and 2 are not yet available because you are still waiting for graduation, you must request a letter confirming program completion and expected date of graduation from the Registrar’s Office of the institution you attended.

Upload this to the Degree Certificate tab when you submit your application.

If you have a three-year undergraduate degree then you must present additional completed coursework equivalent to one year of courses.

Applicants must present a minimum GPA of 3.0 on most 4-point grading systems, or a grade of B on most letter grading systems, based on your last ★60 of coursework (equivalent to two years full-time study). In cases where an applicant's GPA falls below the department minimum we may consider life achievement, providing you meet the Guidelines for Considering Life Achievement.

SLIS does not require or accept Graduate Record Examination (GRE) results, and we cannot use GRE scores when calculating an admission GPA. 

Applicants with degrees/qualifications in a language other than English need to demonstrate English Language Proficiency through one of several exam types. Please note the following:

• Our scores are higher than the minimum scores required by the Faculty of Graduate & Postdoctoral Studies. Applicants that do not meet the minimum requirement will not be considered.
• If you need to complete one of these English language examinations, you should do so as soon as possible and arrange for the results to be sent to the department to which you are applying.
• Scores more than two years old cannot be verified; therefore the applicant will normally be required to re-take the test.

Accepted ELP Exams

• TOEFL: Passing score of 100 (Internet-based) with a minimum of 21 on each of the individual skill areas.
• IELTS: Academic Minimum overall band score of 7.5, with at least 7.0 on each band.
• Duolingo: Minimum score of 125. Please Note: If you are in a region impacted by Pearson, IELTS or TOEFL test centre closures due to COVID-19, the university will temporarily accept the Duolingo English Test as one of the ways to meet our English Language Proficiency requirements. See FGPS for more information. 
• CAEL: Overall minimum score of 70, with at least 70 on each subtest.
• PTE Academic: 64 with a minimum band score of 62.
• MELAB: Minimum score of 90.

Demonstrating ELP with Academic Work

The English Language Proficiency requirement may be met by possession of a degree or its academic equivalent from an academic institution recognized by the University of Alberta, in which the language of instruction is English. See Recognized English Language Countries and Institutions for more information.

The MLIS program is a technologically-intensive program, which prepares students for positions of responsibility across the information professions. Competency with the use of computers and common software applications is expected. To be able to complete the two required IT-designated courses successfully, incoming students must be comfortable with the following skills prior to starting the MLIS program:

• Comprehension of the components and operations of a personal computer
• Proficiency with Microsoft Windows file management (start button, running applications, managing and organizing files and folders, printing, etc.)
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office or similar applications, including word processing (e.g. MS Word, Google Docs) and presentation (e.g. MS Power Point, Google Slides)
• Use of email and web browsing applications. 

The University of Alberta uses Google Workspace for Education (formerly known as G Suite for Education). Students studying online or remotely will make use of various videoconference platforms (Zoom, Google Meet). The University of Alberta also utilizes a centrally supported learning management system called eClass. Admitted students will have the opportunity to access resources familiarizing themselves with university systems. 

You must provide electronic copies of up-to-date transcripts from all post-secondary institutions you have attended. For example, if you studied abroad for a term and received transfer credit we require transcripts from both your home institution and the institution you attend abroad.

Failure to list and provide completed transcript from all institutions you attended on the application may be considered an intentional omission and will lead to the cancellation of your application for admission or withdrawal of your offer of admission.

Up-to-date transcripts are defined as transcripts dated within a year of the term for which you are applying. This means the issued/print date on the transcript should be from September and beyond. For example, if applying to enter September 2025 then the issued/printed date on the transcript must be no older than September 1, 2024.

Please make note of the following requirements for transcripts: 

• The transcripts must be scanned or downloaded as PDF files in its entirety (front and back pages);
• The scan must include the transcript legend and grading scale (typically printed on the back);
• The scan must be clear and legible;
• Ensure that no information is cut off during scanning.

All academic documents must meet specific criteria in order to be accepted. Refer to Application Requirements for Academic Documents to learn about these requirements. Exceptions to the academic document requirements are not permitted. Documents that do not meet the requirements will not be accepted and cannot be used to evaluate an application. 

If admitted, you will then be required to submit original transcripts to the Faculty of Graduate & Postdoctoral Studies prior to the start of the program.

If the academic institution is only sending transcripts via MyCreds, please see our Prospective Student FAQ page for instructions on how to submit these.

In approximately 1000 words, let us know why you are interested in pursuing your MLIS, and why you are interested in studying at our School. Make sure to convey why you would like to attend SLIS.

We recommend that you take some time and review SLIS's vision, mission and values statement, SLIS faculty pages, and course offerings to provide specific examples that support your reasons for attending our particular program. Also, please let us know why you want to be an information professional/librarian/archivist. What do these professions contribute to society?

At SLIS, equity, diversity, inclusion, and decolonization (EDID) are central to what we do so you may want to discuss what EDID means to you. Draw on your previous education and experiences to explain why the MLIS and SLIS in particular is the program for you.

You must provide email addresses of your two referees (references). The application system will automatically send your referees an electronic form to complete after your application fee has been paid.

Academic referees are preferred; where fewer than two academic referees are available, one professional/supervisor referee is acceptable. If you have been out of school for 10 or more years, professional/supervisor referees are acceptable.