The Knowledge River Scholars Program offers a unique opportunity to prepare for a career as a librarian or information professional with a focus on BIPOC, Latino and Native American communities.
Applications are Currently Closed
The application for the 2024-2025 academic year was open from February 1 to March 1. The application for the 2025-2026 academic year will open on February 1.
Eligibility
- You must be active (or accepted as a student) into the Master of Arts in the Library and Information Science program.
- You must take a minimum of 6 units (2 courses) per semester.
- You must demonstrate a strong combination of knowledge, cultural awareness and commitment relating to serving BIPOC, Latino and/or Native American populations.
- You must be willing and able to be actively involved as a member of the Knowledge River learning and alumni community, beginning with attendance and participation at the annual Knowledge River Orientation in Summer.
- You must indicate an aspiration to seek employment in a library or information environment upon graduation, and as a library and information science professional and Knowledge River alum, continue to consider the needs of BIPOC communities.
Admission Requirements
You must apply for admission to both the MA in Library and Information Science program and also apply to Knowledge River. Once accepted by the College of Information Science and the University of Arizona Graduate College, you will then be reviewed for admission into Knowledge River and considered for Knowledge River program benefits.
You should reference your intention to apply to Knowledge River in your statement of purpose when applying to the MLIS. See MLIS admissions information.
Knowledge River Application
We will begin accepting applications for the 2025-2026 academic year to begin Fall 2025 in March 2025. If you would like to be added to the contact list and receive updates about deadlines and opportunities, please email your contact information to kriver@arizona.edu.
Financial Assistance
Scholarship funding is available for a limited number of Knowledge River Scholars. Most of this aid is in the form of tuition remission through a graduate assistant (GA) position. Scholarships cover tuition, but do not cover any additional program fees.
Criteria for Knowledge River scholarships are as follows:
- Financial need (must complete the FAFSA form and the College of Information Science departmental funding application (see Graduate Cost & Funding page).
- Commitment to serving BIPOC, Latino and/or Native American populations.
- Demonstrated academic excellence and writing proficiency.
- For Knowledge River graduate assistant (GA) positions, you must be available for and accept a 20 hour/week appointment in our partner libraries in the Tucson area and other information environments.
- For non-GA scholarships, you must indicate your reason for inability to participate in a GA position; this may be due to location, existing employment or other reasons.
- To remain eligible for a GA position, you must maintain a 3.0 GPA.
- You may indicate your preferences for your GA location based on the streams described in the application. The Knowledge River program will work to place accepted students in their preferred location, but the program cannot guarantee specific placements.
To be considered for a Knowledge River scholarship:
- Submit a Knowledge River application form (link posted here when available).
- Submit a completed College of Information Science departmental funding application (link posted here when available).
- Submit a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FASFA). The University of Arizona School Code for the FAFSA application is 00108.
Graduate Assistantship Areas of Interest
There are several areas of interest, or streams, for Knowledge River graduate assistants:
- Public librarianship
- Special collections / archives
- Academic libraries
- Health science librarianship
Applications for Current MLIS Students
If you are a current student in the MLIS program, you do not need to complete the entire application process above. Instead, submit your Knowledge River application including responses to essay questions via the online application. Admission to Knowledge River for current MLIS students is subject to approval by the Knowledge River admissions committee.
We recommend that you save the confirmation email received after submitting your application.
Additional Information
For additional information or assistance, please contact us at kriver@arizona.edu.