New Student Onboarding

As of the 2025-2026 aid year, which is from Fall 2025 -- Summer 2026 at USC, graduate students in this program who have completed a FAFSA are eligible for up to $20,500 in a direct unsubsidized loan from the federal government. Graduate PLUS Loans may also be applied for on StudentAid.gov. Any scholarships would be directly from the iSchool.

Orientation information will be online, just like the rest of the program! When the time comes for you to complete orientation tasks, you will be added to an Organization in Blackboard called "iSchool Orientation Portal." You will receive instructions via email about how to navigate the orientation tab.

If you are on the General Track with your M.L.I.S., Randy Heath is your advisor. If you are on the School Library Track, Ava Ayers is your advisor. Ellyn Domanico advises students in M.S. programs in the iSchool. All of their contact information can be found in the directory, if you cannot locate it in prior emails. The faculty and staff directory is a valuable resource! 

Congrats on your admission into the M.L.I.S. program, and we are glad you want to get involved! We like to think of ourselves as an important resource for students, so we would recommend joining LISSA. For more involvement opportunities, please stay alert to the emails sent out on the listserv. 

It is everyone's least favorite task, but...you must read your emails. Please read them all the way through! You never know what could be in the body of a detailed email. It could be about classes, advising, an internship opportunity, or just what is going on in our neck of the woods.

It is totally okay to feel nervous, but remember that you are here because the Admissions Team believes in you! This program is very diverse in age and professional experience. If you need some pointers on what is expected from you, I highly suggest reading the syllabi your instructors create and asking them any follow-up questions you may have. We are expected to put in real effort and do our best work, but our professors want us to succeed.

While your instructors will likely ask you to use discussion boards or introductory videos to get to know your classmates, the primary way you will communicate with others in this program is via email. Email etiquette is not important to everyone, but it is to some people. Please be sure to provide a descriptive subject line, your USC ID, your name, and any other details you think the recipient of your email might need to know. It is kind to include a greeting and a sign-off as well.

If you are not able to access Self-Service Carolina (SSC), you will want to contact the IT Service Desk. Everyone wants to help you, but only IT can do this part! You can call them at 803-777-1800 or you can see their other contact information by clicking here.