Admission to the doctoral program is competitive and based on both the applicant's abilities and faculty interest and expertise in the student's proposed area of study. School of Information may deny entry to an otherwise qualified applicant if there is insufficient faculty intellectual overlap for working with that applicant.

Admission to the doctoral program is possible with or without a master's degree.
All applicants must possess an undergraduate degree that is comparable to an undergraduate degree offered by the University of Arizona.
Admission to any graduate program at the University of Arizona is the responsibility of the Graduate College. The School of Information and other schools and departments with graduate programs make recommendations to the Graduate College. Please note that most schools and departments, including School of Information, prefer to set a standard for admission that is higher than the absolute minimum levels for admission to the Graduate College.

The following are guidelines. The faculty consider the overall package when making candidate evaluations:

An undergraduate or graduate academic record that is indicative of significant achievement. This is normally a GPA of a minimum of 3.5 on a 4.0 scale.
A minimum of three letters of recommendation that clearly speak to the applicant's promise as a graduate student and as a doctoral student.
A resume indicating both employment and educational experience to date.
A statement of purpose clearly outlining why he/she is applying to this particular program and what he or she considers the outcome of doctoral study will be. Applicants need not, at this point, indicate potential dissertation topics, but an indication of the area(s) in which they propose to study would be very helpful to the faculty.
A completed set of application forms for the Graduate College and for the School.
An interview, on campus or by phone, with selected members of the faculty.

Admission to the doctoral program normally occurs in the fall semester, with a deadline of January 2.

The Graduate Committee makes recommendations to the faculty, who then vote for admission or rejection with a simple majority prevailing. Faculty expertise and interest in the student's area of study are major factors in the admission decision.

Please complete this online application for admission to the Graduate College with a $85 application fee. As part of the online application, you are required to submit the following materials.

Upload unofficial transcripts from ALL higher education institutions attended in ‘Supplemental Questions' section. Undergraduate preparatory courses should include basic principles of mathematics, probability and statistics, and programming methodology
Upload unofficial TOEFL scores (international students only)
Upload a current resume or curriculum vitae (CV) in the ‘Supplemental Questions' section
Write a 750-1000 word statement of pupose and interest in the program
Provide email addresses and contact information for three recommenders in the ‘Letters of Recommendation' section

Test of English as a Foreign Language(link is external) (TOEFL) - minimum score of 79 iBT (or 60 on the revised PBT with no section score lower than 15).
International English Language Testing System(link is external) (IELTS) - minimum composite score of 7, with no subject area below a 6