Students begin the Bachelor of Science in Information program as sophomores or juniors. However, we encourage high school students applying to the University of Michigan to indicate their interest in later joining the School of Information by choosing preferred admission to the BSI program on their Common Application. 

Once admitted to U-M, if an applicant is selected by UMSI as a preferred admit, this guarantees them a place in the upper-level BSI program. Students with preferred admission must still fulfill the admissions requirements and submit a formal application to transfer to the BSI program. 

To receive guidance about the BSI program and the application process, attend an information session.

Interested in the BSI? Don't forget to sign up for our interest list!

The application for Fall 2025 is now closed.

The application for Fall 2026 will be open in early September.

Requirements for admission

Students with preferred admission to the BSI program must fulfill the admissions requirements below. 

Academic standing 

To maintain their preferred admission status, students must have a minimum overall 3.3 GPA at the time of their application to UMSI. 

Credits 

The BSI program allows students to enter as early as the sophomore year. You need a minimum of 24 transferable credits completed or in progress to apply to the program.

Prerequisite courses

Applicants are required to complete the following prerequisite courses with a grade of B or higher before entering the BSI program. You can be enrolled in both prerequisite courses at the time of your application, so long as you complete both courses before you begin the BSI program.

• SI 101: Introduction to Programming with Python
  • The equivalent courses EECS 183 and ENGR 101 will fulfill this requirement, though SI 106 is strongly preferred.
  • SI 101 meets the U-M LSA Math and Symbolic Analysis distribution requirement
• ENGLISH 124 or 125 (or equivalent first-year writing course)
  • Information regarding first-year writing courses can be found on this page.  You can also search for first-year writing courses in the LSA course guide by checking First-Year Writing Requirement (FYWR)  under the Skills Requirement dropdown menu.

Additional coursework to consider

• SI 110: Introduction to Information Studies
  • While this course is not a required prerequisite for admission, students are encouraged to take it before joining the BSI program because it serves as a good introduction to information science and to UMSI. Students who don’t take SI 110 before enrolling will instead complete it in their first semester of the BSI program.
  • SI 110 meets the U-M LSA Social Science distribution requirement. 

Submitting your application 

Deadline: Dec. 1

Application materials

Please have the following materials ready to go before starting your application:

• An unofficial U-M transcript
• A list of any other colleges or universities where you have earned college credits, and an unofficial transcript from each
  • Transcripts must include both the student’s name and the name of the school
• Your resume
  • Please visit the University Career Center website if you would like to see tips on writing or improving your resume, view sample resumes, or schedule a resume review. 

You will be asked to enter the following information as part of your application and may want to gather it ahead of time: 

• Extracurricular/community activities (both relevant to the BSI or unique in nature)
  • This includes student or professional organizations, clubs, athletics, volunteer activities and any other involvement at U-M or in your community.
• Work/internship/research experiences (including those you pursued during high school)
• Special accomplishments (including those from high school)
• Student leadership positions (including those from high school)
• Skills (please include proficiency level)

Essays

Essays give you an opportunity to provide additional perspective about your interests and experiences. You will be asked to submit two essays as part of your application. 

• Essay 1 (300-500 words)
  • Tell us something about your interests, goals or experiences that have made you interested in the BSI. Provide specific examples that highlight your best, most exceptional qualities; this could be a class experience, a hobby, an accomplishment or an issue of personal interest.
• Essay 2 (300-500 words)
  • Choose one of the following topics and write an essay in response:
    • Discuss in historical and contemporary context an issue at the intersection of information, technology and people that interests you.
    • Discuss a recent world event in which digital technology has played a significant role.
    • Given that we are continually adapting to new technologies and ways of sharing information, what do you think the field of information will look like in ten years?

Optional supplemental materials 

If you did not have the opportunity to adequately highlight a significant talent, skill and/or ability in other sections of your application, you may submit supplemental materials with your application. Please note: “optional” means these materials are neither required nor expected. It’s just an additional opportunity.

Supplemental materials may include:

• Letter of recommendation
  • Instruct your recommender to email the letter directly to [email protected] with the subject line: BSI LOR [Your Name], and we will add the letter of recommendation to your application.
• A note providing additional context
  • You might provide context to address lower grades, lack of extracurricular involvement due to family responsibilities, or circumstances that inhibited your ability to perform at your best.
• Design project(s)
• Portfolio
• Video and audio recording(s)
• Other information that you think might benefit your application

Upload any supplemental materials to your application as a PDF document. Here’s how:

• Design project or portfolio
  • Provide a URL to your online project or portfolio in a separate document and upload it.
  • Or, convert your work into a PDF with text and/or high-quality images.
• Audio/video recording
  • Include a link to your recording on an online platform like YouTube, Vimeo, or SoundCloud.
  • Paste the URL into a separate document and upload it.

Please ensure any URLs are viewable by whoever has the link and lead directly to your work.