iSchool at Illinois

What iSchool at Illinois does

iSchool at Illinois (formally the School of Information Sciences) is an academic unit within the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, a public research university in Champaign, Illinois. It delivers undergraduate (BS in Information Sciences, BSIS+Data Science), master's (MSLIS, MSIM, MS Bioinformatics), doctoral (PhD in Information Sciences), and certificate (School Librarian Licensure, Certificate of Advanced Study) programs to students both on-campus and online, with the MSLIS program claimed as #1 ranked and tracing its lineage to 1893. The school operates multiple research laboratories, including the Social Sensing and Intelligence Lab (Dong Wang) developing the MASH multimodal dataset for disaster response and public sentiment analysis, the iDEA-iSAIL Joint Laboratory (Jingrui He) focused on LLM reasoning and retrieval-augmented generation, the Center for Health Informatics (Ian Brooks) studying health infodemics, and the Center for Children's Books producing critical literature reviews.

The school generates revenue through three primary streams: tuition and fees for degree programs (with separate in-state/out-of-state and on-campus/online rate structures), sponsored research grants and contracts from agencies including NSF, NIH, IMLS, DHS, and Google, and private philanthropy supporting named scholarships and endowed positions. Pricing varies by program: most tuition flows follow UIUC's standard rate structures while MSIM operates as a self-supporting program without state subsidy. Go-to-market is multi-modal: dedicated admissions staff (Assistant Directors for undergraduate and graduate recruitment), iSchool Ambassadors (student liaisons), virtual and on-campus events, alumni network activation, and a Dean's Council. Distribution is on-campus classroom delivery combined with growing online MSLIS and certificate offerings accessible globally.

Research output is high-volume and externally validated, with multiple millions in annual grant funding (including a $5M NSF Convergence Accelerator award for the DART project) and frequent recognition through ASIS&T awards, ICWSM Best Dataset Paper, ICLR Outstanding Paper, Google PhD Fellowships, and NSF CAREER awards. Corporate partnerships with Snap Research, NVIDIA, and the National Park Service extend the school's reach beyond traditional academic boundaries. The iSchool maintains an active online presence across X, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn, and YouTube and supports corporate engagement programs that channel iSchool graduates into employer pipelines.

Name

iSchool at Illinois

Legal name

School of Information Sciences, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Website

https://ischool.illinois.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

The iSchool at Illinois is the School of Information Sciences at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, offering BS, MS, PhD, and certificate programs in information sciences, library science, information management, and bioinformatics, with research labs in AI, social sensing, and health informatics.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Champaign

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Tuition and Fees: The primary revenue stream comes from tuition and fees charged to undergraduate and graduate students for on-campus and online degree programs. Different rates apply for in-state and out-of-state students, with specific program costs for MSLIS, MSIM, MS Bioinformatics, PhD, and Certificate programs.
2. Research Grants and Contracts: Significant funding from external agencies including National Science Foundation (NSF), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), Department of Homeland Security, Google, and private foundations for specific research projects.
3. Private Philanthropy: Donor-funded scholarships, the Volkmann Scholarship honoring library directors, Haricombe scholarship, and other named funds supporting students.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The iSchool at Illinois is an academic unit of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign that delivers undergraduate, graduate, doctoral, and certificate programs in information sciences, library science, information management, bioinformatics, and data science. It also conducts sponsored research at the intersection of people, information, and technology, and operates specialized research centers including the Center for Children's Books. Programs are offered on-campus in Champaign, IL and online.

Product overview

The iSchool at Illinois offers a portfolio of academic degree programs and certificates in information sciences. The core offerings include undergraduate programs (BS in Information Sciences, BS in Information Sciences + Data Science), graduate programs (MS in Library and Information Science, MS in Information Management, PhD in Information Sciences, MS in Bioinformatics), and certificate programs (School Librarian Licensure, Certificate of Advanced Study). These programs are designed to educate leaders in information sciences who impact communities through human-centered innovation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Center for Children's Books (CCB): A research center focused on critical inquiry, professional training, and educational outreach related to youth-focused resources, literature, and librarianship. Also publishes the Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books (BCCB).

Products and services

• BS in Information Sciences

Quantifiable outcome

• Top-ranked MS in Library and Information Science program
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability6 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Snap ResearchcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 June 2026Partnership with Professor Dong Wang's team at UIUC to build a 'Profile Agent' - a digital twin of user personality that evolves over time, addressing the limitation of static AI snapshots in apps.
• Loyola Marymount UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on MASH dataset research involving co-author Lanyu Shang (PhD '23).
• Miami UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on MASH dataset research involving co-author Yang Zhang.
• M.Kh. Dulaty Taraz University, KazakhstanminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational collaboration on MASH dataset research involving co-author Aslanbek Murzakhmetov.
• Abylkas Saginov Karaganda Technical University, KazakhstanminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational collaboration on MASH dataset research involving co-author Aliya Maussymbayeva.
• NVIDIAcoreTechnology or IntegrationAwarded NVIDIA Academic Grant Program with 32,000 A100 GPU-hours on Brev AI platform for AI project development. Awarded to Yaoyao Liu.
• National Park Service (NPS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOngoing collaboration on Books to Parks series connecting children's books to National Park Service sites. CCB contributed to multiple award-winning sites including Birmingham Civil Rights National Monument (OAH Stanton-Horton Award).

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• University of Michigan School of Information: UMSI is one of the top-ranked information schools in the U.S., offering BS, MS, and PhD programs in information science with a similar interdisciplinary, human-centered approach. It competes directly for the same applicants, faculty talent, and research funding as the iSchool at Illinois.
• University of Pittsburgh School of Computing and Information: Pitt SCI is a peer iSchool offering BS, MS, and PhD programs in information science with growing data science and informatics tracks, competing in the same Northeast/Midwest applicant pool.
• UC Berkeley School of Information: Berkeley's I School is a leading peer iSchool offering MS and PhD programs in information science with strong data science and human-computer interaction focus. It competes with Illinois for top graduate students, faculty, and research grants.
• Rutgers University School of Communication and Information: Rutgers SC&I is a peer iSchool offering MS and PhD programs in information science and communication, with comparable research focus areas in information access and digital inclusion.
• University of Maryland College Park College of Information Studies: UMD's iSchool offers MS and PhD programs in information science with strong human-computer interaction and data science research, making it a direct competitor to Illinois for graduate students and faculty.
• Indiana University Luddy School of Informatics, Computing, and Engineering: IU Luddy is a large peer iSchool offering BS, MS, and PhD programs spanning informatics, information science, and library science. It competes for the same student segments and shares a strong LIS heritage with Illinois.
• Drexel University College of Computing & Informatics: Drexel's iSchool is a peer institution offering BS, MS, and PhD programs in information science and library science with a strong online presence. It competes for the same online and on-campus students.
• Syracuse University School of Information Studies: Syracuse's iSchool is a founding member of the iSchools consortium and a direct competitor in library and information science education, offering online MSLIS and information management programs comparable to Illinois's portfolio.
• University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Library and Information Studies: UW-Madison SLIS is a peer LIS school offering MS and PhD programs with a similar traditional library and information science focus, competing for students interested in library careers.
• University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Information and Library Science: UNC SILS is a top peer iSchool offering BS, MS, and PhD programs in information and library science, directly competing for graduate applicants and research funding in the same information science category.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ischoolui
• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/iSchoolatIllinois
• Facebookfacebook.com/iSchoolUI
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/school/ischool-illinois
• Instagraminstagram.com/ischoolui
• TikToktiktok.com/@ischoolui

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles17 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about iSchool at Illinois