Apply to RBS Courses

To apply for RBS courses, you will first need to create an account in our new Salesforce-based myRBS system. Please visit our user registration page.

Next, follow one of these three steps:

  • If you are applying to RBS for the first time, simply enter your name and email address to create an account.

  • To connect to a pre-existing account from our old system, check the box indicating that you wish to reclaim that old account. Then enter your name and any email address that you might have entered into your old myRBS profile. The system will attempt to connect you to your account. If no such email address is found, a new, blank account will automatically generate for you; please make sure to fill out email, phone, and address information. RBS staff will then manually match and merge your two user accounts within 48 hours, retaining the new email address you entered as your login. Components of your personal data, such as course history and any past scholarships or fellowships, may not appear in your account right away, but they will be made available within the next few weeks.

  • If you no longer have access to the email address linked to your old myRBS profile, enter the new email that you would like to use for your login and check the box indicating that you have a pre-existing account. The system will generate a new account for you and flag it as one that needs to be merged with a pre-existing account. Please make sure to fill out email, phone, and address information so that RBS staff can use it to match and merge your user accounts.

For every subsequent visit, you can enter myRBS via the main login page. Once you’ve logged in, follow the instructions on the myRBS landing page to navigate the site and submit course applications. Or view the video tutorial below for a guided walkthrough of the new system. If after watching the video tutorial you still require assistance, please contact the School and a member of the RBS staff will help you.

Create a myRBS Account

Course applications must be submitted through myRBS; please log in to your myRBS account or create a new account to begin the application process.

If you have previously applied for or taken an RBS course, applied for a scholarship (other than the RBS-Mellon Fellowship), or given a charitable donation to RBS, myRBS will link your existing record to your account.

As part of your course application, you will need to provide information about your education and employment history, and an emergency contact. A one-page personal statement (uploaded as a .doc or a .pdf file) is required for each course to which you apply. Your personal statement is the primary consideration for faculty when making admissions decisions.

Crafting Your Application

Applications to all Rare Book School courses require you to compose a personal statement—a document intended to give applicants the opportunity to explain details that are distinctive to their lives and work, and that might help set them apart from other applicants. RBS faculty member(s) are responsible for reading and evaluating all personal statements from applicants to their courses.

A personal statement is not like a C.V. A good personal statement is specifically tailored to the strengths of the individual and the demands of the application. We ask that your personal statement be roughly one page, single spaced and address the following points: What is your background? What interests, experience, skills, goals, etc. might make you a strong candidate for the course? Why do you need this specific course/how would this specific class help you—and why now? What do you bring to this course and the RBS community? How will you use/share what you have learned? Additionally, please be sure to address any questions listed in the course description for the course(s) to which you are applying.

Timelines

To be considered for the first round of admissions decisions, please submit your application(s) for our summer 2025 courses before 17 February. 

After that date, we will continue to accept applications for courses until they have reached enrollment capacity; if the red “Apply Now” button is present on a Course Description page, we are still accepting applications for that course. If you have questions about course availability, contact rbsprograms@virginia.edu. You will receive an email confirmation for each application you submit. When an admission decision has been made, you will also be notified via email. Please keep track of your application status using myRBS.

Confirming Your Attendance

Shortly after faculty members’ admission decisions have been made, you will receive an email notifying you that your admission status has been changed. You must make a decision to accept or decline admission using your myRBS account. To secure your place in a course, RBS must receive your decision and a non-refundable $250 deposit within two weeks of receiving the notification of course admission. The remaining tuition is due at least one month before the course start date. RBS in-person classes are limited to twelve to fourteen students, and most online classes are limited to 23 students, so many courses will have waiting lists.

FAQs and Troubleshooting

See the “Using myRBS” section of the FAQ page if you have any trouble signing into myRBS or submitting an application.

You can also visit the “Course Applications and Admissions” section of the FAQ page for more application tips.