Certificates and Letters

proving that you're a student at LSE

We have a range of documentation to help you prove that you're studying at LSE

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During your time at LSE you may need official documentation to prove that you are studying with us. Click on the relevant category below for further information on how to get the right documentation for you.

Please note: this webpage is for taught (Undergraduate, General Course, Masters and MRes) students only. PhD students should contact the PhD Academy to request a certificate or letter.

You can check the Student Services Centre (SSC) counter services opening hours and the times Live Chat is available on the SSC webpage. You can also contact us via our online enquiry form.

Certificate of Enrolment (for banks, council tax, and other organisations)

You can use a Certificate of Enrolment to prove that you are a current, enrolled student at LSE.

There is a self-service system for generating the Certificate of Enrolment.

  • If you are a new student and have online pre-enrolled and campus enrolled, you will be able to auto generate a letter confirming you are a fully enrolled student.
  • If you have completed online pre-enrolment, but have not yet campus enrolled, you can auto generate a letter confirming you have online pre-enrolled and are awaiting campus enrolment to become fully enrolled.
  • Continuing students should be able to auto generate a letter after completing online re-enrolment. Some continuing students are required to campus enrol in addition to re-enrolling online. If this applies to you, you will be contacted by the Student Services Centre and you will only be able to auto generate a letter after you have campus enrolled.  

You can request a Certificate of Enrolment by clicking on this link and filling out the form.

After checking your addresses are up to date you can automatically generate a letter that will be immediately emailed to you as a PDF. If your addresses are incorrect they must first be updated in LfY.

Wait ONE HOUR after updating your addresses for the details to be updated in our database before requesting a letter.   

Certificates of Enrolment are for the current academic year and contain:

  • Your full name

  • Your student number

  • Your date of birth

  • Your term time and permanent addresses

  • The title and subject of your programme

  • The start and end dates of your programme

  • LSE's term dates

  • Your enrolment status - for new students this will detail your pre-enrolment status and your campus enrolment status. If you are a new student, you are  fully enrolled only after completing both online pre-enrolment and in-person campus enrolment.

  • Your mode of attendance (e.g full-time, part-time)

  • Remember - wait one hour after updating your addresses for the details to be updated in our database before requesting a letter.   

Your self-service Certificate of Enrolment will be electronically stamped and signed and should be sufficient for the following purposes:

Bank Letter
Some banks will ask you for documentation to confirm your enrolment status. These letters will need to be addressed directly to the individual bank. You can generate a letter confirming you are a fully enrolled student after you have completed online pre-enrolment and campus enrolment.

If you have completed online pre-enrolment, but have not yet campus enrolled, you can auto generate a letter confirming you have online pre-enrolled and are awaiting campus enrolment to become fully enrolled. Some banks will not accept your letter until you are a fully enrolled student. Please check with your bank. 

If you are a continuing student, Bank Letters can normally be auto generated once you have completed online re-enrolment. 

Further information about opening a bank account and requesting a bank letter visit the Setting up a Bank Account webpage.

 

Council Tax Exemption Certificate

Council Tax Exemption Certificates are special Certificates of Enrolment that can be used to give to Local Authorities to prove you are a student.  They meet the requirements of all London Local Authorities. 

You can generate a letter confirming you are a fully enrolled student after you have completed online pre-enrolment and campus enrolment. 

If you are a new student and you have pre-enrolled but not campus enrolled, your letter is unlikely to be accepted by your local council. You must be a fully enrolled student which means you must have also campus enrolled. Check with your local council if you have any queries.

If you are a continuing student, Council Tax Exemption Certificates can normally be auto generated once you have completed online re-enrolment. 

For further information about Council Tax, please visit the  What if I'm Charged Council Tax webpage.

Requesting a document that contains additional information (Bespoke Letter)

If you require a document that contains additional information, or if you require a certificate of enrolment for a previous year, please request a Customised Confirmation of Student Status below.

You can request a Certificate of Enrolment by clicking on this link and filling out the form.

Customised Confirmation of Student Status

We can produce a customised confirmation of student status letter if a standard Certificate of Enrolment does not contain all of the information you need, for example:

  • You are a current student and need a certificate of enrolment for a previous year
  • Another institution has asked that we include a specific phrase or sentence

We will do our best to provide the information that you require but we can only include information that is held on your student record that we are allowed to release following your enrolment. We cannot include exam and submission dates, marks, details of academic performance or conduct, attendance records. 

Given their bespoke nature these letters must be requested online and may take up to five working days to produce.

You can request a Customised Confirmation of Student Status by clicking on this link, indicating in the dropdown menu that you need a different type of letter, and explaining what you need the letter to say in the space provided.

Visa Letter for Travelling Outside the UK

You can generate a visa letter for travelling if you need to prove your student status to travel outside the UK. The letter will be addressed to the embassy of the country you plan to visit. 

If the embassy of the country you plan to visit requires a letter that has an original stamp and signature you will need to request a Customised Confirmation of Student Status letter.  When submitting your request you must stipulate that an original stamp and signature are required.  The letter will be processed by the Student Services Centre and will become available within three to five working days (dependent on the time of year).

You should only request a visa letter after you have fully registered on your programme. New students must have completed online pre-enrolment and campus enrolment to be fully enrolled. 

If you are a new student and you have pre-enrolled but not campus enrolled, you are not fully enrolled and your letter will not be accepted. Please check with the Embassy if you have any queries.

If you are a continuing student, your letter can normally be auto generated once you have completed online re-enrolment. Please check if you are a returning student who will also need to campus enrol by visiting the Re-Enrolment webpage

These letters can only be used for travel purposes, they cannot be used for Student visas or Short Term Study applications. Please remember that you should not miss any teaching due to travel.  

You can request your letter by clicking on this link and filling out the form.

Certificate of Course Selection

The Certificate of Course Selection lists the courses that you have chosen for the current academic year. 

We can provide you with a Certificate of Course Selection if you have not yet completed your current year of study or you have taken assessment but are waiting for your results. 

Please click on this link to request a Certificate of Course Selection.

If you have already received formal results you can request an intermediate transcript instead. This will confirm your course selections and your results. 

Confirmation of Award letter

Once you have graduated you may be asked to provide evidence of your degree. You'll find information about how to request a Confirmation of Award letter and what it contains here

Transcripts, Diploma Documents and Degree Certificates

Current students with at least one set of confirmed results can request an intermediate transcript.

If you do not yet have any confirmed results you can request a Certificate of Course Selection. 

Please click on this link to request a Certificate of Course Selection.

Reference Letters and Degree Verification

Reference Letters

Reference letters are typically produced by your Academic Mentor or another member of academic staff within your department. Please contact your department for more information. 

Undergraduate students may also want to consider contacting their Departmental Tutor

Degree Verification

LSE uses the Higher Education Degree Datacheck system to allow third-parties to verify the details of an individual's LSE degree. 

For more information visit Third-party requests for verification of qualifications.