Entry requirements

Applicants should have completed at least two years of university-level study at an institution located outside the United Kingdom by the time they begin studying on the General Course.

However, we will also consider, on a case-by-case basis, applications from students who have directly entered the second year of university on the basis of A-levels or the International Baccalaureate Diploma, with grades that fulfil LSE’s requirements for entry to an undergraduate degree programme. Students who have directly entered their second year on the basis of Advanced Placement exams will not normally be considered for a place.  

Students undertaking a degree through the University of London International Programmes with LSE as the lead college are eligible for entry to the General Course after just one year of study. You must have achieved a minimum of 60% across 3 modules, and a pass in the fourth module.

We positively welcome good applicants from universities in any country (except the UK), and will consider applications from students at institutions using any grading scale.

In general, we are looking for students who are in the top 10-15% of their class. If your country's entry requirements are not listed below, please consult the graduate entry requirements listed on these country pages. Your grades should meet or exceed the requirements for graduate study at LSE. 

We look in detail at each applicant's recent university academic record, at what subjects have been studied and the level of success in those studies. We are primarily interested in a student's academic work in social science subjects and will be especially interested in the quality of work in the fields which they might wish to pursue at LSE.

English language test scores are not required from applicants who are either:

• a national of Canada (whose first language is English)
• a national of one of the UKVI list of majority English-speaking countries
• studying for a degree taught entirely in English in one of the UKVI list of majority English-speaking countries

UKVI list of majority English-speaking countries

If you do not meet the above requirements, we accept a number of English language test scores, including the following: 

A number of providers are now offering at-home tests which we will accept alongside an assessment by LSE's Language Centre which is carried out online using Moodle (LSE's virtual learning environment) and Zoom.

To pursue this option, you first need to take the alternative test and achieve the required score. You should send your results to us using the new information form and, once these are processed, we will contact you with details on how to log into Moodle and to schedule your assessment. 

You should be aware that LSE's language assessment is for in-house use in conjunction with your test score only.

The alternative tests we currently accept can be found here.

Other tests under the English language requirements section of the undergraduate entry requirements may be acceptable if you have already taken them.

Please note: You do not need to have obtained the required marks before you apply. If you receive an offer it will be conditional upon you subsequently providing an acceptable English language test score.