How to apply

Applications should be made online via UCAS. Applicants should contact UCAS for any technical questions about the application process or for guidance on the UCAS procedures.

The last date for the receipt of applications to LSE to qualify for full and equal treatment was 15 January 2019 by 18.00 (GMT). This information is the same for applicants applying for deferred (2020) entry. We are now closed for the 2019 application cycle.

Please note – LSE does not participate in UCAS Extra, Adjustment or Clearing.

A section by section guide to completing the application form, including advice on writing your personal statement and information for teachers/referees, is given on the Completing the Application Form page.

How to apply - watch the video

How to apply for undergraduate study: watch the video, full of useful tips and advice

Applications for deferred entry should be made online via UCAS. Applicants should contact UCAS for any technical questions about the application process or for guidance on the UCAS procedures.

UCAS opens for deferred applicants to start in September 2020 entry on 5 September 2018. The last date for the receipt of applications to LSE to qualify for full and equal treatment is 15 January 2020 by 18.00 (GMT).

Please note – LSE does not participate in UCAS Extra, Adjustment or Clearing.

A section by section guide to completing the application form, including advice on writing your personal statement and information for teachers/referees, is given on the Completing the Application Form page.

How to apply - watch the video

How to apply for undergraduate study: watch the video, full of useful tips and advice

The UCAS application procedure allows students applying from outside the EU to do so at any time between 6 September and 30 June. However, given the competition for places at LSE, ALL applicants are strongly advised to submit their applications to UCAS by 6pm UK time on 15 January 2019. We will only consider applications submitted to UCAS after 15 January if there are places still available on the relevant degree programme. 

Please note – it is rare that our programmes are able to stay open after 15 January and therefore applicants are strongly advised to comply with the 15 January deadline.

Watch our webinar on the UCAS process and top 10 FAQs for international students

UCAS has developed a new tool which it proposes will allow students (and their advisers) to see the likelihood of receiving an offer from the universities and programmes that they are considering applying for. 

LSE does not recognise the validity of this calculator as it is not sophisticated enough to process the full range of information that we use in our holistic undergraduate admissions process. We would advise prospective applicants (and their advisers) against using the UCAS Offer Rate Calculator at the present time as it does not, in our estimation, provide a realistic or helpful estimate of how likely an applicant is to receive an offer.

Applications are considered by Academic Selectors, who are responsible for decision-making. Applicants are expected to ensure that their UCAS application is complete before submitting it to the School.

We reserve the right to ask applicants to provide further information relating to any aspect of their application in order to make a final decision. For example, information concerning entry qualifications, fee status or criminal convictions. If additional information is not provided when requested there may be a delay in the consideration of your application.

You are asked to contact the Undergraduate Admissions Office should the details or circumstances of your application change in any way, for instance, if you decide to change the A level or equivalent subjects you stated on your UCAS form. Similarly, if there are any extenuating circumstances which have an impact on your course of study eg, illness, family circumstances or disruption to the delivery of your course at school, you should contact the Office with the relevant details.

We do not interview applicants for any of our programmes at LSE. It is not possible for applicants to request an interview with the Admissions Selector.

All LSE departments welcome applications from people who plan to gain some work or service experience or to travel extensively between leaving school and starting a degree. You can apply a year in advance, so as to secure your place on a programme.

If you are offered a place at LSE and subsequently decide to defer your entry to the next year, you should email the Undergraduate Admissions Office with your UCAS or LSE ID number, name and programme, and also your reasons for deferring. The academic department will consider your request and UCAS will be informed of any arrangement that is agreed between you and the School. Requests for two year deferrals will not be considered under any circumstances, including for reasons of compulsory national service. Such candidates should apply nearer their intended start date.

Direct entry to the second year of a programme at LSE on the basis of first year undergraduate study at another university is extremely rare, and is only permitted in exceptional circumstances. Third year entry is not permitted under any circumstances.

In order to be eligible for consideration, applicants applying for second year must meet the following requirements

• Meet the original first year entry requirements for the programme (eg A level or IB requirements)
• Achieve the equivalent of a 2:1 in your first year studies
• Your current first year studies must be the same as the first year at LSE (you must provide a copy of your transcript)
• There must be spaces available in the second year of the programme

Students currently enrolled at another university wishing to gain admission to LSE in the second year should do so by 15 January in the usual way through UCAS. Please ensure you select ‘2’ as your point of entry when applying. Regrettably, we are unable to guarantee entry, even where applicants have met all of our requirements.

The following departments will consider second year entry. Unfortunately, all other departments are unable to consider second year entry.

• Anthropology
• Economic History
• Geography and Environment
• Government – (excluding the BSc Politics and International Relations)
• Philosophy
• Social Policy
• Sociology
• Actuarial Sciences and Statistics

Please note – the Accounting, Economics, and Mathematics departments do consider second year entry for applicants who have studied on the University of London International Programme.

LSE does not engage education agents or consultants to recruit undergraduate students on its behalf. The School’s Student Marketing and Recruitment team provide free and comprehensive support to all prospective students, their families and their teachers or advisors. This support includes advice on subject selection at school, the study opportunities available at LSE, the UCAS application process and the personal statement, and living and studying in London. LSE discourages prospective undergraduate students and their families or advisors from using education agents and/or consultants to assist with applications for study at the School.