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SPP Financial Aid

We have a range of student financial support reserved for SPP students, as well as access to funding schemes offered centrally by LSE. Our students may also be able to access scholarships and financial support from governments and agencies around the world.

We recognise that the cost of living in London may be higher than in your home town or country. LSE provides generous financial support, in the form of bursaries and scholarships to UK and overseas students, whilst Government support is available to UK students.

This page summarises School of Public Policy (SPP) scholarships which are reserved for applicants to the 2025 intake of the Master of Public Administration (MPA), the MPA in Data Science for Public Policy and the Master of Public Policy (MPP).

In addition to the scholarships listed below, LSE offers a range of other schemes which can be found here. This includes the LSE Graduate Support Scheme.

Applicants who wish to apply for an SPP scholarship must submit a complete programme application by Monday 20 January 2025 and complete LSE's Graduate Fiancial Support Application (GFSA) form via the Graduate Application Portal by Friday 31 January 2025.  

Luksic Scholarships for Public Service

Overview

The Luksic Scholarships for Public Service have been established to support the creation of trained leaders and experts with a public vocation in Chile, based on specific competencies and experiences that allow individuals to generate change in their professional environment.

A total of four scholarships are available. The scholarship includes full cost of tuition for the duration of the programme. Successful awardees will receive a stipend to assist with living costs for the duration of their studies and a one-off payment to help cover the costs of relocating to London. 

Programmes included

  • The Master of Public Administration (MPA)
  • The Master of Public Policy (MPP).
  • Please note that the MPA in Data Science for Public Policy and double degrees with Columbia University, University of Toronto and Sciences Po are excluded from this scheme. Furthermore, MPA applicants must make clear their commitment to spending both years of their degree at LSE rather than spending the second year at one of the SPP’s dual degree partner institutions.  

Eligibility

  • Applicants must be ordinarily based in Chile

Applicants must demonstrate

  • A commitment to public service in their future career with a compelling rationale for choosing this vocation
  • Their potential to become a future expert and leader in their field, and thereby to generate positive change for Chile
  • Previous academic excellence, evidenced by grades from previous university study and supported by references from previous professors 

Preference may be given to those applicants who can can demonstrate a professional background or other experiences that strongly suggest potential for innovation and original thinking coupled with demonstrated success.  

Preference will be given to those applicants who would otherwise lack the financial means to study at the LSE School of Public Policy.

Preference will be given to applicants who completed their secondary education (enseñanza media) at a publicly funded school. Applicants should indicate the name and address of their secondary school on their CV as part of their programme application, or in the personal statement section of the GFSA form.  

The awarding process will seek to balance applicants from different regional areas of Chile.

Hosh Ibrahim African Scholarship

Overview

The Hosh Ibrahim African Scholarship is awarded to applicants ordinarily resident in Africa and studying in the School of Public Policy. Up to two awards are made each year. 

Funding is available for tuition fees only. Living expenses will not be covered under this award. 

Programmes included

  • The Master of Public Public Policy (MPP) 

Eligibility

  • Applicants must be ordinarily resident in Africa.

Applicants must demonstrate

  • Previous academic excellence, evidenced by grades from previous academic study and supported by references from previous professors
  • A commitment to responding to the public policy challenges of Africa, whether at a national, regional or continental scale 

Preference will be given to those applicants who would otherwise lack the financial means to study at the LSE School of Public Policy.

David and Duncan Clark Scholarship

Overview

The David and Duncan Clark Scholarship is awarded to students ordinarily resident in Asia, with an interest in economic development and/or technology.

Funding is available for tuition fees only. Living expenses will not be covered under this award.

Programmes included

  • The Master in Public Administration (MPA)
  • The Master in Public Policy (MPP)
  • The MPA in Data Science for Public Policy (MPA-DSPP)
  • Please note that double degrees with Columbia University, University of Toronto and Sciences Po are excluded from this scheme. Furthermore, MPA applicants must make clear their commitment to spending both years of their degree at LSE rather than spending the second year at one of the SPP’s dual degree partner institutions.  

Eligibility

  • Applicants must be ordinarily resident in Asia. 

Applicants must demonstrate

  • Previous academic excellence, evidenced by grades from previous academic study and supported by references from previous professors
  • A demonstrable interest in economic development and/or technology
  • Their potential to become a future expert and leader in their field
  • A commitment to public service in the in their future career with a compelling rationale for choosing this vocation 

Preference will be given to those applicants who would otherwise lack the financial means to study at the LSE School of Public Policy.

How to Apply

Application process

  1. Submit a complete programme application to at least one eligible programme via the LSE Online Application System by Monday 20 January 2025. A complete application means that all relevant documents have been uploaded and both references have been received. Luksic Scholarship for Public Service and Peruvian Scholarship for Public Service applicants should include the name of their secondary school on their CV. 
  2. Once you have submitted your programme application you will receive an email from Graduate Admissions with details of how to access the Graduate Application Portal (GAP). This email will be sent within 10 working days after Admissions receives both of your references. 
  3. Complete the Graduate Financial Support Application (GFSA) online form via the link on the Graduate Application Portal. This form will collect information about your finances which will help the selection panel understand your level of financial need. You must complete the GFSA online form by 31 January 2025 in order to be considered for an SPP scholarship. 
  4. Applicants who complete the GFSA form by 20 January 2025 and meet the criteria for one or more SPP scholarship will receive a decision by the end of April 2025. Applicants who do not receive an offer of a place on an eligible SPP programme will not be considered for an SPP scholarship.  

What to consider when preparing your application

  • The information you provide in your programme application will be used in the scholarship selection process. You should review the qualities outlined in the 'applicants must demonstrate' section of the scholarship you wish to be considered for and tailor your personal statement accordingly. 
  • You should allow plenty of time for your referees to respond to their reference requests as your application will not be considered complete without it. We will not be able to consider for any of the scholarships listed on this page if your referees do not respond by the 20 January 2025 deadline. 
  • If you are unable to afford the application assessment fee then you may want to submit an administrative fee waiver request.  

Other important information

By completing the Graduate Financial Support online form you will be automatically considered for other LSE scholarships, including the Graduate Support Scheme (GSS). Further information about applying for other LSE scholarships can be found here.

 

Frequently Asked Questions

Does LSE provide other types of funding?

Yes. A full list of scholarships and support schemes offered by LSE can be found on LSE's postgraduate Fees and Funding page. 

Can I combine an SPP scholarship with another scholarship?

This will depend on the type of scholarships you have been awarded.

If one of your scholarships only provides support for fees and the other provides a stipend to assist with living costs then you can combine them. 

Howevever, if you have been awarded a scholarship that covers all of your tuition fees and also a stipend then you will not be allowed to have an additional scholarship. In most cases, LSE will ask you to choose which scholarship to keep and which to give up. 

All LSE scholarship awardees are required to inform LSE's Financial Support Office if they are awarded an additional scholarship from a non-LSE organisation

Please note that Luksic Scholarship for Public Service awardees must give their award up if they are awarded a Becas Chile Scholarship. 

Do the scholarship application deadlines on this page apply to other LSE scholarships?

No. Different schemes at LSE have their own application deadlines. Further information can be on LSE's postgraduate Fees and Funding page. 

Will my SPP scholarship application be considered if I am not offered a place on an eligible programme?

No. We are unable to consider scholarship applications from applicants who are not offered places on an eligible programme. 

Please also note that you will need to submit a complete programme application by the deadline on the 'How to Apply' section of this page. This means that you have submitted all of the relevant supporting documentation and both of your referees have responded to their reference requests. 

I am ordinarily resident in an eligible country but am currently based elsewhere. Can I still be considered for an SPP scholarship?

Yes. If you are ordinarily resident in an eligible country but are temporaily based elsewhere then you can still be considered for an SPP scholarship.

For example, if you are currently based in another country for study or a work placement and will be returning to your home country afterwards then you are still eligible to apply for an SPP scholarship. 

Please note that the SPP scholarships are not based on nationality, so if you are a citizen of an eligible country but are now living elsewhere on a permanant or semi-permanant basis then you will not be eligible for an SPP scholarship. 

LSE will initially assess your eligibility based on the country you enter in the 'Domicile' field of the programme application form. If this does not match the country in which you are ordinarily resident then please contact Jim Osborne (j.osborne2@lse.ac.uk) to explain your situation. Please provide the following in your message:

  • Your full name
  • The programme which you have applied for (or plan to apply for) 
  • The name of the scholarship you wish to be considered for
  • The email address you have used in your programme application (or plan to use in your programme application)

Can I apply for a SPP scholarship once I am a student?

No. Applicants are only eligible to apply for the SPP scholarship awards at the point of admission to the programmes and are not eligible to apply once they are an enrolled student on the programme.

I plan to apply to the MPA or MPA-DSPP - will an SPP scholarship cover both years of study?

All SPP scholarships cover the full duration of the programme (2 years for the MPA and MPA-DSPP). This includes both tuition and living costs (if included in the scholarship).

Applicants are only eligible to apply for the awards at the point of admission to the programmes and are not eligible to apply once they are an enrolled student on the programme.   

I have a question which is not answered here. How do I contact LSE?

If you have any questions regarding your programme application then please refer to the Graduate Admissions Knowledge base where you will find quick guidance on a range of admissions queries. If your admissions query is not answered on the knowledge base please contact spp.admissions@lse.ac.uk.

If you have a question about any of the SPP scholarships  then please contact Jim Osbone (j.osborne2@lse.ac.uk). 

If you have a question about other scholarships provided by LSE then please contact the Financial Support Office

If your question regards a submitted application then please include your applicant ID and the email address you used to make the application.