To secure a place on most postgraduate-taught programmes at LSE, you are required to pay a deposit of 10% of your first-year tuition fee within six weeks of receiving your offer. The actual amount of deposit required is shown on your offer letter and the Graduate Applicant Portal (GAP).
When you enrol at LSE, any tuition fee deposit paid will automatically be counted towards your tuition fees – you will only be required to pay the balance remaining.
Applicable programmes
All full-time and part-time postgraduate-taught programmes EXCEPT
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Programmes offered by the Department of Finance, including MSc Law and Finance. Offer holders for the Department of Finance will find guidance regarding any required deposits on your offer letter and in communications from the department. You can also check their webpage here
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Master of Research (MRes) programmes
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Executive master's programmes
Payment
You should pay your tuition fee deposit through the School’s online payment portal, accessible via the GAP. Payments may be made either by yourself or a third party.
Payment may be made in multiple instalments, provided that the full tuition fee deposit is paid to LSE by the payment deadline.
Payment Deadline
Tuition fee deposits must be paid by the payment deadline specified on your offer letter. This is usually, but not always, six weeks after the date your offer letter was sent. The deadline may be earlier if you receive your offer after July.
Deadline Extensions
We will grant deadline extensions to offer holders who are applying for financial support which will cover the full tuition fee where the outcome is not yet known. If you/your family will pay any part of your tuition fee, you should pay your deposit within the deadline stated on the GAP.
You can request an extension by submitting a waiver request form via the GAP.
Extensions are normally automatically approved unless the new date falls after 31 August.
Exemptions
You may request that we waive the deposit requirement if you can provide official documentary evidence that you have secured funding that will cover your tuition fee in full.
We require evidence of funding in the form of a formal, dated letter of award from the funding body on its letterhead and signed by an authorised officer of the funding body specifying the name of the offer holder and programme of study from one of the following sources:
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Sponsorship from a company, government body, employer, charitable or third-party organisation
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Bank or equivalent loan
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Private loan (e.g. Prodigy Finance, Sallie Mae)
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Government loan (e.g. U.S. Federal, Canadian, UK PG loan)
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Military funding (e.g. VA, ELCAS)
Please use the waiver request form on the GAP to request an exemption, providing documentary evidence for your request.
Non-payment of Tuition Fee Deposits
Failure to pay the Tuition Fee Deposit in full, or submit a waiver request form by the deposit deadline may result in LSE withdrawing your offer. If you intend to enrol but have missed your deadline, please check your offer status to make sure that it is still active and make a payment as soon as possible. LSE will contact you in advance of any offer withdrawal.
Refunds
Deposits are non-refundable except in specific circumstances including:
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Requests made within 14 days of payment receipt
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Failure to meet offer conditions (with evidence of reasonable attempt)
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Failure to secure necessary clearance to enter the UK (unless on the grounds of credibility or fraud)
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Reasons due to one of these extenuating circumstances
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Mode of attendance has been ceased by LSE
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Deferring your offer to the subsequent academic session (only available in exceptional circumstances)
LSE has absolute discretion to decide whether a refund will be granted. No refunds are available after CAS issuance or enrolment. In the case that a refund is paid, it will be subject to an administration charge of £250.
Conditions of Registration
This guidance should be read in conjunction with the School’s Tuition Fee Policy and Conditions of Registration and Enrolment.
Please note that payment of the tuition fee deposit alone does not guarantee the ability to enrol at LSE – the Conditions of Registration and Enrolment must be met.