Information for students applying from the UK

Here at LSE, we celebrate our diverse student and staff communities, not only from around the world, but also from different parts of the UK.

If you would like to receive further information about studying at LSE, please register your interest.

LSE is enriched by a diverse student body. As a specialist social science institution and a leading global university we want to ensure that the widest range of perspectives and experiences are present in our classrooms and on campus. We celebrate this diversity through everything we do.

Student societies and activities

Your time at LSE is not just about studying, there are plenty of ways to get involved in extracurricular activities. From joining one of over 200 societies, or starting your own society, to volunteering for a local charity, or attending a public lecture by a world-leading figure, there is a lot to choose from.

The campus

LSE is based on one campus in the centre of London. Despite the busy feel of the surrounding area, many of the streets around campus are pedestrianised, meaning the campus feels like a real community.

Life in London

London is an exciting, vibrant and colourful city. It's also an academic city, with more than 400,000 university students. Whatever your interests or appetite you will find something to suit your palate and pocket in this truly international capital. Make the most of career opportunities and social activities, theatres, museums, music and more.

Want to find out more? Read about why we think London is a fantastic student city and have a look at our guide to key sights, places and experiences for new Londoners. Don't fear, London doesn't have to be super expensive: find out more about studying in London on a budget.

For more information about living in London please request our London Life: Tips for students living in the city e-book. And check out our students blogs on London life!

UK student societies

Whether you're looking to take up a new hobby or want to keep up an existing interest, there is something for everyone at LSE, from beekeeping to blockchain!

We have lots of academic societies, career orientated societies, activity and interest based societies, a student newspaper, two student journals, a radio station and an active Creative Network.

Our charity, campaigning, political, faith, national and cultural societies include the British People of Colour Society, Welsh society, Northern society, Pride Alliance, Social Mobility society, Hindu society and Amnesty International among others.

With over 40 sports clubs on offer, LSE is also a great place to enjoy a range of sports and physical activities, whether you're a beginner or competing as a top-level athlete. Find out more about the LSESU Athletics Union here.

See a full list of LSESU societies.

LSE's Student Marketing, Recruitment and Study Abroad team offers advice and guidance on the application process and opportunities to visit the LSE campus or experience LSE from home. LSE's Widening Participation team also run a range of activities for students from groups which are under-represented in higher education and who are studying at state schools and colleges.

Activities include the Student Shadowing scheme, Black Achievement Conference, Open Days and Campus Tours. We also contribute towards the travel costs for eligible UK students travelling over 50 miles to visit the LSE campus for our Open Days and Student Shadowing scheme, through the LSE Travel Fund.

Care-experienced students

Please visit our dedicated webpage for care-experienced students to find out more about the support available to you before you apply to university, as well as the support offered to students once they're studying at LSE.

We strongly advise all care-experienced applicants to disclose this on their UCAS application form. We also advise teachers to ensure this information is included in the student's UCAS reference. This will enable our admissions team to take your full circumstances into consideration when they are assessing your application. This is confidential and will not have any negative impact on your application.

UCAS have put together a useful video and a Care Leavers Guide explaining how to disclose your care experience on the application form, as well as the benefits of doing so.

If you would like to find out more about the support LSE offers to care-experienced students, or discuss your circumstances in more detail, please email us at ard.lsecares@lse.ac.uk

Students with caring responsibilities

Please visit our dedicated webpage for students with caring responsibilities.

We recommend that applicants with caring responsibilties ask their school or college to ensure this information is included in the student's UCAS reference. This will enable our admissions team to take your full circumstances into consideration when they are assessing your application. This is confidential and will not have any negative impact on your application.

Please also visit the UCAS website to access more information and guidance.

If you would like to speak someone about your specific circumstances, you can email us at ard.lsecares@lse.ac.uk

Students with a disability

We strongly advise all applicants with a disability, long-term medical condition or specific learning difficulty to disclose this on their UCAS application form. This will help us to understand the additional support you may need as early as possible in the application process and will not negatively impact your application. This also enables us to put in place the appropriate support for you should you start studying at the School. We would encourage you to look at the information our Disability and Wellbeing team have provided for prospective students and offer holders here.

Find out more about the support offered by LSE’s Disability and Wellbeing Service

See further information about the support offered by the LSE Disability and Wellbeing Service.

There is a wide range of support services and facilities available once you start at LSE, from academic guidance, advice, language support, personal and professional development and careers support to pastoral care, counselling and a Disability and Wellbeing Service.

LSE LIFE is the place to discover and develop skills you will use as a student at LSE and beyond. With a full programme of workshops and other unique events, LSE LIFE helps you develop key skills for studying at LSE, from learning independently and critical thinking, to writing and conducting research. Start your LSE LIFE here.

LSE accommodation or living at home

LSE offers a variety of styles of accommodation, catering for a wide range of personal preferences. Options include LSE halls of residence, University of London intercollegiate residences and private halls. Find out about accommodation options.

Accommodation bursaries are available for eligible students from the UK.

However, many of our students who come from London choose to live at home, in non-LSE halls of residence or with friends while studying. Our Off Campus Support Scheme helps all new undergraduate students who do not live in LSE accommodation connect with each other and the LSE community. You will be matched with a mentor who is usually from the same academic department who will help you settle in and make the most of your time at university.

Read past student Kit's blog post about her experience of living at home whilst studying at LSE.

For UK applicants, contextual information will be used by our admissions selectors to assess achievement and potential whilst recognising the challenges an applicant may have faced in their educational or individual circumstances.

Full details on the types of contextual information we look for in applications can be found here.

You do not need to do anything in addition to the standard UCAS application, your application will automatically have the contextual information added when we receive it. We will also use the information supplied in your teacher’s reference to find out more about your educational and social circumstances, as well as details of any extenuating circumstances.

This information can be used to:

make an applicant a standard offer where the applicant’s academic record or personal statement may be marginally less competitive than the cohort overall,
to make an applicant a standard offer where the applicant is predicted marginally below the usual entry requirements,
when making confirmation decisions for offer holders that have marginally failed to meet the entry criteria (usually this means one grade below the standard entry requirements).

Eligible students (criteria can be viewed here), may be eligible for a contextual offer, where the contextual offer is one or two grades lower than the standard offer for the programme. Any mathematics requirement must still be met.

All academic departments are participating in the contextual offer scheme.

The contextual offer grades are listed alongside the standard offer A-level and IB entry requirements on the relevant programme pages.

Further contextual admissions information.

The School provides generous financial support, in the form of bursaries and scholarships to UK students.

LSE Bursaries

Undergraduate students from the UK are eligible for an LSE Bursary assessed according to household income. For new students starting in 2023, the maximum Bursary available was £4,000 per year for those students with the lowest residual incomes.

There is no limit to the number of LSE Bursaries available and all students who are eligible for an LSE Bursary will receive one. The LSE Bursary does not have to be repaid. See if you are eligible here.

LSE Discretionary Bursaries

A number of Discretionary Bursaries are available for UK LSE students who face exceptional financial need. The value of the award may vary according to need, but is not expected to exceed a total of £4,000 combined with the LSE Bursary.

LSE Accommodation Bursaries

An LSE Accommodation Bursary is designed to encourage students from lower-income households to apply for accommodation in halls. Available for UK nationals, the value of the award will vary depending on the number of recipients and their financial need.

LSE Care Experienced and Estranged Student Bursaries

LSE's Care Experienced and Estranged Student Bursary is available to provide additional financial support to care experienced and estranged students. The Bursary has a value of £1,000 per year, for a maximum of 4 years of study, and is offered in addition to any other LSE financial support eligible students are awarded.

LSE scholarships

Each year LSE awards a number of scholarships, funded by private or corporate donation, to our students. The number, value, eligibility criteria and type of awards vary from year to year.

For 2024 entry, these include seven undergraduate scholarships for UK students, generously funding through the Uggla Family Scholars Programme, for students with the greatest financial need from groups underrepresented in higher education, including students from Black, Minority, Ethnic (BME) backgrounds, especially from Black African/Caribbean, Pakistani and Bangladeshi heritage, and students who are care leavers.

Introduction to the Uggla Family Scholars Programme — Hear from Lance Uggla and Uggla Family Scholar Arif to learn more about the Uggla Family Scholars Programme

LSE is also offering LSE Access to Education Scholarships made up of support for the tuition fee and living costs for:

asylum seekers; or
a refugee; or
a person with humanitarian protection; or
a person who is residence in the UK and has been granted Discretionary/Limited Leave to Remain in the UK

Government support

Funding is available from the UK Government for students from the UK to assist with the cost of your studies.

Students from Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales

Students living in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales receive their financial support from their “home” devolved administration. Check the relevant website below for the latest information on fees and financial support available:
Student Finance Wales,
Student Awards Agency Scotland,
Student Finance Northern Ireland.

Tuition fee loans

Students ordinarily resident in England can apply for a tuition fee loan from the UK Government. The loan covers the full cost of the tuition fee for the duration of your undergraduate programme. This means that tuition fees do not have to be paid up front.

Maintenance loans

All eligible students from England are able to take out a maintenance loan to help with living costs. There are two elements to the maintenance loan: a guaranteed loan and an income assessed loan.

Student finance explained - a video by Student Finance England

You should apply for both of your loans (maintenance and tuition fee) in the Spring before you start University. The deadline is usually in May. Please visit gov.uk and slc.co.uk for further details.

What do LSE graduates do?

Find out what LSE graduates have gone onto to do after they graduate on LSE Careers. You can search by degree and department and see information on salaries, industries and more.

Support for your career

It’s never too early or too late to think about your career. Whether you have a clear idea of what you want to do after your studies or haven’t started thinking about it yet, LSE Careers can help. You may be wondering what careers focused activities, research and learning you can do before you begin your journey at LSE. To help you in this process, LSE Careers have created resources for offer holders to highlight how the service works with you when you become part of the LSE community.
We cater our services to match the LSE student make-up including undergraduates and graduates, UK and international students, and people with previous job experience or looking to change careers. No matter where you want to work, we can support you. We also have bespoke services for students with disabilities, including dedicated careers consultants.
Our services, events, and resources cover finding part-time work; career planning and deciding on a career; enhancing employability skills; gaining work experience; volunteering; starting a business; researching employers, sectors and roles; strengthening CVs, cover letters, and applications; improving interview and assessment centre technique and more.
Once registered on campus you can book careers events, including fairs and seminars, and one-to-one appointments to discuss career options and review your applications.

There are lots of ways for you to find out more about studying at LSE.

Visit LSE

See our Visit LSE page to find out more about opportunities to visit the campus, including campus tours, Open Days, and our Drop-in service with the Student Marketing, Recruitment and Study Abroad team.

Virtual events and resources

We have a range of virtual resources which will help you find out more about our degree programmes, student life at LSE and making a competitive application.

Visit our online resources to find out more:

Virtual Undergraduate Open Day: watch videos and access departmental resources such as blogs, podcasts, videos and research highlights.
LSE Discovery Sessions: an introduction to study opportunities at LSE followed by a Q&A session with a member of the Student Marketing and Recruitment team.
Live Chat: a quick and easy way to ask any questions you might have about the application process or studying at the School.
Webinars: Topics include ‘Top 10 frequently asked admissions questions’, 'Personal Statement FAQs' and ‘Choosing a course and applying to competitive institutions'.
Student blogs and vlogs: watch our student vlogs and read our student blogs to gain an insight into daily life at LSE, adjusting to university level study, living in halls and being a student in London.

The LSE Widening Participation team also run a range of activities for students from groups which are under-represented in higher education and who are studying at state schools and colleges.