LSE Empower: Year 12

LSE Empower will take on Saturday 16 May 2026 from 11.00am to 4.00pm, via Zoom.

The 2026 conference agenda is outlined below.

• A choice of lectures delivered by leading LSE academics, including Dr Abenaa Owusu-Bempah (Law), whose research focuses on the use of rap music as evidence in criminal trials through the "Art Not Evidence" campaign which is seeking law reform; and Junius Olivier (Economics), whose lecture "Choices, Trade-Offs and Happiness: The Economics of Why We buy!" delves into how consumer theory explains our choices, from opportunity cost, budget constraints to maximising utility
• A session from the LSE Admissions team on applying to university and the LSE admissions process
• A talk from an LSE alumnus detailing their journey after university (exact details to be confirmed)
• Talks from Black students about societies, student life and the Black student community at LSE (including the African & Caribbean Society)
• A session from the Widening Participation team on student finance and what financial support is available to make university a viable option for participants.

The timetable and speakers are subject to last minute changes.

LSE Empower is free to attend.

To be eligible for LSE Empower, you must meet all of our essential eligibility criteria (below). If you are unsure about any of the eligibility criteria, or whether you can apply to LSE Empower, please contact ard.empower@lse.ac.uk.

Essential Criteria

Personal details:

• Be currently in Year 12 (England and Wales), Year 13 (Northern Ireland) or S5 (Scotland)
• Have always attended a UK state school or college (non-fee-paying).
• Identify as having any of the following heritage:
  • Black or Black British - African
  • Black or Black British - Caribbean
  • Mixed - White and Black African
  • Mixed - White and Black Caribbean
  • Other Black background
• Be interested in applying to study at LSE
• Be able to fully commit to LSE Empower on Saturday 16 May

Academic achievements and potential:

• Have achieved at least grade 6 in GCSE English Language and Mathematics
• Have achieved a strong set of GCSE grades overall, with the majority at grades 7, 8 and 9
• Be on track to achieve at least the contextual offer grades for your chosen degree programme(s) at LSE. This includes studying any required A level subjects for your chosen degree programme. Full details of LSE’s undergraduate degree programmes are available on the programme webpages.

Additional Criteria

If we have more applications than spaces for the event, applicants who meet all the essential eligibility criteria and one or more of our additional criteria will be prioritised for places. The following criteria are listed in order of priority.

• Students who are care-experienced. LSE defines care-experienced as those who have been in the care of the local authority, with foster carers, in a residential children's home, under a supervision order while 'looked after at home', or living with friends or relatives in kinship care.
• Students who live in an area of low Higher Education participation. LSE primarily assesses this by looking at the TUNDRA quintile for your home postcode – quintile 1 or quintile 2 indicate that you live in an area of low Higher Education participation. Quintiles 3, 4 and 5 indicate that you live in an area of medium to high Higher Education participation. You can check if you are in quintile 1 or 2 by entering your home postcode in this TUNDRA postcode checker.
• Students who have ever been eligible for Free School Meals during their secondary education.
• Students who are estranged from both parents.
• Students who are the first generation of their family to attend university.

Extenuating Circumstances

Extenuating or special circumstances are also considered when reviewing applications for LSE Empower. In the application form, you will have the opportunity to provide more details about your extenuating circumstances, such as:

• you are a refugee or asylum seeker
• you are a young carer, with significant caring responsibilities
• you are a child with parents in the armed forces
• you have experienced significant disruption to your education
• you have experienced the recent bereavement of a parent or carer
• any other extenuating circumstances that have affected your educational experiences.

Applications for LSE Empower are now closed for 2026. Visit this webpage in spring 2027 for information about future opportunities

If you have any questions, please email ard.empower@lse.ac.uk and the LSE Empower team will reply as soon as possible.