LSE Springboard: Years 12-13

LSE Springboard begins on Tuesday 13 January 2026 and runs until October/November 2026. The programme is delivered in a hybrid format, with a mix of online activities and in-person visits to the LSE campus. 

Campus Visits 

Our campus visits take place on Fridays during school term time: we require all participants to arrive at LSE by 10:30am, and finish at around 4:30pm.  

The dates of the campus visits for Springboard 2025-26 are: 

- Friday 17 April 2026  

- Friday 19 June 2026  

- Late October / Early November 2026 (final date TBC)  

To find out more about our campus, please visit our Campus life webpage.  

Travel for each campus visit to LSE will be booked and paid for by the Widening Participation Team. You will be asked to provide travel information on the application form, such as your nearest train station to your address. 

If your travel is likely to take longer than three hours each way, or takes place outside of reasonable hours (before 7am on the day of the event), we may be in touch with you and your parent/carer when reviewing your application to confirm suitable travel arrangements can be made in order to consider your application. We are unable to provide accommodation for participants, or to reimburse the cost of any accommodation if required.  

Online Activities 

All online activities take place on Zoom. If you are offered a place on the programme, we will ask you about your tech set-up and whether you need any extra support from us to access the programme online.

LSE Springboard includes: 

• Three campus visits to LSE, including the opportunity to experience life as a student in London, and a celebration at the end of the programme
• An online academic programme taught by PhD Tutors and delivered in partnership with The Brilliant Club
• Tailored personal statement feedback and support, including a workshop and the opportunity for an appointment with our Admissions Team
• Information on LSE Accommodation and living in London
• Virtual information sessions on applying to university, student finance and budgeting, and student wellbeing.

In our most recent 2024-25 programme survey, 98 per cent of respondents rated LSE Springboard as good or excellent, and 98 per cent of respondents felt that the programme had met or exceeded their expectations. 

• “This programme has opened my eyes to what university life is truly like and has inspired me to strive for excellence and apply to top universities.”  
• “[LSE Springboard] was the driving force into allowing me to nail down the course I wanted to do.” 
• “The LSE Springboard programme has definitely met my expectations and even gone beyond them.... It’s made me feel more prepared for university and more focused on what I want to achieve in the future.” 

LSE Springboard is free to participate in, and all the activities, resources and catering are paid for. 

Travel for each campus visit to LSE will be booked and paid for by the Widening Participation Team. We are unable to provide accommodation for participants, or to reimburse the cost of any accommodation if required. 

To be eligible for LSE Springboard, you must meet our essential eligibility criteria. If you meet our essential eligibility criteria, we will then review your application against our additional criteria and extenuating circumstances, which can be found below. 

If you are unsure about any of the eligibility criteria, or whether you can apply to LSE Springboard, please contact Ard.Springboard@lse.ac.uk. 

Essential Criteria

Personal details

• Be in Year 12 / the first year of your A levels or equivalent 
• Have always attended a UK state school or college (non-fee paying)  
• Live in a region of England or Wales which is not London or the South East 
• Be interested in applying to study at LSE 
• Be able to fully commit to the LSE Springboard programme between January – October/November 2025 
• On campus visit days, be able to complete a return journey to LSE from your home; please see the ‘when and where does LSE Springboard take place’ section for more information on campus visit expectations. 

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

The following criteria are listed in order of priority.

1. 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
2. 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. 
3. Students who have ever been eligible for Free School Meals during their secondary education
4. Students who are estranged from both parents  
5. 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 Springboard. In the application form, you will have the opportunity to provide more details about your extenuating circumstances. 

• Refugee / asylum seeker 
• Young Carer  
• Child of armed forces
• Disruption to education
• Bereavement of a parent/carer
• Any other extenuating circumstances. 

Applications for LSE Springboard 2025-26 will open at 09:00am on Monday 29 September 2025, and close at 11:59pm on Sunday 9 November 2025. Please check this webpage again when applications open to access our application form. 

The LSE Springboard team will communicate selection decisions for LSE Springboard 2025-26 via email by 5pm on Friday 28 November 2025. 

Applicants will be considered for places based on the extent to which they meet our essential and additional criteria, which are listed above in order of priority above.   

If you have any questions about the programme or applications, please email Ard.Springboard@lse.ac.uk for more information. 

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

All staff and students involved in the sessions receive appropriate training before the event. Staff or students working directly and regularly with young people on activities receive specific training on working with children, in line with our Child Protection and Safeguarding Policy. They also undergo an appropriate level Disclosure and Barring Service check.

Please note that as a result of circumstances or events outside of our control (known as a Force Majeure event), which includes but is not limited to industrial action, official government advice, fire, flood or other environmental or physical damage to premises, we may need to cancel an event at short notice. 

In the event of a cancellation, a change of venue or date, we will endeavour to notify attendees wherever possible through the contact details given at the time of booking. For the avoidance of doubt, the School will not be liable for any costs you may incur as a result of any cancellation, change of venue or date.