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LSE Springboard: Year 12

LSE Springboard is a free 10-month access programme for Year 12 students who live outside London and the Southeast of England, and who are interested in applying to study at LSE.

Applications Open

Applications for our next cohort of LSE Springboard open on Monday 28 September 2026. Please read through the information on this page and click below to apply.

Apply now

Between January – November 2027, students on LSE Springboard will explore higher education, develop their academic knowledge and learn how to prepare competitive university applications.

Through a combination of visits to LSE’s campus, online events, an online academic programme with The Brilliant Club and personalised application support and guidance, Springboard provides students with the knowledge, skills and confidence to make informed decisions about their future.

The programme is free to participate in, with the cost of all activities and travel to and from campus paid for by LSE.

Successful participation in and completion of the LSE Springboard programme will enable students who apply to LSE to be considered for a contextual offer. See Admissions information for full details and all eligibility criteria for undergraduate programmes.

More information about LSE Springboard

LSE Springboard begins on Tuesday 12 January 2027 and runs until November 2027. The programme is delivered in a hybrid format, with three in-person visits to the LSE campus and a series of online activities.

Campus Visits

"After the personal statement workshop during the second campus visit, I feel much more prepared for my university applications because the admissions team clearly explained what they look for in a strong application." - Springboard 25/26 participant

On LSE Springboard, students will visit the LSE campus three times across the programme to experience life at LSE. Activities include:

  • Talks and discussions with LSE student ambassadors and alumni
  • A tour of LSE’s campus and information about LSE student accommodation
  • Admissions workshops to help you make a competitive university application
  • Workshops on academic study and career development
  • A graduation ceremony at the end of the programme
  • Opportunities to network with other students interested in applying to LSE

Campus visits for Springboard are on Fridays during school term time. We require all students to arrive at LSE by 10:30am, and our events will finish between 4:00pm – 5:00pm.

Provisional dates for Springboard 2026-27 campus visits are:

  • Friday 16 April 2027
  • Friday 11 June 2027
  • November 2027 (final date TBC)

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

Online Activities

"I especially appreciated the feedback on the assignments, the detailed feedback felt very personal and like advice I could apply in and outside of school and that I can take with me to uni.” - Springboard 24/25 participant

Our online activities take place after school (usually starting at 6pm):

  • Four university-style academic tutorials and a final assignment to develop your academic skills, in partnership with The Brilliant Club. Tutorials will take place between February and March 2027, every two weeks, with a final assignment due in April 2027.
  • Information, advice and guidance workshops on study skills, making course choices, student finance, admissions tests, and wellbeing.
  • Application and personal statement support in the summer of 2027.

If you are offered a place on the programme, we will ask you about your access to technology and whether you need any extra support from us to access the online events.

96 per cent of respondents rated LSE Springboard as ‘good’ or ‘excellent’ in our most recent survey for participants in 25/26

50 per cent of participants on LSE Springboard from 22/23 - 24/25 applied to LSE as of May 2026 (Springboard Cohorts 1-3 evaluation)

52.7 per cent of Springboard students from 22/23 - 24/25 who applied to LSE as of May 2026 received an offer, 2.5 times higher than the offer rate amongst all home UK fee status applicants.(Springboard Cohorts 1-3 evaluation)

A collage of quotes from past participants, for example: "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 by the Widening Participation Team.

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 students, 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 all activities on the LSE Springboard programme between January – November 2027 (for more information, see our absence policy)
  • on campus visit days, be able to complete a return journey to LSE from your home (please see ‘Travel to LSE’ below for more information on campus visits and travel).

Travel to LSE:

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.

To be eligible for LSE Springboard, travel to LSE should take no longer than three hours each way or within reasonable hours (defined as leaving home after 07:00am or arriving home before 09:00pm).

If your journey falls outside of these requirements, we may be in touch with you before considering your application. We will only consider travel arrangements outside of these requirements in exceptional circumstances and with the agreement of you and your parent/carer.

Unfortunately, we are unable to provide accommodation for students, or to reimburse the cost of any accommodation if required.

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. At LSE our definition of care-experienced is anyone who has ever lived in local authority care or kinship care, including: with foster carers; in a residential children’s home; being looked after at home under a supervision order; or living with friends and relatives in kinship care (including informal arrangements). Please note, we may need to confirm this information with an applicant’s school or college.
  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. This means someone living independently who is not in contact with or supported by parents/carers.
  5. Students who are the first generation of their family to attend university. This means neither of your parents/carers went to university, even if your siblings have been to 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, 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.

Please note, we may need to confirm this information with an applicant’s school or college so we can assess applications fairly.

Apply for LSE Springboard’s 2026-27 cohort here.

Applications for the next cohort (LSE Springboard 2026-27) will open on Monday 28 September 2026, and close at 11:59pm on Sunday 1 November 2026.

Please note, we’re unable to accept late applications.

Application shortlisting will take place in November 2026, with all applicants expected to hear back in December 2026.

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.

Read the LSE Springboard 2023-25 evaluation report.

Outside of Old Building, with a quote from a Springboard participant reading "This photo captures what Springboard has meant to me because it represents a place that previously felt distant but now feels achievable. Before joining the programme, studying at a university such as LSE seemed like an abstract ambition. Visiting the campus, meeting current students and learning about university life transformed that perception into something more tangible. The entrance in this image symbolises opportunity and progression. Walking through these doors made me realise that students from a wide range of backgrounds can belong in spaces like this if they are willing to challenge themselves and pursue their goals. Springboard has encouraged me to think more ambitiously about my future and has given me greater confidence in my ability to succeed in higher education. More than a building, this photo represents a shift in mindset: from wondering whether I could belong at a leading university to believing that I genuinely could.