Contextual admissions and offers
We’re proud of LSE’s diverse student community, and our contextual admissions scheme allows us to recognise academic potential from all backgrounds.
It’s part of our commitment to widening access and ensuring that LSE remains a place where the brightest minds from all walks of life can thrive.
If you have Home fee status, we’ll use contextual information to gain a more complete picture of your educational and individual context. This allows us to assess your achievement and potential, whilst acknowledging the challenges and barriers some students may face.
We use this information in two different ways; to give additional contextual admissions consideration, and contextual offers with different grade requirements.
You don’t need to do anything in addition to the standard UCAS application; your application will automatically have the contextual information added when we receive it. All academic departments at LSE are part of the contextual admissions scheme.
What is a contextual offer?
If you meet one or more of the contextual offer flags, your application may be considered for a contextual offer. This means, if you receive an offer, it will be one or two grades lower than the standard entry requirements (depending on the degree programme). For example, if the standard offer is A*AA, a contextual offer might be AAA or AAB.
You must still meet any mathematics requirements listed in the standard entry requirements.
You can find the contextual offer grades alongside the standard entry requirements on each degree programme webpage. If you receive an offer, your offer letter from LSE will clearly state if it’s a contextual offer.
Where does contextual information come from?
We use a broad range of contextual information to better understand your individual and educational context. We receive this information directly from your UCAS application form, so please ensure you answer all questions fully.
We’ll flag your application automatically if you meet one of the criteria; you don’t need to take any additional action.
We may use different information if you live in a UK nation outside of England or if information is missing from your application. If you are a care-experienced student or eligible for Free School Meals, please ask your teacher to confirm this in their UCAS reference.
Who is eligible for a contextual offer?
You may be eligible for a contextual offer if you have Home fee status and meet one or more of the criteria below.
This means you have spent time living:
- with foster carers under local authority care
- in residential care (eg, a children’s home)
- looked after at home under a supervision order
- in kinship care with relatives or friends, either officially (eg, a special guardianship order) or informally without local authority support.
We will use your response to the relevant question within your UCAS application form and information contained in your UCAS reference. We may ask for verification during the admissions process.
We will use individual-level verified free school meal data shared by UCAS where possible. If you are eligible please make sure you also complete the relevant question within your UCAS application form and ask for this information to be confirmed in your UCAS reference.
We check this by matching your home postcode to the TUNDRA dataset (if you live in England). Your application will be flagged if your postcode is in Quintile 1 (the 20% lowest for university participation).
If you live in a UK nation outside of England, we’ll use the POLAR4 dataset.
This includes:
Contextual offer checker
You can check your home postcode against the area-based datasets using the links below:
Support for contextual offer holders
If you receive a contextual offer, or are a care-experienced student, you’ll be invited to join the LSE Navigate network. This is designed to help you to navigate your way through the range of academic, personal and professional development opportunities on offer, and encourage you to make your mark on LSE's global community.
You may also be eligible for financial support such as scholarships or bursaries from LSE.
If you are in Year 12 (or first year of college), you may also be eligible to take part in free Widening Participation activities and events, and for the LSE Travel Fund to help you attend events such as Open Days.
Contextual admissions consideration
If you don’t meet any of the contextual offer criteria above, your application may still be given additional contextual admissions consideration by the admissions selector if you meet one of the contextual information flags below.
This information may be used to:
- make a standard offer where your academic record (eg, GCSE grades), personal statement or admissions test scores are marginally less competitive than the overall applicant cohort
- make a standard offer if your predicted grades are slightly below the usual entry requirements
- confirm your place if you have marginally failed to meet your offer grades (this would usually be only one grade below).
Contextual information is used as part of the holistic admissions assessment to better understand your individual and educational background, and your application will be assessed alongside all other similar applicants. Having a contextual information flag does not guarantee that you will receive an offer.
You may be eligible for contextual admissions consideration if you have Home fee status and meet any of the contextual offer criteria above, or one or more of the criteria below.
We check this by matching your home postcode to the TUNDRA dataset (if you live in England). Your application will be flagged if your postcode is in Quintile 1 or Quintile 2 (the 40% lowest for university participation).
If you live in a UK nation outside of England, we will use the POLAR4 dataset.
The performance of the school or college where you took your GCSEs (or equivalent) is below the national average.
The performance of the school or college where you took your A-levels (or equivalent) is below the national average.
We check this by matching your home postcode to the Indices of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) dataset for your UK home nation. Your application will be flagged if your postcode is within Quintile 1 or Quintile 2 (the 40% most socioeconomically deprived areas).
These should be outlined in an Extenuating Circumstances Form sent to LSE after you have applied, and by your referee in your UCAS reference that is part of your overall university application.