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London School of Economics

London School of Economics

History

  • Founded by Fabians, Beatrice and Sidney Webb, Graham Wallas and George Bernard Shaw in 1895 to specialise in the advanced study of the social sciences.
  • Subjects pioneered at LSE include anthropology, criminology, international relations, social psychology and sociology.
  • LSE has produced 35 world leaders and heads of state, and 16 Nobel Prize winners in economics, peace and literature.

Location and Transport

  • Located in the heart of central London, LSE’s departments and institutes are concentrated on one campus.
  • Communication and travel links are excellent, with access to multiple bus routes and tube stations.

Entry Standards

  • Entry standards are high and LSE encourages applications from all students with the best academic potential, irrespective of background.
  • Excellent grades at A level (including A* for some subjects) are required in traditional academic subjects plus good GCSE grades.
  • Our standard minimum A level entry requirements range from AAB to A*AA.
  • There are many widening participation activities for pupils from Year 6 to Year 13, including: LSE Choice, Pathways to Law, summer schools, student tutoring and mentoring.

A-Level and GCSE Requirements

  • LSE thinks that AS Levels offer significant benefits, both for the student and for universities. Our evidence indicates that AS Levels are an effective indicator of performance at undergraduate level and for this reason we will continue to use AS grades (and in some cases the associated UMS scores) in our admissions assessments.
  • For students due to start A Levels in September 2015 we would recommend that, wherever possible, they sit AS Level examinations at the end of year 12. These AS results will help the LSE selectors better assess the application in a fair, consistent and transparent manner and will ensure that more subjective indicators of academic potential such as predicted grades are less important factors in the decision making process.
  • LSE understands that there will be some schools and colleges that are unable to teach AS Levels alongside the new linear A Levels and we will not disadvantage students who submit an application without AS Level grades as a result. In these circumstances we will use the information presented on the application form to make our decision (possibly in conjunction with some form of additional assessment).
  • FAQs can be found at http://www.lse.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/howToApply/A-Level-Reform-in-England.aspx

Student Mix

The 10,145 students enrolled in the academic year 2013/14 comprise:

Level of study
Undergraduate
40%
Postgraduate
60%
Mode of study
Full Time
93%
Part Time
7%
Domicile
UK
33%
EU
18%
Other
49%
Student gender
Male
53%
Female
47%

Course Flexibility

  • For 2016 entry there are 38 Undergraduate Programmes that often allow the combination of different social science subjects.
  • They cover subjects including economics, politics and government, history, management, law, accounting, finance, international relations, philosophy, geography and environment, social policy and sociology.
  • New areas of study are frequently introduced to keep pace with changes in the social sciences.
  • An undergraduate exchange programme with Sciences Po allows around 10 LSE students per year to study for a year at one of the Sciences Po campuses in France.

Teaching Standards

  • The School’s most recent Quality Assurance Agency (QAA) audit found that confidence can reasonably be placed a) in the School’s current and likely future management of the academic standards of its awards, and b) in the soundness of the School’s current and likely future management of the quality of the learning opportunities available to students.
  • The arrangements under the School’s ‘Strategy for managing academic standards and quality’ help to maintain teaching quality.
  • Student views influence the School’s teaching and learning policies. The School surveys its students each year, and acts on the results. In 2013–14, LSE achieved a student satisfaction rating of 85% in its internal teaching surveys and 83% in the 2014 NSS (undergraduate only).

Research Standards

  • In the 2014 Research Excellence Framework, the LSE had the highest percentage of world leading research of any university in the UK and topped or came close to the top of a number of other rankings of research excellence. LSE came top in the rankings for Business and Management Studies, Social Policy, Area Studies and Media and Communications.
  • The School currently has 20 formal research centres focusing on a broad range of social science activities, including well-known groups such as the Centre for Economic Performance, and the Financial Markets Group established in 1987 by Mervyn King, the former Governor of the Bank of England.
  • The School also hosts the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment, chaired by Professor Lord Nick Stern, author of the influential 2006 Stern Review. In recent years it has also established the International Growth Centre, a £100-million programme funded by the Department for International Development to promote economic growth in developing countries; the Centre for Macroeconomics, chaired by LSE’s Nobel Prize-winning economics professor, Christopher Pissarides, in collaboration with Cambridge University, University College London (UCL), the Bank of England and the National Institute of Economic and Social Research (NIESR) and funded by the Economic & Social Research Council (ESRC); the Saw Swee Hock Southeast Asia Centre; the What Works Centre for Local Economic Growth funded by the ESRC, the Department of Communities and Local Government and the Department of Business Innovation and Skills; and the Systemic Risk Centre, funded by the ESRC and co-hosted by UCL.
  • From its foundation, the School has sought to disseminate its research to fellow academics, the media, opinion formers and the general public. Its website, which includes an Experts Directory and an impact portal, invites audiences to join the global debate at LSE. Research Online – the institutional repository – provides access to a diverse range of research produced by the School. Everyone is welcome to attend the LSE’s public events, where some of the most influential figures in the social sciences and humanities can be heard for free.
  • Academics are in continual demand as commentators, analysts and advisers to governments, policy makers and charities, both in the UK and internationally.

Academic Strengths

  • LSE is a specialist university with an international intake and a global reach. Its research and teaching span the full breadth of the social sciences, from economics, politics and law to sociology, anthropology, accounting and finance. The School has one of the largest concentrations of applied economic, financial and social researchers in the world.
  • Close partnerships with other universities include Columbia University in New York, Sciences Po in Paris, Peking University in Beijing, National University of Singapore and the University of Cape Town.
  • LSE attracts some of the most influential figures in the world to give public lectures, including Kofi Annan, Bill Clinton, Nelson Mandela, and former and current UK prime ministers Tony Blair and David Cameron, with free access for students.

Student Facilities

  • LSE Library is the major international library for the social sciences with over 4 million printed items, 60,000 ebooks and 108,000 ejournals, alongside digitised collections in LSE Digital Library.
  • LSE Library is one of five HEFCE recognised National Research Libraries in the UK.
  • The LSE Library collection, unusually for a university, carries Designated Status as being of outstanding national and international importance, a designation managed by the Arts Council England.
  • The Library also holds The Women’s Library Collection, the oldest and most extensive collection of women’s history in Europe.
  • There are 1,844 seats and 510 PCs available for study in the Library.
  • There is also a laptop loan scheme, IRoam, available to students and staff for use within the Library building.

Disability Services

  • The LSE is committed to promoting equality and diversity in order to deliver the best possible service to its students, staff and the wider community. The Disability and Wellbeing Service provides information, advice, guidance and support to students with disabilities, long-term medical and mental health conditions, and Specific Learning Difficulties, such as dyslexia.
  • To find out more please go to www.disability/lse.ac.uk.

Students’ Union

  • There are over 190 student societies covering national and cultural, hobbies, food and drink, careers and more. Societies are globally recognised and are extremely high achieving.
  • Students can also get involved in the School’s Media Group, student magazine and radio station.
  • Union general meetings are held weekly, where every student can attend and vote.
  • Political life at the Union is extremely vibrant and historically high profile, with one of the highest election turnouts in the country.

Sport

  • Facilities include a fitness centre, badminton and squash courts and a gymnasium.
  • There are football, rugby and cricket pitches, with tennis during the summer at the sports ground.
  • Students can also access the University of London’s sports facilities.
  • There are 40 sports clubs playing at a range of abilities, with athletes in the Sports Ambassador Programme competing for Great Britain.

Recent/Prospective New Builds

  • The School has recently opened 32 Lincoln’s Inn Fields (the old Land Registry building) and its landmark Saw Swee Hock Student Centre, which is the new home of the LSE Students’ Union and other student services.
  • The School is currently developing plans for a new LSE Centre Buildings redevelopment, which will replace the area on campus that currently houses the East Building, Clare Market, the Anchorage and part of St Clement’s.
  • The School will also start looking at developing 44 Lincoln’s Inn Fields, which is currently home to Cancer Research who will vacate the building in late 2016 to enable the LSE to develop the property for School purposes.

Availability of Part-Time Work

  • LSE Careers advertises and actively seeks a wide range of part-time jobs which are suitable for current students, as well as graduate positions.
  • Opportunities are frequently advertised for paid internships.
  • The LSE Volunteering Centre sources and advertises a wide range of part-time volunteering opportunities.

Careers Guidance

  • LSE Careers advertises and actively seeks a wide range of part-time jobs which are suitable for current students, as well as graduate positions.
  • Opportunities are frequently advertised for paid internships.
  • LSE Careers provides a varied and comprehensive careers guidance and employment service for students, including face-to-face appointments, seminars, employer presentations and careers fairs. The LSE Volunteering Centre sources and advertises a wide range of part-time volunteering opportunities.

Notable Alumni

  • Janet Yellen (chair of US Federal Research)
  • Christopher Pissarides (Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences (jointly) 2010).
  • Loyd Grossman (media).
  • Cherie Booth (law).
  • Shami Chakrabarti (civil liberties).
  • Mark Hoban (politics).
  • Ed Miliband (politics).
  • Jo Swinson (politics).
  • Jeremy Heywood (civil service).
  • Christiana Figueres (UN).
  • Hilary Mantel (writer).
  • Justin Webb (media).
  • Daniel Finkelstein (media).
  • Ros Altmann (campaigning).

For further information

Web
  • www.lse.ac.uk
Email
  • stu.rec@lse.ac.uk
Phone
  • +44 (0)20 7955 6613
Address
  • LSE
    Houghton Street
    London
    WC2A 2AE

UCAS Code L72


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