Every undergraduate student is charged a fee for each year of his or her course.
The fee covers registration and examination fees payable to the School and the University of London, lectures, classes and individual supervision, and lectures given at other colleges under intercollegiate arrangements and, under current arrangements, membership of the Students' Union. It does not cover living costs or travel or fieldwork.
Fees are fixed each Spring for the following session only.
Home UK/EU fees
For 2008 entry, the LSE tuition fee for new UK and European Union (EU) undergraduates will be in the region of £3,151 per year. At the time of going to print, the exact fee level has not been decided. You should consult the LSE website from May 2007 for the exact 2008 fee.
Students from the UK and the EU have two options for paying this fee:
Students can take out a student loan for fees (which will be administered by the Student Loans Company, which they will repay once they have left university and are earning over £15,000 a year. (In the case of students from England and Wales the Student Loans Company will pay the fee directly to LSE. Arrangements for students from Scotland, Northern Ireland and the rest of Europe have yet to be finalised.) This means that students who take out a fee loan do not have to pay the tuition fee up-front or whilst they are studying.
Students can, if they prefer, pay the tuition fee up-front or throughout the course.
The UK/EU tuition fee is subject to an inflationary rise until 2010.
Overseas fees
Universities charge fees to cover the full average cost of providing places for non UK/EU students.
For 2008 entry, the LSE tuition fee for new overseas (non-EU) undergraduates will be in the region of £12,360 per year. At the time of going to print, the exact fee level has not been decided. You should consult the LSE website from May 2007 for the exact 2008 fee.
Overseas students are required to pay this fee in instalments or in full at the start of each year. Discounts are available for early payment, details of which can be found on the Fees Office website.
Fees for overseas students will rise each year by at least the level of inflation.
Fee assessment
Broad guidelines on how students are assessed for fee purposes can be found in How to apply
Financial support
The School recognises that the cost of living in London may be higher than in your home town or country. Government support, in the form of loans and grants, is available to UK and some EU students, while LSE provides generous financial support, in the form of bursaries and scholarships to UK, EU and overseas students.
Government support
for students from England
Student loan for maintenance The student loan for maintenance helps students pay living costs during term times and holidays. The maximum loan available for 2008 will be announced in late 2007, but as a guideline students studying in London and living away from their parents' home had a maximum loan available of £6,315 in 2007.
Maintenance grants The means-tested maintenance grant (which was worth up to £2,765 in 2007) also helps students with living expenses during their time at university. The amount a student is eligible to receive is assessed by the Local Authority (LA). The grant does not have to be repaid.
Special Support Grant This new grant is available for new students who are eligible to receive income support and other means-tested benefits, such as housing benefit. It will cover additional course costs such as books, equipment, travel or childcare that result from attending your course.
Benefits Certain students, such as single parents, students with dependants and disabled students, may be eligible for additional grants, benefits or allowances. Details are available from the DfES or your LA.
The above information on government support applies to students who live in England. Further information can be found at the following website: www.studentsupportdirect.co.uk
for students from elsewhere in the UK
Different financial support packages are available for students from Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Students from these countries should refer to any one of the following websites:
Students from the EU are not usually eligible for UK Government financial support. However, EU nationals (or children of EU nationals) who have lived in the UK or islands for three years before the start of their course (ie, since 1 September 2005 for a course starting on 1 September 2008) may now qualify for a student loan and grants. You should contact your LA for further information.
for overseas students
Students from outside the EU are not eligible to apply for UK Government funds. However, there is a range of funding available for overseas students from external agencies, bodies or your home government, details of which are available from your home government or nearest British Council office (www.britishcouncil.org/learning).
LSE Bursary The LSE Bursary is available for students from low-income backgrounds (from England and Wales) and is worth up to £7,500 over a three-year programme. The value of the LSE Bursary is linked to students' (or their family's) income levels, which are assessed by LAs when calculating the maintenance grant. The maximum LSE Bursary of £2,500 per year is awarded to those students with the lowest residual income. These Bursaries do not have to be repaid.
LSE Discretionary Bursary The LSE Discretionary Bursary is available for new LSE students (from the UK and the EU) who face exceptional financial needs, including, for example, caring responsibilities, financial need related to disability or an unavoidable requirement to live at home. The value of the award may vary according to need. These Bursaries do not have to be repaid.
LSE Accommodation Award The LSE Accommodation Award, worth £1,000, is available to help support London students to live away from home. The Awards are specifically designed for undergraduates who live at home, within a commutable distance of the School, but whose domestic environment is ill suited to study purposes and whose academic performance could be enhanced by being offered additional financial support to contribute to the costs of living away from home. These Awards do not have to be repaid. Please note that, at the time of going to print, the Accommodation Award is under review. Please check the financial support web pages for the most up-to-date information.
LSE Scholarships Each year LSE awards a number of scholarships - funded by private or corporate donation - to UK applicants to the School. The number, value, eligibility criteria and type of awards vary from year to year. Awards are made on the basis of financial need and academic merit. For more details about these scholarships, and information on how to apply, please see Financial Support Office.
Stelios scholarships Four Stelios scholarships, worth £5,000 per year, are available for UK students applying for business subjects at LSE. For a full list of business-related programmes and information on how to apply, please see Financial Support Office
Access to Learning funds Registered UK students from low-income households can apply directly to LSE for Access to Learning funds. These funds are designed for students who may need extra financial support for their course, and are provided by the Government to assist with living expenses.
for EU students
LSE Discretionary Bursary The LSE Discretionary Bursary is available to EU students. For information about this bursary and how to apply, please see the section on 'LSE financial support for UK students' on page 33.
LSE Scholarships LSE offers a number of undergraduate scholarships of varying amounts each year to EU students.
The LSE Discretionary Bursary is available to EU students. For information about this bursary and how to apply, please see the section on LSE financial support for UK students.
Stelios scholarships Six Stelios scholarships, worth £5,000 per year, are available for EU students applying for business subjects at LSE. For a full list of business-related programmes and information on how to apply, please see Financial Support Office.
for overseas students
LSE Undergraduate Support Scheme The LSE Undergraduate Support Scheme (USS) is designed to help overseas students who do not have the necessary funds to meet all their costs of study. In 2006, the School disbursed some £1 million in entrance awards available to self-financing students of all nationalities. This financial aid is available only for study at LSE. If you are made an offer of admission, we will advise you on how to apply to the USS online. This system is able to provide an immediate indication of an applicant's eligibility for assistance. In the first instance, you will be assessed on the basis of your financial circumstances. Awards are renewable for each year of your course. Applications will be considered between the end of February and the end of August.
LSE Scholarships The School offers a limited number of undergraduate scholarships of varying amounts each year for overseas students. For details of all the latest scholarships and information on how to apply please see Financial Support Office.
Fees
for students from England
for EU students