Session one: 5th July - 23rd July 2010
Session two: 26th July - 13th August 2010
This page is designed to answer any questions you may have regarding the Summer School. Before contacting the office you should browse the topics below as at peak time it can take several days to reply and the answers to nearly all the enquiries we receive can be found here.
Application process
When can I apply for Summer School 2010?
The LSE Summer School office will begin accepting applications for the 2010 programme from the end of January 2010. Check the website around that time to access the online application form.
When is the application deadline?
The application deadline is Friday 28th May. Applications received after this date may still be considered but will incur an additional £60 late application fee.
What are the English language requirements?
Students for whom English is not their first language must provide evidence of proficiency, unless they have studied and been assessed at university level in English (excluding English Language lessons) in which case they do not need to provide a proficiency certificate. Students from countries where English is used extensively in education may apply as a native speaker. This includes students from India, Pakistan, Scandinavia, the Netherlands, Hong Kong, Singapore and Turkey. If you are from one of these areas or anywhere else where English is used extensively in education you do not need to fill in the language section.
I am not a native English speaker but my education was completely or partially in English. Do I still need to take a TOEFL test?
Students who have studied and been assessed at university level in English (excluding English Language lessons) do not need to provide a proficiency certificate. Students from countries where English is used extensively in education may apply as a native speaker. This includes students from India, Pakistan, Scandinavia, the Netherlands, Hong Kong, Singapore and Turkey.
I am fluent in English, though it is not my first language. Do I need to take a TOEFL test?
Students who are fluent in English, but have not studied at university level in English will need to supply a proficiency certificate. However, those who have lived in an English-speaking country for a number of years may be treated as a native speaker; please contact the Summer School office to confirm.
I am taking a TOEFL/IELTS/Cambridge test but I will not get the results until later in the year. Can I still apply?
Yes, but any offer will be conditional, subject to providing evidence of a language proficiency qualification before the start of the programme. Students should include a written statement with their application form giving the date that they expect to receive the certificate.
I am under 18 years of age. Can I still apply?
There is no minimum age requirement for the Summer School, however, in order to apply students must at least have an offer of a place at university.
The course I want to take has Introductory Microeconomics as a prerequisite. I have taken this course as AP (Advanced Placement). Can I still apply?
Where the term 'Introductory' is used, we require a course that is of similar level to 1st year undergraduate study at LSE. AP is not considered to meet this requirement.
I am taking/have taken a prerequisite course, but will not receive my grades until later in the year. Can I still apply?
Yes, but any offer will be conditional on providing evidence of meeting the prerequisites before the start of the programme. Students should include a written statement with their application form giving the date that they expect to receive the grades. Students who will not receive the grades until after the start of the programme can in some exceptional circumstances be accepted based on predicted grades and a letter of recommendation from the teacher of the subject.
The entry requirements page on the Summer School website state that students generally "must show grades of around GPA 3.3, or a B+ average" to apply. What are the equivalent grade requirements for my country's educational system?
This link| provides country specific information on entry requirements for undergraduate study at LSE. These entry grade requirements for undergraduate study are roughly equivalent to a GPA 3.3 or a B+ average. However, please bear in mind that the LSE Summer School does not require students to sit an entrance examination and the link should only be used as a rough guide to grade equivalence. We may be flexible on our entry grade requirements depending on your personal situation.
What sort of people apply to the Summer School?
Summer School attracts a wide range of people from all kinds of backgrounds. The majority of students come from other universities from the UK and across the world, and roughly one quarter come from full-time employment. In the past we have had former cabinet members, judges, employees of the world banks and even a Brazilian footballer enrol on the programme!
Do I need a visa to study at the Summer School?
As visa regulations change frequently students are strongly advised to check the UK visa website: www.ukvisas.gov.uk| for information. If you do require a visa then you should ensure that you apply to the Summer School as early as is convenient, in some countries the visa process can be very lengthy.
How long will it take until I know if I've been accepted?
Applications that arrive complete and with all supporting evidence usually take 2 weeks to process. We will notify you via email and regular post as soon as a decision has been reached.
How long will it take for me to receive my offer letter?
All correspondence is sent via regular UK mail, and as such the Summer School office has no control over how long the post will take to reach different countries. We usually find that post takes around 7 days or less to reach the USA, and between two to three weeks to reach India or Pakistan. You do not need the hard copy of your offer letter in order to apply for accommodation or pay your tuition fees - this can all be done online.
Courses
What are the course levels and what are prerequisites?
Summer School courses have 3 levels, equivalent to the 3 years of undergraduate study that it takes to get a degree at LSE.
Level 1, or 100 courses are equivalent to 1st year undergraduate and require no previous experience, although some courses may require a certain level of high school mathematical experience.
Level 2 (200) and Level 3 (300) courses are equivalent to 2nd and 3rd year university courses respectively and require some background in either a specific or related area. These prerequisites are listed under the course title.
Prerequisites can be taken at any university but should be passed to a sufficient standard.
Can I use Summer School courses as prerequisites?
Yes, it is quite common for students to take a prerequisite course in session 1 in order to progress to a higher level course in session 2. For example, AF250: Finance can be used as a prerequisite for AF350: Advanced Corporate Finance
I do not meet the prerequisites for a course but I do have relevant professional experience. Can I apply?
Courses at LSE, especially the higher level courses tend to be heavily theoretical. We believe that there is no substitute for academic experience, and therefore in nearly all cases we are unable to accept applications that do not meet the prerequisites.
Can I take more than one course?
As courses are intensive and full time, it is only possible to take one course at a time. If you wish to attend both sessions, it is possible to take one course in each session.
How much credit will I receive for a Summer School course?
Students who wish to receive credit for their course will need to contact either their Study Abroad Office or the office in their university that deals with external credit. It is up to students' home institutions as to how much credit is awarded but we are happy to advise them and if necessary provide them with the course syllabus and exam paper. Generally our courses receive 3 credits in the US system and 7.5 ECTS in the European system.
How many ECTS points is a Summer School course worth?
Each Summer School course is equivalent to one course from an undergraduate degree. In a UK degree, there are 24 courses to be completed, at a rate of eight per year, and this roughly equates to the 60 ECTS points per year in a European degree. Therefore, although the School does not subscribe to ECTS, each summer school course is worth approximately 7.5 ECTS points
I would like to work at the same time as studying. Is this possible?
We strongly advise against working while studying at the Summer School. Due to the intense nature of the courses students will need to be on campus for most of the day and will have a significant amount of daily reading to be completed.
Classes and Lectures
What will my timetable look like?
Teaching takes the format of one three-hour lecture per day, followed by one one-hour class per day. If your lecture takes place in the morning it will run from 10am to 1pm (including breaks), then your class will be from 2pm to 3pm, 3pm to 4pm or 4pm to 5pm. If your lecture is scheduled for the afternoon then it will run from 2pm to 5pm and your class will run the following morning, beginning at 10am, 11am or 12pm. Timetables are only established soon before the beginning of the course and are therefore not available in advance. Class groups are allocated at random, and you will be notified of your class group only after you have registered on the first day of the programme. It is not possible to change your class time.
A few courses, especially Introduction to English Law and English for Business follow a different teaching format and last year's timetable can be used for reference.
How many people will be in lectures and classes?
In 2009, Summer School course enrolment ranged from 15 to 180 students and it would be unusual for a Summer School course to be smaller or larger than these numbers, however, although there may be large numbers taking any one course, for classes/seminars, students are taught in groups of around 15 to 20. If the number of course participants will affect your choice of course, please contact the Summer School Office to find out numbers enrolled on specific courses.
Can I know the names/email addresses of the other people on my course?
Due to UK data-protection laws, we are forbidden from providing personal or contact details of others on your course. If you wish to get in touch with other students before the start of the course there is a Summer School Facebook group.
What is the difference between a lecture and a class?
All course participants attend lectures together as a single group. Lectures are usually presented by an academic (the course leader or leaders), and are, in the main, a listening and note-taking exercise as is the norm in the UK university system. Participants on the course will be divided into smaller groups for one-hour classes of around 15 to 20 students, which normally take place in the afternoon. Classes present an opportunity to work through problem sets or case studies, present seminar papers and discuss them, and to discuss the previous lecture with a Class Teacher and classmates. In other universities these sessions may be known as tutorials or seminars.
Can I change course?
Yes, it is possible to change course before you arrive and even within the first 2 days of the Summer School. To do so, you need to let us know which course you want to change to and then we will re-submit your application to the relevant programme director who will decide if you meet the entry requirements for the new course. If you change course within the first 2 days of the course starting, you need to hand in the course materials you received at registration. We also have a Summer School tutor who is on hand for the first few days of each session to discuss course changes if you are unsure.
Can I combine a Summer School course with work?
Summer School courses are full time and intensive and we strongly advise that they should not be combined with work. Although there are only 4 hours of teaching per day, these hours are fixed and cannot be arranged around work commitments. Furthermore, you can expect to spend 2-3 hours in private study in order to get the most from your course.
Am I able to contact academic staff before the start of the course?
You may contact academic staff before the start of your course, but it is advisable to do so only through the LSE Summer School Office. Email enquiries should be sent to summer.school@lse.ac.uk| and where a question cannot be answered by the office staff it will be forwarded to the relevant academic. If the course leader has provided an email address or telephone number on the course outline, you may contact the relevant person directly. Obviously the academic staff are very busy during term time and you will find that the majority of your enquiries will be forwarded to the office to answer anyway.
Course Materials
Do I need to do any reading before the course starts?
It may not be necessary to undertake a large amount of pre-course reading. Lectures will be the main focus of teaching with the course textbooks used to complement them. However, it may be to your advantage to read the 1st few chapters of the main text in advance, to familiarise yourself with the future lecture material.
In a very small number of courses there are essential preliminary readings, though you will be notified well in advance of the start of the course. Please see course outlines for details.
Do I need to buy the course textbook?
To obtain the optimum learning experience from the course it is essential to attend all of the lectures and classes. However, it is also important to do all the course reading. Even though many of the books on the reading list are available in the LSE Library it is unlikely that there will be enough copies of the main text(s) available for everyone to use. We therefore advise students to buy the main text(s) and use the LSE Library for supplementary reading.
Can I have/buy the materials for another course?
No, the copyright rules for course materials mean that only students registered on a particular course can receive the relevant course materials.
Is there a bookshop on site?
The Economists' Bookshop is located on the LSE campus in St Clements opposite Student Services. Waterstone's supply textbooks for LSE students including those attending Summer School and those studying via the External Programmes. The bookshop is open throughout the year, Monday to Saturday.
There is also a second-hand bookshop, Alpha Books, located in the Clare Market Building. They often stock Summer School texts at discounted prices.
Can I purchase course materials in advance?
It would vary depending on the course that you are taking. Generally, course materials are distributed at the first lecture. If you have any questions please direct these to the Summer School Office.
Are Course texts/articles available online?
Most journal articles and some chapters from course texts will be available on Moodle. However you need to be a registered student to log onto these.
LSE Facilities
Can I use the LSE Careers Service?
Unfortunately Summer School students are not entitled to use the LSE Careers Service but they can use the University of London Careers Service, which is located at 49-51 Gordon Square, London. However, there is a small charge for doing so.
Will I have full access to the library and its facilities?
All LSE Summer School participants are encouraged to make full use of LSE facilities. All Summer School students will be given a library card once they register. Photocopying and word-processing facilities are also available for you to use.
Are computer workstations available for Summer School Students?
All Summer School students will be given accounts, including an LSE email address, to use IT facilities at LSE. There are approximately 1,000 networked Windows PCs available and there is access to printing facilities in the public computer rooms.
Accommodation
Who should I contact about accommodation issues?
The accommodation office will be able to answer all of your accommodation related questions. You can contact them at accommodation@lse.ac.uk| or +44 20 7955 7531. The Summer School Office are unable to answer questions about submitted accommodation applications.
Where can I stay?
If they wish to, students can book accommodation in one of the LSE halls of residence, all of which are located in Central London within easy walking distance of LSE. More information can be found in our accommodation pages.
When can I check into my residence?
Students who have booked to stay in LSE residences can check into their accommodation from 2pm onwards. Check out time on the final day of the stay is 10am.
It may be possible to stay in LSE accommodation for extra days, either before session 1 or after session 2. Please contact the Accommodation office for further information.
Can I share a room with someone?
Students may only share rooms with other students that they already know in advance of the programme; in this instance students should book a twin room. We are not able to pair students up with people they do not know, or allocate at random, in order to share rooms.
What other options are available to me?
Accommodation in London is extremely expensive and quite hard to find over the summer. It may be possible to find a short term let through a website such as gumtree.com|. Should you wish to book a hotel it is highly recommended that you book early on as London is a major tourist destination. However, in terms of value for money LSE accommodation is one of the more reasonable options.
Fees
Am I eligible for the student rate?
The student rate applies to full-time students currently enrolled at a university or college anywhere in the world, or those who have just finished university or are starting in the same year as the Summer School course. You will need to send a transcript or certificate of enrolment indicating your full-time status with your application.
UK residents who are registered unemployed are also eligible for the reduced rate: full evidence to confirm this must be included with the application. If in doubt, please contact the Summer School Office.
When do I have to pay my tuition fees?
Tuition fees should be paid on receipt of a formal offer letter and invoice: only once fees are paid in full is a place on the programme guaranteed. We ask that tuition fees are paid at least two weeks before the beginning of the programme as fees must have cleared through the Summer School bank account before students can register for their course and attend lectures. The Summer School may reallocate course places in those cases where the tuition fee remains unpaid after this period.
Can I pay by bank transfer?
LSE does not accept payment by bank transfer. Students requiring help to organise the payment of tuition fees should contact the Summer School Office by telephone on +44-20-7955-7227 or email at summer.school@lse.ac.uk.
Will I get a refund if I withdraw from the programme?
Students that withdraw from the programme more than two weeks before it is due to start will be refunded tuition fees, minus a 5% handling charge. Where fees are paid by credit card we will refund the amount back on to the same credit card. Students that have paid tuition fees by another method will be sent a sterling cheque for the amount. Students that withdraw within two weeks of the start of the programme will be refunded 90% of tuition fees paid, and those that withdraw within the first 2 days of the programme will be refunded 50% of the tuition fees. No refunds will be given after this date.
What should I do if my credit card has been rejected?
The LSE Finance Department will contact students directly where there is a problem with a credit card payment. Students will then need to contact their credit card issuer to resolve the problem. Usually payments are rejected because of security measures put in place to protect from fraud - international payments are more likely to be rejected on these grounds. It may be necessary to arrange with your card issuer to make a specific payment overseas so that they can temporarily lift the block. Once the necessary arrangements with your credit card company have been made, the Finance Department should be notified in order to proceed with your credit card transaction.
Does LSE offer any financial aid for Summer School students?
Unfortunately the LSE is not able to offer any financial assistance to Summer School students as this is reserved for regular year students.
Do any scholarships exist for the Summer School?
Unfortunately there are no scholarships available for the Summer School.
London
What is the average cost of living in London?
Students are recommended to budget for about £15 per day, though it is possible to get by on less or to spend a lot more.
How do I get to LSE from the airport?
If you are coming from abroad it is advisable to check into your accommodation before coming to LSE. Details on how to get to individual halls an be found on the Accommodation Office website.
Heathrow
The easiest and cheapest way to get to LSE from Heathrow is by London Underground. The Piccadilly line runs from Heathrow to Holborn (about 50 minutes). LSE is less than 5 minutes walk from the station.
Gatwick
There is a direct train to London Victoria station; on arrival change for the Underground and take either the District or Circle line to Temple. LSE is less than 5 minutes walk from the station.
Stansted
Take either the train or bus to London Liverpool Street station, then change for the Underground. Take the Central Line to Holborn. LSE is less than 5 minutes walk from the station.
Luton
Take the train to Kings Cross and change for the Underground, taking the Piccadilly Line to Holborn. LSE is less than 5 minutes walk from the station.
Please note that Taxis from any of the London airports are extremely expensive and often no quicker than the train or tube.
How do I get to my residence from the airport?
Full directions can be found on the Accommodation Office website for each residence.
Can you arrange airport transfer?
LSE does not provide an airport transfer service.
What sort of things are there to do outside of studying?
London is one of the biggest and most exciting cities in the world, and there is always something to do, from shopping, to sightseeing, to nightlife. Students can search our Delicious database of links and will find further information and recommendations in the Accepted Pages (available once a offer has been made)
Exams
Do I have to take the exams? Will I still get a certificate if I don't?
Examinations are not compulsory. Students that attend 80% or more of classes and do not sit the final exam will receive an Attendance Certificate. Students that participate in any other form of assessment (e.g. midterm examinations, coursework, presentation, etc.) but do not attend the final examination will not receive a grade but will receive an attendance certificate.
Students must note that an attendance certificate is not the same as a Pass/Fail grade and is unlikely to be able to be used for credit.
Can I sit examinations remotely?
It is against University policy to allow summer school students to sit examinations at a location other than the LSE.
When will the final exam take place?
The final exam will take place on the last day of the session and participants cannot expect to be finished in time to meet flights on that day. There are no exceptions to taking the examinations at the given time and date and this should be taken into account when booking return flights.
How much credit will I get for taking a summer school course?
It is up to your own university to evaluate our courses and decide the amount of credit you will receive. The Summer School Office is happy to provide any necessary information to your registry or academic advisor to help them evaluate the courses.
Do Summer School courses count towards the LSE undergraduate programme?
LSE Summer School courses do not count towards a degree at LSE. Summer School in the UK is not seen as a way of gaining entry, repeating failed courses or a way of graduating quickly. However, LSE Summer School courses are based upon LSE degree programmes and are often used as access courses by graduate admissions at LSE.
Will I get a qualification for taking a Summer School course?
Students completing a Summer School course will receive a certificate from LSE, however, there is no externally recognised qualification (eg ACCA, CIPFA) for taking a Summer School course. Most students who attend other universities are able to receive credit for taking the course from their own institution.
How do I request transcripts?
Towards the end of your course 'Transcript Request Forms' will be distributed to all participants, on which you will need to write the address of the institution where your transcripts should be sent, if applicable. Students who have not returned the Transcript Request Form to the Summer School Office will have a transcript sent to their home address. Any additional transcript requests made after the programme has ended should be sent by email to the Summer School Office. There is no charge for sending transcripts for the first year after your course has finished, thereafter there will be a small administrative charge.
When will I receive my transcripts/certificates?
Transcripts and certificates for both sessions of the programme are usually sent out in early-mid September.
How do I order transcripts from previous years?
There is no charge for sending single transcripts for the first year after your course has finished. There is a charge for sending multiple transcripts to one address. Beyond the first year there is a small administrative fee of £10 for the first copy, and £4 for each duplicate thereafter. Students requiring transcripts from previous years must complete the transcript payment form. Full instructions can be found on the Ordering A Transcript| page.