Entry requirements

If you can attend one of the teaching institutions with permission to teach the programme and you wish to:

• get on to the degree programme and may not meet the entrance requirements for the degree.
• gain a stand-alone qualification that will admit you into the second year of the BSc programmes listed in this prospectus and degrees at many universities in the UK, USA and Australia.

To be eligible for the CHESS you must:

• normally* be aged 18 or above by the 31 December in the year of registration and
• have four GCSE/O levels at grades A–C and one GCE/A level at grades A–E, or six GCSE/O levels at grades A–C, or equivalent and
• demonstrate competence in Mathematics at least equivalent to UK
• GCSE/GCE O level at Grade C or above and
• meet our English language requirement. We may require a test of proficiency in English and
• have been admitted to a full or part-time course of instruction at an institution which is recognised to teach the Certificate.

* Applications will be considered from applicants who do not meet the normal minimum age requirement for admission. Each application will be considered on an individual basis, and the decision taken at the discretion of the University of London.

Further information

There are a number of universities in the UK, including LSE, that will consider you for entry into the second year of a degree if you pass the CHESS with very high marks and have taken the appropriate courses. To be considered for a place, you will need to apply through UCAS, stating that you are applying for second-year entry.

The CHESS is awarded with a grading of Distinction, Merit, Credit or Pass.

You should expect your studies to take 35–40 hours per week.

You must attend lectures and tutorials regularly and are expected to write assignments, and while these do not count towards your final assessment you are required to complete them before you can enter for the examinations.

Degree structures and qualifications

Our BSc degrees consist of 12 courses when taken through the Standard Route and nine courses through the Graduate Entry Route. Courses are classified as either 100, 200 or 300-level.

To be eligible for the BSc Standard Entry Route you must:

• normally be aged 17 or above by the registration deadline*
• meet our General Entrance Requirements
• demonstrate competence in Mathematics at least equivalent to UK GCSE/GCE O level at Grade C or above** and
• meet our English language requirement. We may require a test of proficiency in English.

*Applications will be considered from applicants who do not meet the normal minimum age requirement for admission. Each application will be considered on an individual basis, and the decision will be taken at the discretion of the University of London.

** Applicants applying to the BSc Mathematics and Economics or the BSc Data Science and Business Analytics degrees must demonstrate competence in Mathematics at least equivalent to a UK GCE A level at Grade E or above. 

Accreditation of prior learning

If you have previously studied similar material to a comparable level and depth you can apply for accreditation of prior learning (APL) for up to four full 100-level courses.

If you hold a full first degree and want a flexible way to gain a second degree, you may be able to complete a shorter than usual study programme (a minimum of two years for most degrees).

To be eligible for the BSc Graduate Route Entry you must:

• hold an undergraduate degree from an awarding institution acceptable to the University of London and
• demonstrate competence in Mathematics at least equivalent to UK GCSE/GCE O level at Grade C or above and
• meet our English language requirement. We may require a test of proficiency in English.

If you hold a full first degree in any discipline but, for professional or personal reasons, wish to secure a stand-alone qualification in a named discipline in the fields of Economics, Management, Finance and the Social Sciences. You may also use the diploma as a basis for progression into postgraduate study in a related area.

These students MUST have completed one of the degrees offered by the University of London Programmes, for which the LSE provides academic direction.

To qualify, students will normally have, or expect to have, a first class honours degree. These scholarships will cover tuition fees only.

To apply, please email the University of London Programmes office at LSE at uolip@lse.ac.uk.

If you are applying to study at LSE and require information about funding your studies, please visit the School's Financial Support Office website.

It may be possible to transfer your course:

• Between other University of London EMFSS programmes with academic direction from LSE
• To another programme we offer
• To another College within the University of London
• To another university in the UK or elsewhere.

It is not advisable to change programmes because you are finding the courses too difficult. Generally speaking, the courses across all programmes do not differ in terms of difficulty.

Should you decide to change to another programme of study, you should simply inform the registry office of the University of London which programme you wish to be registered for. There are two opportunities each year to do this:

• when you pay your continuing registration fee and
• when you enter for examinations

Current students should look at their Student Handbook and Degree Regulations for further information.

Students who have completed at least four courses on the University of London EMFSS degree programme are able to apply for admission to the LSE General Course and claim credit for the successful completion of relevant courses. The General Course is an opportunity for students of the Programmes to experience life at the LSE, attending lectures and classes for the period of a full academic year of study (October – July).

Important note: A student of the University of London Programmes who undertakes a period of one year's study at LSE will still be awarded a University of London degree.

The courses that students undertake at LSE may be credited to their University of London Programmes degree. Any student who is interested in pursuing this opportunity should contact the London International for guidance on selecting equivalent courses to ensure that all marks can be carried forward and credits applied to their University of London degree.

Full information on the LSE General Course can be found in the General Course briefing or at: General Course.

Applications can be submitted in hard copy and online but applicants should first consult with their teaching institution and/or LSE to confirm their suitability for the programme.

LSE welcomes applications from Programme students who wish to apply to the second year of a relevant degree. Please bear in mind that transfer is not automatic, since competition is very fierce and LSE is restricted to numbers for both first and second year entries. The number of applications is very high compared to the number of vacancies and so the calibre of applicant is taken into consideration. Successful applicants need very good grades in their diploma or foundation course examinations, and a strong academic background.

As a brief idea, generally departments would usually ask for an average of 60% in the diploma/degree foundation courses with at least 60% in three of the courses and a good pass in the fourth.

Another requirement for second year entry is that the courses taken via University of London Programmes (EMFSS) match the content of the first year of the Internal degree as closely as possible. Courses should therefore be carefully selected.

Applicants need to apply through UCAS in the normal way, stating that they wish to apply for second year entry.

Transfer into the second year of the International Relations, BSc Management, International History & International Relations, BA History and LLB programmes is not permitted and neither is a transfer into the third year of any LSE programme.

Other Universities in the UK may consider applications for students from University of London Programmes. If you are thinking of transferring to another university, we advise you to find out by October (a year before you hope to transfer) what the procedures are for making an application. You should contact the admissions officers of the university concerned in the first instance and direct them to the University of London website which lists all the necessary information about the Programmes. 

To be considered for a place in any of the University of London colleges or for other Universities in the UK you will need to apply through UCAS, stating that you are applying for second year entry. Your local British Council office can advise you further. It is advisable to apply before the closing date in January and preferably well before this. If you study in a college, your academic tutor will be able to advise you.