Tuition fee
The General Course tuition fee for students applying directly to LSE for the 2025/26 academic year is £28,100. The tuition fee is the same for all General Course students, regardless of nationality or residence.
Estimated Living Costs
As a guide, General Course students should budget for the following over the 39 weeks they will be in London, but bear in mind that this is only a guide and excludes one-off costs such as flights. The total cost of studying in London will depend upon your lifestyle so we recommend all students produce their own personal budget:
Estimated living costs
| Accommodation |
From £10,703 (single room) for 39 weeks |
| Food |
£2,400 |
| Travel |
£1,000 |
| Personal |
£2,400 |
| Total |
£16,503 |
Financial support
The below information will shortly be updated for 2025/26. In previous years there has been a range of financial support available to General Course students:
LSE is pleased to offer a number of scholarships for students accepted on to the General Course in 2024/25. These scholarships were created by a generous donation from the John and Amy Phelan Family Foundation.
The John C Phelan General Course Scholarships are available to any applicant, of any nationality, who secures a place on the General Course programme and accepts their offer. The scholarships will be awarded primarily on the basis of financial need.
How to apply
Download and complete the General Course Scholarship Application Form (PDF) and submit to financial-support@lse.ac.uk.
BUTEX offers a number of scholarships for undergraduate students currently registered at an institution in the USA or Canada. If you are a prospective General Course student and you wish to apply you must already have been offered a place at LSE.
The value of each scholarship is £500 and will be paid once you have arrived and registered at the School. Payment will be made to a UK bank account.
More information, including how to apply, can be found at the BUTEX website.
The Gilman International Scholarship Program offers scholarships for U.S. citizen undergraduate students of limited financial means to pursue academic studies abroad.
Award recipients receive up to $5,000 toward their study abroad program costs, including program fees; tuition; room and board; airfare; books, and local transportation.
More information, including how to apply, can be found here.
As an applicant to the Fund for Education Abroad (FEA), you are considered for a number of scholarships worth up to $10,000, along with the FEA General Scholarships.
Each applicant must submit a completed application form (including two essays); their unofficial transcript; a financial aid form, and request a letter of recommendation.
Federal loans
The School is a registered institution for most types of US and Canadian student loans. Students taking the General Course as part of their degree course at a university in the USA/Canada may qualify for federal loans from their home university, as the General Course counts as a 'year abroad'. For further information, students should speak to the study abroad / international programs office at their home institution.
The LSE US Student Loans reference number is G06693.