The School appoints examiners to prepare and mark the Undergraduate Admissions Assessment (UGAA), designed to test use of evidence, written communication skills and numeracy. The UGAA is conducted as an online examination.
The purpose of the Undergraduate Admissions Assessment
The Undergraduate Admissions Assessment is used to fairly assess applicants from non-traditional educational backgrounds or those applying with qualifications we do not recognise for direct entry. It provides an opportunity to see a sample of the applicant’s original work, produced under examination conditions, and seeks to assess applicants in a fair and equitable manner.
There are several reasons why applicants need to be tested in this way:
-
the applicant has no recent or relevant record of study and examination i.e. within three years of the proposed programme start date
-
the applicant’s qualifications are acceptable but only in conjunction with the UGAA
Key dates
The Undergraduate Admissions Assessment usually takes place at the end of March.
Applicants who are required to sit the Undergraduate Admissions Assessment will be notified in March, as soon as details have been finalised.
The assessment is three hours long with is two sections: an essay question; and mathematical problems. It is not an assessment of general knowledge.
There are two different Mathematics papers. Depending on the programme you are applying for, you will take either: Mathematics for non quantitative programmes without a Maths requirement OR Mathematics for quantitative programmes with a Maths requirement.
Applicants applying for LLB Laws (M100) will not be asked to sit the UGAA.
LSE requires students studying certain qualifications to complete the UGAA before a final decision can be made on their application. The UGAA is a compulsory requirement for all students who are invited; students who decline the UGAA invite will be automatically rejected. There are a number of reasons why further assessment is needed for students from these educational backgrounds, some of which include:
-
the qualification contains few formal examinations – as the majority of assessment at LSE is exam based, we need to see how you perform under examination conditions
- the qualification is not standardised – grades can vary from school to school so we would like an independent assessment of your skills
- we are uncertain whether your curriculum offers full coverage of required subject material, especially mathematics
-
the qualification is relatively new or recently reformed, or we have not had many applicants with that qualification before. The UGAA gives us an independent measure of how well the qualification prepares students for study at LSE
-
you have taken a break from study or followed a non-standard educational pathway
Only the most competitive students with these qualifications are invited to sit the assessment. Applicants cannot request to sit the assessment.
Applicants applying for LLB Laws (M100) will not be asked to sit the UGAA. Instead, the essay section of the LNAT will be assessed.
UK Qualifications
- Access to Higher Education Diploma
- BTEC National Extended Diploma (13 units) if taken without accompanying A levels
- Cambridge Technical Extended Diploma Level 3 if taken without accompanying A levels
- Certificate of Higher Education (Cert HE)
- Foundation programme, including the University of London International Foundation Programme (IFP)
- Foundation Year
- Foundation Degree
- Scottish Wider Access Programme (SWAP)
International Qualifications
| Countries |
Qualifications |
| Austria |
Reife-und-Diplomprufung |
| Bosnia-Herzegovina |
Matura/Diploma o završenoj srednjoj školi/Diploma o položenom maturskom ispitu |
| Brunei |
BDTVEC Higher National Diploma |
| Bulgaria |
Diploma za Zavarsheno Sredno Obrazovanie |
| Croatia |
Maturatna Svjedodzba |
| Estonia |
Gumnaasiumi Ioputunnistus with the Riigieksamitunnistus |
| Iceland |
Stúdentspróf |
| Israel |
Bagrut |
| Kosovo |
Diplomë për kryerjen e shkollës së mesme të lartë |
| Lithuania |
Brandos Atestatas |
| North Macedonia (FYR) |
Matura |
| Malaysia |
Unified Examination Certificate (UEC)/ Malaysian Matriculation Programme/Matrikulasi |
| Montenegro |
Maturski ispit/Diploma o završenoj srednjoj školi |
| Morocco |
Diplôme du Baccalauréat/Baccalauréat de l’Enseignement Secondaire |
| Sweden |
Gymnasieexamen |
| Turkey |
Anatolian High School Diploma/French Diploma for Foreign Schools in Turkey |
| Uganda |
Uganda Advanced Certificate in Education (UACE) |
The UGAA is usually held at the end of March each year.
The UGAA is conducted as an online examination, accessed via a standard web browser.
Due to the strict time constraints which govern our admissions procedures, we do not host multiple assessment days, nor can we move the date or time of the assessment under any circumstances.
Students are expected to make every effort to participate in our assessment. Specific concerns and requests for special accommodations should be sent to Undergraduate Admissions after you have received your invitation.
Invitations to sit the UGAA are usually sent in early March. Applicants who are required to sit the UGAA will be contacted by the Undergraduate Admissions team as soon as the details have been finalised.
Replies must be made promptly to ensure arrangements can be made to access the assessment. The final response deadline will be stipulated on your invitation. If we have not received a response by the stated deadline, you will no longer be eligible to sit the assessment. Please note the UGAA is a compulsory requirement for all students who are invited. We are unable to further consider students who decide not to sit the assessment, as their application will be considered incomplete.
The criteria below provide a rough guide of what the Admissions Selector is looking for from candidates. These elements will be taken into consideration alongside your overall mark and UCAS application form.
Essay
We are looking for an essay that:
- answers the essay question clearly and thoughtfully
- shows an ability to present alternative views and assess them
- contains a well-developed and reasoned argument supported by evidence
- incorporates information from the source texts critically, analytically and selectively
- summarises and paraphrases the source texts accurately and appropriately
- has a logical structure including an effective introduction, conclusion and paragraphs
- makes appropriate use of English including language style, clarity and accuracy
- is at least 500 words long
Mathematics (for all candidates)
- broadly assessed on A level syllabus
- knowledge of the key techniques of differential and integral calculus of a single variable
- an understanding of the meanings of the key concepts in calculus (in particular, the derivative and integral)
- an ability to apply these to solve problems requiring an element of mathematical modelling proficiency in algebra and algebraic manipulation
- competence in using algebra and calculus to solve unfamiliar problems (rather than routine problems)
Results are reviewed in comparison to other similar applicants for your programme; therefore passing the UGAA does not guarantee an offer will be made. The UGAA has a notional pass mark of 60 per cent, including at least 50 per cent in each section. Students applying to programmes with higher entry requirements will usually be expected to achieve more competitive grades
The Admissions Selector’s final decision is based on your overall application, not only on your test performance. This assessment includes a full range of information on the UCAS application form i.e. predicted/achieved grades, contextual information, personal statement, and UCAS reference.
The UGAA does not require any specific preparation; it is designed to test general skills that should be covered in your current or most recent programme of study. We make past papers available so that students can see the level of English and Mathematics that is expected (see below). Note that past papers should be used as a guide for the level of the test, not the exact format of the forthcoming assessment. If you are concerned about a particular part of the UGAA and would like to undertake some preparation, our Admissions Selectors have made some suggestions.