Key Information

It is important that you are fully registered with LSE during your time here. When you register for the first time you will need to attend in person, show us various documents and collect your LSE Card. Usually you can re-register for subsequent years of study online but sometimes we may need to see you in person again. For more information visit lse.ac.uk/registration.

Your LSE card provides access to buildings and acts as your Library card. It is important that you keep it safe and never share it with anybody else. If your LSE card is lost, stolen or damaged visit lse.ac.uk/studentIdCards to find out how to get a replacement. 

If you have a disability, long-term medical or mental health condition you are advised to apply for an Inclusion Plan (IP) as soon possible. The sooner that you let the Disability and Wellbeing Service (DWS) know about your condition the sooner they can work with you to put appropriate support in place. Advisers in DWS can potentially set up one-to-one learning support, mentoring and help you access assistive technology designed to remove barriers to studying. To find out how to apply for an Inclusion Plan visit lse.ac.uk/inclusionPlans.

A certificate of registration provides proof to organistations, such as council tax offices, embassies and banks, that you are registered as a current student at LSE. For more information about what a certificate of registration shows visit lse.ac.uk/studentletters.  You can obtain a certificate of registration from the Student Services Centre during our opening hours (normally 11am to 4pm, Monday to Friday). Your department will not be able to produce a certificate of registration for you. If you are planning to use this document to open a bank account you will need to specify which bank it needs to be addressed to.

The Student Services Centre also offer a range of other documents to prove your student status including certificates of course choice and intermediate transcripts. Some can be produced immediately and others need to be ordered in advance. For more information about the options available please visit lse.ac.uk/studentStatusDocuments.

You can take a year-long break in your studies (which we call an interruption) with approval from your department. You are usually required to return at the start of either Autumn Term or Winter as appropriate. Spring Term interruptions are not possible. For more information visit lse.ac.uk/interruptions. 

You can request to transfer from your current programme to another programme at the same level according to the School’s regulations. There are usually restrictions or conditions on transferring programmes, and sometimes transfers are not possible. All transfer requests are considered by, and require approval from, both your current and new academic department and the School before being authorised. For more information visit lse.ac.uk/programmeTransfers. 

If you are studying a Masters programme, and your circumstances change, meaning that you need to adjust your study from full-time to part-time, you will need to seek authorisation from your academic department. Changing from full-time to part-time study is generally acceptable, and your course selection will be amended according to programme regulations. Your fees will also be amended. Changing from part-time to full-time may not always be possible and requests will be considered on a case-by-case basis. It is not normally possible to study an undergraduate programme on a part-time basis. For more information visit lse.ac.uk/changeMode.

Withdrawing means that you are leaving your programme permanently. Before withdrawing you may want to consider interruption so that you have some time to consider your options. For more information visit lse.ac.uk/withdrawal.

You should familiarise yourself with the LSE regulations, policies and procedures that cover many aspects of student life.

Some of the regulations explain the organisation and conduct of your academic study. These include information about the structure of your programmes, assessment and graduation and what to do if you face exceptional circumstances.

You can find links to the Regulations for First Degrees; Regulations for Diplomas; Regulations for Taught Masters Degrees; Appeals Regulations; and Regulations on assessment offences other than plagiarism in the LSE Calendar at lse.ac.uk/calendar.

You can find a full A-Z listing of all of LSE’s policies and procedures online at lse.ac.uk/policies.