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Undergraduate
UCAS code:BSc Actuarial Science: N321; BSc Actuarial Science (with a Placement Year): N322
Department of Statistics

BSc Actuarial Science

Enjoy innovative curriculum delivered by experts. Build knowledge towards diverse statistical/actuarial career prospects. Earn professional exams exemption.
BSc Acturarial Science at LSE

Overview

Introduction

The BSc in Actuarial Science at LSE is a programme of study that provides an intriguing blend of statistics, mathematics, finance, and the social sciences. It's designed for students with a strong mathematics aptitude and an interest to learn from a social science perspective that embraces multifaceted interdisciplinary approaches and insights (eg, societal context and ethical dimensions).

Students will learn through an approach characterised by its academic rigour, mathematical focus, and applications to solve important problems and tackle complex challenges especially for insurance, finance, climate change, government, commerce industry, and academic research. It aims to provide students with the intellectual foundation to prepare them for further study, or for professional and managerial careers, particularly in the actuarial profession or in other areas requiring the application of quantitative skills (eg, risk analysis and management; business and investment analysis) to support informed decision-making. Finally, this is a broad-based degree programme within which students may choose to study a specialist area according to their developing interests and career plans.

Many students find and complete work experience in actuarial and financial firms with support from our department and LSE Careers. Typically, our graduates move on to high-earning careers in insurance (life and general), banking, finance, pension, consultancy, and statistics.

This programme is also available with a placement year – BSc Actuarial Science (with a Placement Year) – which can greatly enhance your career prospects and provide invaluable workplace experience. This sets you apart from other graduates in a competitive employment market.

Entry requirements

Here, you can check our entry requirements for GCSEs, A-levels (please read them alongside our information about subject combinations) and the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma. We also consider applications from students with a range of other UK qualifications and from overseas. Please select the overseas button below and choose your country from the dropdown list to find the equivalency to A-levels of your qualification.

Home

We welcome students from all walks of life at LSE. We want to recruit students with the very best academic merit, potential and motivation. So, whatever your background, please do apply. Get all the details on our general entry requirements.

Competition for places at LSE is high. We cannot guarantee you an offer of a place even if you’re predicted or achieve our standard entry requirements.

Our standard offer requirements are intended only as a guide and, in some cases, you’ll be asked for different grades.

Programme content

On this programme, you’ll study 12 units over three years, plus LSE100.

The BSc Actuarial Science (with a Placement Year) runs for four years, with a placement year in Year 3. The programme structure is the same for the other years.

The following will outline the compulsory courses that you'll take on the programme. In addition to these courses, you'll have opportunities to take a good range of optional courses in statistics, mathematics, finance, economics, accounting, and management that are offered at LSE. Due to its diversity, we're not outlining these optional courses here, but information about these courses can be found in the programme regulations.

Year 1

You’ll take two compulsory courses in mathematics and statistics, alongside microeconomics and macroeconomics. Additionally, you’ll take LSE100.

EC1A3
Half unit
EC1B3
Half unit
LSE100
Half unit

Options to the value of one unit

Check the School Calendar

Why study with us

Discover more about our students and department.

Meet the department

The Department of Statistics at LSE is one of the oldest and most distinguished in the UK.

The department has an international reputation for the development of statistical methodology and a long history of pioneering contributions to research and teaching. Many of the world’s most famous and innovative statisticians have been associated with LSE.

Our research spans four main areas – data science, probability in finance and insurance, social statistics, and time series and statistical learning. The department has close links with the Data Science Institute at LSE – an interdisciplinary institute that fosters the study of data science, with a particular emphasis on the social, economic and political contexts.

All aspects of our research were ranked world-leading or internationally excellent in the most recent Research Excellence Framework (2021), submitted jointly with the Department of Mathematics.

The department’s research strengths are reflected in our teaching curriculum. We have a comprehensive range of undergraduate and postgraduate degrees and doctoral research opportunities – hosted in a vibrant department with a supportive and friendly community of staff and students.

Our alumni enjoy successful careers in diverse areas, such as banking, accounting, finance, statistics, government and business consulting while others pursue postgraduate study or research. Our alumni frequently return to LSE to share their career experiences with current students.

Learn more about our programmes and research.

Your application

Overview

We consider each application carefully, taking into account all the details you’ve included on your UCAS form, such as:

You may also have to provide evidence of your English proficiency, although this is not needed at the application stage. See our English language requirements page.

482
Applications
66
Intake
7:1
2022 Ratio

Fees and funding

The table of fees shows the latest tuition fees for all programmes.

You're charged a fee for each year of your programme. Your tuition fee covers registration and examination fees payable to the School, lectures, classes and individual supervision, lectures given at other colleges under intercollegiate arrangements and, under current arrangements, membership of the Students' Union. It doesn't cover living costs or travel or fieldwork.

Home

£9,250

Home student fee per each year of your programme

This is the 2025/26 tuition fee. The home student undergraduate fee may rise in line with inflation in subsequent years.

Placement year

The Home Undergraduate fee for a placement year is set by the UK Office for Students - currently a maximum of 20 per cent of the full-time fee in the year the student starts their programme. For home students starting the BSc Actuarial Science (with a Placement Year) in 2025/26, the fee for the placement year is £1,850.

Learning and assessment

How you learn

Graduate destinations

Overview

Graduates from the programme will be able to work on a range of financial services organisations from companies which operate in the life and general insurance sector through to accounting firms, specialist actuarial consultancies, investment banks , data analytics, statistics, civil service and graduate studies.

Further information on graduate destinations for this programme

Median salary of our undergraduate students 15 months after graduating:

£35,000

Top 5 sectors our students work in:

Financial and Professional Services
Insurance
Information, Digital Technology and Data
Consultancy
Accounting and Auditing
This data is drawn from the 2021/22 Graduate Outcomes Survey, run by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA). Median salaries are calculated for respondents who are paid in UK pounds sterling and in full-time employment.

Discover Uni

Every undergraduate programme of more than one year duration will have Discover Uni data. The data allows you to compare information about individual programmes at different higher education institutions.

Programmes offered by different institutions with similar names can vary quite significantly. We recommend researching the programmes you're interested in and taking into account the programme structure, teaching and assessment methods, and support services available.

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