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Information for General Course offer holders

Welcome to the LSE community

 

General Course students have already experienced two years of college and so we are here not only to study important issues, but also to experience a new culture.

Crystal, GC Student 2019-20

 

New students should follow the link below to visit the General Course student homepage. You will need to have complete pre-enrolment and set up your LSE network account in order to access the page.

Click here to visit the student homepage

 


 

Congratulations on your offer to study on the General Course. We can't wait to welcome you on to campus soon!

The information below outlines some of the key things you'll need to do next, as well as what you can expect in the lead up to your arrival.

Your next steps:

Accept your offer on LSE for You

You should accept or decline your offer to study with us online via your LSE for You account. We must receive the form to officially record your acceptance of our offer. 

  • If you do not receive an invite to set up your LSE for You account within two weeks of receiving an offer, please email gc@lse.ac.uk (include your LSE ID number) for support.
  • Accepting your offer is not binding, and should you subsequently wish to decline your offer before registration you will be able to do so without incurring any penalty.
  • There is no formal deadline for accepting your offer, however until you have accepted we cannot continue processing your application which may delay sending important documents.

Read through important information

We strongly recommend that you familiarise yourself with a number of key sources of information.

  • The General Course Offer Pack is your essential guide to finding answers to frequently asked questions and learning more about what to expect during your programme. 
  • The LSE Welcome Guide provides information on what to expect once you arrive in the UK and at LSE. These pages will be updated for the 2024-25 academic year over the summer.

Send us any requested documents

In your offer email we may have let you know that we need additional or official copies of certain documents. It is essential that you provide these as soon as possible as you won't be able to register as an LSE student until we have received and approved them.

  • Check your offer email and ensure that we receive all outstanding documents as soon as possible. 
  • Send official documents and transcripts directly from your institution or study abroad adviser. This includes transcript services such as Parchment or National Student Clearinghouse.
  • Any requested documents should be sent to gc@lse.ac.uk.
  • We cannot accept hard copy documents

Apply for accommodation

LSE accommodation:

All General Course students who have accepted their offer and made their accommodation booking by the deadline of 9 June 2024 are guaranteed a place in LSE or University of London accommodation (subject to availability).

Bookings continue to be accepted after 9 June whilst rooms remain available so offer holders are encouraged to make their booking as soon as possible.

  • Browse and learn more about our available student accommodation on the accommodation webpages.
  • Apply for accommodation using the LSE Student Accommodation System.
  • You must have accepted your offer in order to be considered for guaranteed accommodation.
  • Plan to arrive in London and move into your accommodation by Sunday 22 September 2024. 

Private accommodation:

General Course students can also opt to find housing in the private sector.

  • If you wish to live in private accommodation, please visit our accommodation pages for further information and advice.

Apply for a John C Phelan scholarship 

 

  • Apply by downloading, completing and submitting the General Course Scholarship Application Form by 31 May 2024. If you have any questions please email gc@lse.ac.uk
  • Please ensure that you read the guidance on the last page of the application form.
  • Please return your application form, including an academic reference (this can be the same as the one used on your initial GC application) by email to financial-support@lse.ac.uk by 31 May 2024. We cannot accept hard copy applications.

Complete the Financial Undertaking Form

The Financial Undertaking Form (FUF) tells us who will be paying your LSE tuition fee.

  • You will receive an email requesting that you complete the FUF. Please complete the form as soon as possible once you receive it, as this informs us who should receive the invoice. Please follow the guide here when completing the FUF.
  • Please speak with your study abroad advisor prior to completing the form if you are unsure of how your LSE tuition fee will be paid. If your university will pay your tuition, please provide them with the template letter that they will need to provide you here.
  • If you are applying for scholarships or financial aid, you will still need to complete the form so that we can invoice the correct person. Fill out the details regardless of potential funding, and this can be taken into account if it is granted.
  • You will need to fill out this form before we can issue your CAS number (see 'Applying for a visa' below), which you will need for your visa application.

Apply for a Student Visa from the end of June

Obtaining a visa:

The General Course team is not legally permitted to give you advice on obtaining a visa to enter the UK.

Visit the LSE Student Advice and Engagement Team webpages for information about visas. If you have any questions regarding visas then please contact the team by completing their online enquiry form.

Your CAS number:

Receiving a Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) number is essential before you can complete your visa application. In order to be able to receive your CAS by the earliest possible issue date, ensure that you meet the following criteria:

  • You hold an unconditional offer.
  • You have accepted your offer on LSE for You.
  • You have returned a scanned copy of your passport photo page to gc@lse.ac.uk (we will email you to request this in the coming months).
  • You have completed the Financial Undertaking Form.

Indicate your course preferences

To help us better plan for the coming academic session, we require all General Course offer holders to confirm their course preferences prior to the formal course registration period in September.

  • You will be emailed and asked to complete an online survey to indicate your course preferences. These will then be reviewed and you will be contacted over the summer months should we have any comments or concerns. 
  • The courses you select at this stage will be used to allocate you to an academic department at LSE.
  • Please note that your course preferences are not guaranteed. However, we will do everything possible to ensure that you can join your preferred courses.
  • You will be asked in early September to officially register for your chosen courses.
  • When making your final course choices please consult the Undergraduate Course Catalogue and the additional guidance provided on course levels and economics options.
  • It is your responsibility to ensure that the courses you have chosen fit with your home university’s academic requirements. It is the responsibility of your home institution to determine whether credit will be awarded.

Consider health insurance

You are eligible for National Health Service (NHS) treatment once you have paid the compulsory immigration health surcharge.

Even if you are entitled to free NHS healthcare during your time in the UK, you may like to take out private health insurance. Private health services are often able to offer treatment faster than if you went through the NHS.

There are many companies who provide private healthcare insurance, but LSE is unable to make recommendations about the best provider for your needs.

 Get ready for LSE:

Attend our pre-arrival events

Before you arrive, we'll be hosting informal sessions to help answer your questions and give you the opportunity to meet other General Course offer holders.

You can also look forward to our annual series of Destination LSE events, which allow offer holders from the same international region to connect before arriving at LSE.

Further information will be released in due course.

Connect on social media

See more of life at LSE on social media:

To see what it's like to be a study abroad student at LSE, follow @LSE_GeneralCourse and #LSEStudyAbroad on Instagram.

Watch our offer holder videos

Countdown to LSE

This short video covers everything you need to have done before arriving at LSE. Watch the 2024/25 video on YouTube.

 

General Course Offer Holder Newsletter

We'll be keeping in touch with you via our Offer Holder Newsletters, sharing important information and advice that will help you prepare for your year in London.

These will be sent to your emails directly, but you can view below the ones that have been sent so far:

  • Email 1 - Congratulations on your offer (here)
  • Email 2 - Accommodation (here)
  • Email 3 - Scholarships and Financial Support (here)
  • Email 4 - Exploring London (here)
  • Email 5 - Beyond London (here)
  • Email 6 - Academic Life (here)
  • Email 7 - Social Life (here)
  • Email 8 - Support Services

Ask an Alum (New!)

We are very happy to announce that this year, General Course Offer Holders have the ability to use our Ask an Alum function.

Ask an Alum is a new digital tool that enables General Course Offer Holders and General Course alumni (currently over 5400) to connect with each other to seek advice on a particular topic – from how to start a career in a specific industry to the best tips for relocating to a new city. The tool uses AI to match questions received via a simple online form to the alumni who are best placed to answer them.

Typically, you will receive response within 10 workings days but it is unlikely to take that long. Use the button below to pose your first question!

Ask a Question!

 

Please note that this feature is only available to current General Course Offer Holders and as such you will need to supply your LSE ID when posing a question.

FAQs

  1. WHAT CAN I ASK?
    As an offer holder, you can ask any questions relating to the course, studying at LSE, and what it is like to live and work in London. Once you are studying at LSE, you can use the tool to ask anything to help with your academic or professional development. There are thousands of alumni, academics, staff and friends that can help with building and growing a startup, personal development, or figuring out career options
  2. WHO WILL SEE MY QUESTION?
    We send your request to the best alumni, academics, and staff in your area of interest. Members of staff at LSE, including LSE Careers, may use the content of your question to improve programming. Using this Service will not influence any current or future application to the School. 
  3. WHAT'S A GOOD QUESTION?
    Think of your question as an advertisement. Share who you are, what you are doing, and what you need help with. Keep it short and sweet. Here’s a short video on how to craft a great question that will get you results and help build your network.
  4. CAN I REQUEST SOMEONE SPECIFIC?
    No. We make our matches based on availability, proximity, experience and skills.