You should note that it is your
responsibility to supply two references. Your application will not
be considered until you have done so.
Requirements for 2017/18 entry.
You should arrange to supply two academic
references (from tutors who have taught you at university) as part
of the online process. This is a secure and confidential service
for referees and helps speed up the decision-making process.
If you are offered a place at LSE your
referee may be asked to supply an original reference on headed
university notepaper, and you will be informed in your offer letter
if this is the case.
Please note, submitting references via the
online application system is quicker and easier for everyone,
however if your referee experiences technical difficulties with the
online system they may submit their reference by post or e-mail as
listed below.
By post: A template for references
is available via the following
page of our website. We shall upload the reference to your
application on your behalf.
References must be signed documents on
headed university/institution notepaper (not the supplementary
form), and should be typed in English. We discourage the submission
of handwritten and photocopied references. If your application is
successful, we must receive original or certified signed documents
prior to registration. We will accept a translation, but only if it
has an official stamp from your university or a translation service
and if the original document is also supplied. We will not accept
an unofficial translation. These can be sent to:
Graduate Admissions
The London School of Economics and
Political Science
PO Box 13420
Houghton Street
London
WC2A 2AE
United Kingdom
By email: References can be sent to
graduate.references@lse.ac.uk
They should be sent from your referee's
academic email account. If they are sent from a free email account,
we will ask for a hard copy as described above.
Types of References
Academic references:
- Current students and applicants who graduated after January
2014 must supply two academic references. References should be
from a teaching member of your current (or, if you have graduated,
from your most recent) university department.
- Applicants who graduated before January 2014 may supply
one non-academic reference in place of one of your academic
references. This should normally be a reference from your most
recent employer.
- If you graduated from your most recent academic study before
January 2012 and no academic references are available, you may
supply two professional references. It is in your interests to
supply academic references wherever possible.
Application for Law programmes
should ask at least one referee to indicate their overall ranking
in class either for the final year or, preferably, for the whole
degree. If an exact ranking is not possible the referee should be
asked to give an approximation, for example, 'top ten per
cent'.
Applicants for Executive programmes
should not that all Executive programmes are willing to consider
one academic and one professional reference. Additionally, the
Executive MSc International Strategy and Diplomacy (L2UJ) and
Executive Global MSc Management (N2U9) are will to consider two
professional references.
Professional references
We have a separate set of guidelines for
professional referees which can be found on this
page.
