London School of Economics and Political Science

Background

Located in the heart of central London, Westminster.

Founded by Fabians, Beatrice and Sidney Webb, Graham Wallas and George Bernard Shaw in 1895 to specialise in the advanced study of the social sciences.

LSE has one of the largest concentrations of applied economic, financial and social researchers in the world.

Facts & Figures

4,200 full-time undergraduates and 5,200 full-time postgraduate students from around 145 countries.

38 programmes, allow the combination of different social science subjects.

Subjects include economics, politics and government, history, anthropology, management, law, accounting, finance, international relations, philosophy, geography, social policy and sociology.

65% of the students come from outside the UK.

                                                                                      University Guide for China & Hong Kong Students

Number of Asian students in 2013: Hong Kong (273), Malaysia (268), Singapore (214), China (171), Vietnam (57), Korea (39).

160,000 LSE alumni over 190 countries with more than 80 active alumni groups.

World Ranking

*  THE Rankings 2013/2014        : 24^th

*  QS World Ranking 2013/2014  : 69^th

^*    The Guardians (UK Ranking)   : 3^rd

Top 3 for Economics, Law, Philosophy, History, Geography, Accounting and Finance, Social Policy and European Studies.

An executive global MBA called TRIUM is globally ranked 2^nd by the Financial Times.

It is one of the foremost social science universities in the world, ranked alongside Harvard, UC Berkeley and Stanford.

Famous Alumni

6 Pulitzer Prize winners from 1968 to 2013.

18 Nobel laureates so far, 2 for Literature, 3 for Peace and 13 for Economics from 1972 to 2010 (1 every 2 years after 2000), a few prominent alumni are:

*  1925 : George Bernard Shaw (Literature)

*  1950 : Bertrand Russell (Literature)

*  1977 : James Meade (Economics)

*  1990 : Merton Miller (Economics)

*  1999 : Robert Mundell (Economics)

*  2010 : Christopher A. Pissarides (Economics)

More than 37 Head of State and Governors, including :

*  Canada Prime Minister : Pierre Trudeau (1968–1979; 1980–1984)

*  EU President (1999–2004) and Italian Prime Minister (1996–1998 & 2006–2008) : Romano Prodi

*  India President : KR Narayanan (1997–2002)

*  Italy Prime Minister : Romano Prodi (1996–1998; 2006–2008)

*  Japan Prime Minister : Taro Aso (2008–2009)

*  Malaysia King (Yang di-Pertuan Agong) : Tuanku Jaafar (1994–1999)

*  Singapore Prime Minister : Lee Kuan Yew (1959–1990)

*  Singapore Deputy Prime Minister : Goh Keng Swee (1959–1984)

*  Singapore Deputy Prime Minister : Tharman Shanmugaratnam (2011–Present)

*  Taiwan Premier : Yu Kuo-Hwa (1984–1989)

*  Taiwan Vice-premier : Tsai Ing-wen (2006–2007)

*  United States President : John F Kennedy (1961–1963)

Barack Obama's administration has more LSE alumni than any other university outside the US,  more represented than Yale, Princeton, Stanford and MIT.

ADMISSION

Highly competitve, around 17,000 applications for 1,200 undergraduate places each year.

Basic Requirements

*  3 GCSE A Levels: grade B or above.

*  IELTS: 7.0 overall, and 7.0 in each of the four components.

*  TOEFL: 627 in the PBT or 107 in IBT, with 25 out of 30 in each of the four skills.

*  The International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma

*  At least 4 ‘Group A' Advanced Placement subjects

2013 applicants had an average of 541 UCAS points (equivalent to over AAAA at A level). Hence  meeting or exceeding the minimum entry requirements does not guarantee admission.

Closing date for applications is 15 January in the year of admission.

Hong Kong Students

Hong Kong A levels is equivalent to UK GCE A levels. 3 full A levels.

HKDSE with level four in each core subject, plus specific scores in three electives, ideally in traditional (Category A) subjects (some details involved, please consult your agent).

English Proficiency

*  GCSE English Language : grade B or better.

*  IGCSE : grade B or better.

*  IELTS academic test : 7.0 in all four components.

*  TOEFL : minimum score of 627 in the paper test including 5.5 in writing and 50 in TSE, or 107 in the internet based test with a minimum of 25 out of 30 in each of the four skills.

*  CPE with grade C or better.

*  CAE with a grade B or better.

*  Cambridge English Language (1119) : B4 or better.

*  International Baccalaureate : English A1 or A2 (any grade at Standard of Higher Level) or English B with the maximum score of 7 at Higher level, then could exclude all the above requirements.

There are some details and conditions for the applicable test and scores, please consult your agent.

STUDY

Student Life

Its Public Events Programmes invite some of the most influential figures in the world to give public lectures, including Kofi Annan, Bill Clinton, Nelson Mandela, and former and current UK prime ministers Tony Blair and David Cameron, with free access for students.

A new student centre was built in 2013, named as the Saw Swee Hock Student Centre to unify many student services in one building.

Accommodation

Typical annual cost of university accommodation : £4,700–£7,500

Typical annual cost of private accommodation : £5,700–£8,300

Fees

For 2014 entry, the tuition fee for new overseas (non-EU) undergraduates will be £16,392 per year.

Career

LSE Careers advertises and actively seeks a wide range of part-time jobs which are suitable for current students, as well as graduate positions.

Opportunities are frequently advertised for paid internships or voluntary work.

It provides a varied and comprehensive careers guidance and employment service for students, including face-to-face appointments, seminars, employer presentations and careers fairs.

Its alumni occupy prominent positions in global companies and organisations, and its graduates receive, on average, the highest starting salary of those from any UK university.

For further details and assistance, please consult Education Ladder via email info@education-ladder.com or call 5486 4753.