LSE Acceptance Rate: Full Admissions Statistics 2026
LSE received 29,653 undergraduate applications for just 1,953 places in the 2025/26 cycle, made 4,769 offers, and admitted roughly one applicant in fifteen. That gives an offer rate of 16.1% and an acceptance rate of 6.6%, and both describe the same intake. Below the headline, the landscape is more nuanced, and this page aims to present exactly that.
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What LSE’s acceptance rate actually measures
LSE publishes applications, offers and acceptances separately, so two different rates can be calculated from the same intake, and both get quoted as the acceptance rate:
The offer rate is offers divided by applications: 16.1% for 2025/26. The acceptance rate is the students who actually take up a place divided by applications: 6.6%. The acceptance rate is always the lower of the two, because LSE makes more offers than it has places and many offer holders go elsewhere. The widely quoted “LSE accepts about 6%” is that second figure: 1,900 places against roughly 30,000 applications. Both describe the same admissions round, and quoting one without saying which is the commonest error in published LSE statistics.
LSE states the practical consequence plainly on its admissions pages: meeting or exceeding the entry requirements does not guarantee an offer, and every year it turns down large numbers of well-qualified applicants.
The most competitive courses at LSE
Offer rate is the sharpest measure of how hard a course is to get into. On this measure Finance is the most competitive degree at LSE, making 119 offers against 1,526 applications.
| Programme | Applications | Offers | Offer rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Finance | 1,526 | 119 | 7.8% |
| International Social and Public Policy with Economics | 369 | 29 | 7.9% |
| Politics and International Relations | 1,100 | 90 | 8.2% |
| Accounting and Finance | 2,850 | 283 | 9.9% |
| Mathematics and Economics | 896 | 89 | 9.9% |
| Anthropology and Law | 301 | 30 | 10.0% |
| Economics and Economic History | 544 | 59 | 10.8% |
| Politics and Economics | 1,221 | 140 | 11.5% |
| Financial Mathematics and Statistics | 634 | 74 | 11.7% |
| Environment and Sustainable Development with Economics | 274 | 33 | 12.0% |
The most applied-to courses
Application volume is a different ranking from competitiveness, and the two come apart sharply. Law attracts the most applicants of any LSE degree, but its offer rate of 16.2% is roughly twice as generous as Finance.
| Programme | Applications | Offers | Offer rate | Acceptances |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Law (LLB) | 3,102 | 504 | 16.2% | 193 |
| Economics | 2,885 | 412 | 14.3% | 218 |
| Accounting and Finance | 2,850 | 283 | 9.9% | 155 |
| Management | 2,407 | 349 | 14.5% | 163 |
| Finance | 1,526 | 119 | 7.8% | 69 |
| Politics and Economics | 1,221 | 140 | 11.5% | 71 |
| Philosophy Politics and Economics | 1,183 | 171 | 14.5% | 48 |
| Psychological and Behavioural Science | 1,125 | 245 | 21.8% | 64 |
| Politics and International Relations | 1,100 | 90 | 8.2% | 34 |
| Mathematics and Economics | 896 | 89 | 9.9% | 60 |
Largest course by intake
Intake size is the third ranking, and it matters for a reason applicants rarely consider: a larger cohort means more places to go round, and it changes the experience of the degree itself. Only four LSE degrees admit more than 100 students a year.
| Programme | Acceptances | Applications | Offer rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Economics | 218 | 2,885 | 14.3% |
| Law (LLB) | 193 | 3,102 | 16.2% |
| Management | 163 | 2,407 | 14.5% |
| Accounting and Finance | 155 | 2,850 | 9.9% |
| Politics and Economics | 71 | 1,221 | 11.5% |
| Finance | 69 | 1,526 | 7.8% |
| Psychological and Behavioural Science | 64 | 1,125 | 21.8% |
| International Relations | 60 | 830 | 21.9% |
Offer rates by department
Departments group several degrees together, so the pattern is smoother than at programme level, but the spread is still fivefold from top to bottom.
| Department | Apps | Offers | Acceptances | Offer rate | Acceptance rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Finance | 1,526 | 119 | 69 | 7.8% | 4.5% |
| Accounting | 2,850 | 283 | 155 | 9.9% | 5.4% |
| Mathematics | 2,672 | 352 | 168 | 13.2% | 6.3% |
| Economics | 3,116 | 412 | 218 | 13.2% | 7.0% |
| Government | 2,943 | 421 | 176 | 14.3% | 6.0% |
| Management | 2,407 | 349 | 163 | 14.5% | 6.8% |
| Philosophy, Logic and Scientific Method | 1,754 | 266 | 91 | 15.2% | 5.2% |
| Social Policy | 936 | 148 | 60 | 15.8% | 6.4% |
| Economic History | 979 | 155 | 76 | 15.8% | 7.8% |
| Law School | 3,102 | 504 | 193 | 16.2% | 6.2% |
| Statistics | 1,549 | 302 | 148 | 19.5% | 9.6% |
| Geography and Environment | 1,238 | 249 | 86 | 20.1% | 6.9% |
| Psychological and Behavioural Science | 1,125 | 245 | 64 | 21.8% | 5.7% |
| International Relations | 830 | 182 | 60 | 21.9% | 7.2% |
| International History | 1,270 | 336 | 107 | 26.5% | 8.4% |
| Sociology | 428 | 114 | 39 | 26.6% | 9.1% |
| Anthropology | 680 | 232 | 58 | 34.1% | 8.5% |
| Language Centre | 248 | 100 | 22 | 40.3% | 8.9% |
Home vs international applicants
LSE recruits more internationally than almost any other UK university, and the assumption among applicants is that overseas candidates face a steeper bar. The data does not support it. Applicants from Hong Kong, Malaysia, Australia, China, Japan, Singapore and South Korea all receive offers at a higher rate than British applicants do.
| Nationality | Applications | Offers counted | Offer rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| British | 11,088 | 2,051 | 18.5% |
| Chinese | 4,103 | 783 | 19.1% |
| Indian | 2,171 | 217 | 10.0% |
| American | 1,124 | 111 | 9.9% |
| Singaporean | 1,105 | 196 | 17.7% |
| French | 910 | 142 | 15.6% |
| Hong Kong | 786 | 168 | 21.4% |
| Malaysian | 510 | 104 | 20.4% |
| German | 493 | 73 | 14.8% |
| Canadian | 439 | 68 | 15.5% |
| Italian | 402 | 56 | 13.9% |
| Pakistani | 401 | 59 | 14.7% |
| Turkish | 328 | 24 | 7.3% |
| Spanish | 313 | 40 | 12.8% |
| South Korean | 292 | 50 | 17.1% |
| Ukrainian | 251 | 17 | 6.8% |
| Irish | 247 | 28 | 11.3% |
| Australian | 236 | 47 | 19.9% |
| Polish | 233 | 39 | 16.7% |
| Romanian | 205 | 25 | 12.2% |
| All other nationalities combined | 4,016 | 471 | 11.7% |
| LSE total | 29,653 | 4,769 | 16.1% |
The pattern that emerges is not home versus overseas at all. Hong Kong applicants have the highest offer rate of any sizeable nationality at 21.4%, ahead of British applicants at 18.5%. Malaysia (20.4%), Australia (19.9%), China (19.1%), Japan (18.0%), Singapore (17.7%) and South Korea (17.1%) all sit at or above the British rate. Meanwhile India (10.0%), the United States (9.9%), Turkey (7.3%) and Ukraine (6.8%) sit far below it.
Applying from outside the UK? These figures show that overseas applicants are not held to a higher bar, but they do face a harder process. UCAS, the personal statement, the reference and LSE’s admissions tests all work differently from the systems most international families know, and the deadlines fall earlier than they expect. It is the unfamiliarity that costs places, not the standard, which is why most applicants applying from abroad get someone who has been through it on their side.
See how our UK admissions support works →
East and Southeast Asian applicants are, on this evidence, the most successful group applying to LSE, and by a wide margin over North America. The likeliest explanation is not preference but preparation and course choice: these are the applicant pools most likely to be applying with the mathematics background LSE’s most competitive degrees expect. Nationality is a far weaker signal than course choice in any case: the spread here is fifteen percentage points, while the spread between Finance and the Language Centre is thirty-two.
What has changed since 2021
This is the part no one else publishes. Every other source reports a single year, so the direction of travel is invisible. Across five cycles the movement inside LSE has been dramatic, and in one case it reverses the received wisdom entirely.
Economics has become substantially easier to get an offer for. Applications fell from 4,107 to 2,885, a drop of 30%, while LSE increased offers from 335 to 412. The offer rate went from 8.2% to 14.3%, and the course that was once the hardest at LSE is now more forgiving than Government or Management. Finance has moved the other way, absorbing much of the demand Economics lost.
| Programme | 2021/22 apps | 2025/26 apps | Change | Offer rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Finance | 882 | 1,526 | +73% | 10.3% → 7.8% |
| Psychological and Behavioural Science | 670 | 1,125 | +68% | 16.7% → 21.8% |
| Geography with Economics | 208 | 325 | +56% | 21.6% → 19.4% |
| Financial Mathematics and Statistics | 414 | 634 | +53% | 13.5% → 11.7% |
| Accounting and Finance | 1,881 | 2,850 | +52% | 9.4% → 9.9% |
| Economics | 4,107 | 2,885 | −30% | 8.2% → 14.3% |
| Actuarial Science | 478 | 345 | −28% | 25.9% → 33.6% |
| Sociology | 525 | 428 | −18% | 21.3% → 26.6% |
The same five years, drawn. Economics is the red line: it began the period as the most applied-to degree at LSE by a clear margin and ends it third, overtaken by Law and almost caught by Accounting and Finance.
TMUA scores: what offer holders actually achieved
LSE requires the TMUA for Economics and for Econometrics and Mathematical Economics for 2027 entry, and recommends it for eight further quantitative degrees. On the FOI data we hold for the 2025 cycle, this is the most score-selective field in the country.
| Programme | Median applicant | Median offer holder | Middle 50% of offer holders |
|---|---|---|---|
| Economics | 6.7 | 7.1 | 6.5 – 7.4 |
| Mathematics with Economics | – | 7.35 | – |
Two things stand out. The median applicant to Economics scored 6.7, which would be a strong result almost anywhere else, and the median offer holder scored 7.1. But the lowest successful applicant scored 3.9, so the test is clearly not used as a threshold. Treat 7.0 and above as the realistic benchmark and a lower score as a headwind rather than a verdict.
The TMUA is optional for LSE Mathematics degrees rather than required, and LSE has never published what difference it makes. Two Freedom of Information responses do. The 2024/25 release splits offers between applicants who sat the test and those who did not, and it settles the question: the majority of offer holders on all three degrees had taken it.
Preparing for the TMUA
Offer holders on these three degrees averaged between 6.6 and 7.4, against a national median of roughly 4.0 to 4.5. Sit a full paper under timed conditions and find out where you actually land before you commit a UCAS choice to a course that expects it.
Take a free TMUA practice testOr talk to us about TMUA preparation →| Programme (2024/25) | Applications | Offers, TMUA taken | Offers, no TMUA | Mean TMUA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mathematics with Economics | 387 | 48 | 29 | 7.4 |
| Mathematics and Economics | 769 | 69 | 25 | 6.6 |
| Financial Mathematics and Statistics | 497 | 36 | 27 | 6.9 |
Between 57% and 73% of offer holders had sat the TMUA depending on the degree, and mean scores among them ran from 6.6 to 7.4. An earlier response covering the Mathematics department gives the trend: the mean among offer holders was 6.45 in 2020/21 and 6.55 in 2021/22, against 7.4 for Mathematics with Economics in 2024/25. The bar has risen as the test has become better known.
Entry requirements and contextual offers, every degree
LSE publishes a standard offer and a lower contextual offer for every degree on its individual course pages, but never collects them anywhere. Below are all 42 undergraduate programmes side by side, with the applicant-to-place ratio LSE states for each. The contextual offer is typically one to two grades below the standard one, and it is the most under-used piece of information in LSE admissions.
| Programme | Applications | Applicants per place | Standard offer | Contextual offer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Politics and International Relations | 1,100 | 33:1 | AAA | AAB |
| Environment and Sustainable Development with Economics | 274 | 27:1 | AAA, with an A in Mathematics | ABB, with an A in Mathematics |
| International Social and Public Policy with Economics | 369 | 26:1 | AAA, with an A in Mathematics | AAB, with an A in Mathematics |
| Data Science | 482 | 24:1 | A*AA, with an A* in Mathematics | A*AB with an A* in Mathematics |
| Philosophy Politics and Economics | 1,183 | 24:1 | A*AA, with an A* in Mathematics | AAA with an A in Mathematics |
| Finance | 1,526 | 22:1 | A*AA, with an A* in Mathematics | A*AB with an A* in Mathematics |
| Mathematics with Data Science | 634 | 21:1 | A*AA, with an A* in Mathematics | A*AB with an A* in Mathematics |
| Accounting and Finance | 2,849 | 18:1 | A*AA with A in Mathematics | AAA with A in Mathematics |
| Anthropology and Law | 301 | 17:1 | AAB | ABB |
| History and Politics | 462 | 17:1 | AAA | AAB |
| Philosophy Logic and Scientific Method | 170 | 17:1 | AAA | AAB |
| Politics and Economics | 1,221 | 17:1 | AAA, including Mathematics | AAB, including A in Mathematics |
| Psychological and Behavioural Science | 1,125 | 17:1 | A*AA, including at least one of Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Mathematics, Psychology | AAA, including at least one of Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Mathematics, Psychology |
| Law (LLB) | 3,102 | 16:1 | A*AA | – |
| Economics and Economic History | 544 | 15:1 | AAA, including Economics or History, and an A in Mathematics | AAB, including Economics or History, and an A in Mathematics |
| Management | 2,407 | 15:1 | AAA, including an A in Mathematics | AAB including an A in Mathematics |
| Mathematics and Economics | 896 | 15:1 | A*AA, with an A* in Mathematics | A*AB with an A* in Mathematics |
| Mathematics with Economics | 508 | 15:1 | A*AA, with an A* in Mathematics | A*AB with an A* in Mathematics |
| Financial Mathematics and Statistics | 634 | 14:1 | A*AA, with an A* in Mathematics | A*AB with an A* in Mathematics |
| International Relations | 830 | 14:1 | AAA | AAB |
| Social Anthropology (BSc) | 127 | 14:1 | AAB | ABC |
| Geography | 430 | 13:1 | AAA | ABB |
| Economics | 2,885 | 13:1 | A*AA with an A* in Mathematics | A*AB with an A* in Mathematics |
| Environment and Sustainable Development | 209 | 13:1 | AAA | ABB |
| International Relations and Chinese | – | 13:1 | AAA | AAB |
| Geography with Economics | 325 | 12:1 | AAA, including an A in Mathematics | ABB, including an A in Mathematics |
| International Social and Public Policy | 347 | 12:1 | AAB | BBB |
| International Social and Public Policy with Politics | 220 | 12:1 | AAB | ABB |
| Philosophy and Economics | 401 | 12:1 | AAA, with an A in Mathematics | AAB with an A in Mathematics |
| History | 522 | 11:1 | AAA | AAB |
| Economic History and Geography | 123 | 11:1 | AAB, including Economics or History | ABB, including Economics or History |
| Language Culture and Society | 169 | 11:1 | AAB | ABB |
| Actuarial Science (with a Placement Year) | 179 | 10:1 | A*AA, with an A* in Mathematics | A*AB with an A* in Mathematics |
| Economic History | 312 | 10:1 | AAA, including Economics or History | AAB, including Economics or History |
| Mathematics Statistics and Business | 543 | 10:1 | A*AA, with an A* in Mathematics | A*AB with an A* in Mathematics |
| Sociology | 428 | 10:1 | AAB | ABB |
| Politics | 319 | 9:1 | AAA | AAB |
| Politics and Philosophy | 301 | 9:1 | AAA | AAB |
| Social Anthropology (BA) | 252 | 8:1 | AAB | ABC |
| International Relations and History | 286 | 8:1 | AAA | AAB |
| Actuarial Science | 345 | 6:1 | A*AA, with an A* in Mathematics | A*AB with an A* in Mathematics |
| Econometrics and Mathematical Economics | – | – | A*AA with an A* in Mathematics | A*AB with an A* in Mathematics |
What this means for your application
Competition at LSE is severe, and the numbers do not soften on closer inspection. Around fifteen people apply for every place across the School. On sixteen programmes the figure is higher than that, on seven of them it is above twenty, and Politics and International Relations runs at more than thirty applicants per place. Applications have risen 14% in four years; LSE has expanded its intake by a similar margin, which has held that pressure constant rather than eased it.
What that means in practice is that the things applicants think of as their strengths are usually just the baseline. Predicted grades at or above the standard offer, a considered personal statement, a strong reference. Almost everyone who is rejected had those too. The margin sits in decisions made before any of it is written: which programme you apply to, whether you understand what that department actually assesses, and how seriously you treat an admissions test like the TMUA, where LSE offer holders averaged between 6.6 and 7.4 against a national median nearer 4.
That is a great deal to judge on your own. If you are in a position to get expert help, this is the kind of process where it earns its keep. Our consultants are Oxbridge and LSE graduates who have been through the same admissions round from the inside, and they work with applicants on course choice, the personal statement and admissions test preparation. See how our UK admissions support works →
Find this article useful? Check out our other resources for LSE applicants.
TMUA Practice Tests
LSE requires the TMUA for Economics. Sit a full paper under timed conditions with original questions.
Oxford & Cambridge Statistics
The same course-by-course and college-by-college tables, for Oxford and Cambridge.
Personal Statement Guide
Learn how to structure and write a UCAS personal statement that shows how you think.
Full data
Every LSE undergraduate programme, department and nationality in the 2025/26 cycle, not just the figures we picked out above. Sort any column by clicking its heading, or search by name. Offer rate and acceptance rate are shown separately because they answer different questions: how likely you are to receive an offer, and how likely you are to end up with a place.
Every undergraduate programme, 2025/26
| Programme▲▼ | Applications▲▼ | Offers▲▼ | Offer rate▲▼ | Acceptances▲▼ | Acceptance rate▲▼ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Law (LLB) | 3,102 | 504 | 16.2% | 193 | 6.2% |
| Economics | 2,885 | 412 | 14.3% | 218 | 7.6% |
| Accounting and Finance | 2,850 | 283 | 9.9% | 155 | 5.4% |
| Management | 2,407 | 349 | 14.5% | 163 | 6.8% |
| Finance | 1,526 | 119 | 7.8% | 69 | 4.5% |
| Politics and Economics | 1,221 | 140 | 11.5% | 71 | 5.8% |
| Philosophy Politics and Economics | 1,183 | 171 | 14.5% | 48 | 4.1% |
| Psychological and Behavioural Science | 1,125 | 245 | 21.8% | 64 | 5.7% |
| Politics and International Relations | 1,100 | 90 | 8.2% | 34 | 3.1% |
| Mathematics and Economics | 896 | 89 | 9.9% | 60 | 6.7% |
| International Relations | 830 | 182 | 21.9% | 60 | 7.2% |
| Financial Mathematics and Statistics | 634 | 74 | 11.7% | 45 | 7.1% |
| Mathematics with Data Science | 634 | 111 | 17.5% | 30 | 4.7% |
| Economics and Economic History | 544 | 59 | 10.8% | 36 | 6.6% |
| Mathematics Statistics and Business | 543 | 88 | 16.2% | 55 | 10.1% |
| History | 522 | 186 | 35.6% | 46 | 8.8% |
| Mathematics with Economics | 508 | 78 | 15.4% | 33 | 6.5% |
| Data Science | 482 | 66 | 13.7% | 20 | 4.1% |
| History and Politics | 462 | 72 | 15.6% | 26 | 5.6% |
| Geography | 430 | 110 | 25.6% | 33 | 7.7% |
| Sociology | 428 | 114 | 26.6% | 39 | 9.1% |
| Philosophy and Economics | 401 | 55 | 13.7% | 33 | 8.2% |
| International Social and Public Policy with Economics | 369 | 29 | 7.9% | 14 | 3.8% |
| International Social and Public Policy | 347 | 80 | 23.1% | 28 | 8.1% |
| Actuarial Science | 345 | 116 | 33.6% | 52 | 15.1% |
| Geography with Economics | 325 | 63 | 19.4% | 27 | 8.3% |
| Politics | 319 | 94 | 29.5% | 37 | 11.6% |
| Economic History | 312 | 63 | 20.2% | 30 | 9.6% |
| Anthropology and Law | 301 | 30 | 10.0% | 18 | 6.0% |
| Politics and Philosophy | 301 | 97 | 32.2% | 34 | 11.3% |
| International Relations and History | 286 | 78 | 27.3% | 35 | 12.2% |
| Environment and Sustainable Development with Economics | 274 | 33 | 12.0% | 10 | 3.6% |
| Social Anthropology (BA) | 252 | 131 | 52.0% | 31 | 12.3% |
| Econometrics and Mathematical Economics | 231 | 0 | n/a | 0 | n/a |
| International Social and Public Policy with Politics | 220 | 39 | 17.7% | 18 | 8.2% |
| Environment and Sustainable Development | 209 | 43 | 20.6% | 16 | 7.7% |
| Actuarial Science (with a Placement Year) | 179 | 32 | 17.9% | 21 | 11.7% |
| Philosophy Logic and Scientific Method | 170 | 40 | 23.5% | 10 | 5.9% |
| Language Culture and Society | 169 | 71 | 42.0% | 16 | 9.5% |
| Social Anthropology (BSc) | 127 | 71 | 55.9% | 9 | 7.1% |
| Economic History and Geography | 123 | 33 | 26.8% | 10 | 8.1% |
| International Relations and Chinese | 79 | 29 | 36.7% | 6 | 7.6% |
| Politics and Data Science | * | 0 | n/a | 0 | n/a |
| All programmes | 29,651 | 4,769 | 16.1% | 1,953 | 6.6% |
Applications by cycle, 2021/22 to 2025/26
| Programme▲▼ | 2021/22▲▼ | 2022/23▲▼ | 2023/24▲▼ | 2024/25▲▼ | 2025/26▲▼ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Law (LLB) | 2,667 | 2,664 | 2,653 | 2,964 | 3,102 |
| Economics | 4,107 | 3,927 | 3,617 | 3,731 | 2,885 |
| Accounting and Finance | 1,881 | 1,962 | 1,929 | 2,283 | 2,850 |
| Management | 2,303 | 2,243 | 1,994 | 2,123 | 2,407 |
| Finance | 882 | 1,133 | 1,058 | 1,113 | 1,526 |
| Politics and Economics | 856 | 791 | 789 | 898 | 1,221 |
| Philosophy Politics and Economics | 1,102 | 1,004 | 1,039 | 1,094 | 1,183 |
| Psychological and Behavioural Science | 670 | 788 | 762 | 917 | 1,125 |
| Politics and International Relations | 1,072 | 1,012 | 982 | 1,112 | 1,100 |
| Mathematics and Economics | 602 | 620 | 707 | 765 | 896 |
| International Relations | 849 | 778 | 767 | 758 | 830 |
| Financial Mathematics and Statistics | 414 | 468 | 422 | 494 | 634 |
| Mathematics with Data Science | n/a | n/a | 366 | 482 | 634 |
| Economics and Economic History | 566 | 536 | 407 | 434 | 544 |
| Mathematics Statistics and Business | 569 | 595 | 521 | 721 | 543 |
| History | 455 | 509 | 532 | 503 | 522 |
| Mathematics with Economics | 384 | 379 | 311 | 380 | 508 |
| Data Science | 460 | 566 | 557 | 633 | 482 |
| History and Politics | n/a | 463 | 481 | 412 | 462 |
| Geography | 359 | 361 | 403 | 377 | 430 |
| Sociology | 525 | 567 | 597 | 528 | 428 |
| Philosophy and Economics | 288 | 269 | 294 | 334 | 401 |
| International Social and Public Policy with Economics | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | 369 |
| International Social and Public Policy | 246 | 253 | 272 | 253 | 347 |
| Actuarial Science | 478 | 462 | 348 | 416 | 345 |
| Geography with Economics | 208 | 293 | 279 | 272 | 325 |
| Politics | 322 | 327 | 306 | 308 | 319 |
| Economic History | 352 | 359 | 379 | 267 | 312 |
| Anthropology and Law | 249 | 328 | 302 | 250 | 301 |
| Politics and Philosophy | 263 | 313 | 324 | 319 | 301 |
| International Relations and History | 280 | 251 | 256 | 260 | 286 |
| Environment and Sustainable Development with Economics | n/a | n/a | 259 | 273 | 274 |
| Social Anthropology (BA) | 202 | 245 | 248 | 232 | 252 |
| Econometrics and Mathematical Economics | 260 | 286 | 271 | 301 | 231 |
| International Social and Public Policy with Politics | 256 | 229 | 261 | 238 | 220 |
| Environment and Sustainable Development | n/a | n/a | 276 | 206 | 209 |
| Actuarial Science (with a Placement Year) | n/a | n/a | 134 | 199 | 179 |
| Philosophy Logic and Scientific Method | 141 | 137 | 187 | 179 | 170 |
| Language Culture and Society | 193 | 181 | 195 | 213 | 169 |
| Social Anthropology (BSc) | 157 | 100 | 122 | 105 | 127 |
| Economic History and Geography | 80 | 85 | 132 | 175 | 123 |
| International Relations and Chinese | 121 | 133 | 112 | 111 | 79 |
| Economic History with Economics | 17 | * | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Economics with Economic History | 6 | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Environment and Development | 235 | 220 | 11 | n/a | n/a |
| Environmental Policy with Economics | 158 | 209 | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| International Social and Public Policy and Economics | 406 | 466 | 444 | 515 | n/a |
| Politics and Data Science | n/a | 217 | 140 | 91 | * |
| Politics and History | 400 | 12 | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| All undergraduate degrees | 26,041 | 26,741 | 26,446 | 28,239 | 29,651 |
Every department, 2023/24 to 2025/26
| Department▲▼ | 2025/26 apps▲▼ | 2025/26 rate▲▼ | 2024/25 apps▲▼ | 2024/25 rate▲▼ | 2023/24 apps▲▼ | 2023/24 rate▲▼ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Economics | 3,116 | 13.2% | 4,032 | 10.6% | 3,888 | 9.6% |
| Law School | 3,102 | 16.2% | 2,964 | 14.8% | 2,653 | 15.4% |
| Government | 2,943 | 14.3% | 2,728 | 14.7% | 2,541 | 15.8% |
| Accounting | 2,850 | 9.9% | 2,283 | 13.1% | 1,929 | 13.7% |
| Mathematics | 2,672 | 13.2% | 2,121 | 15.3% | 1,806 | 15.6% |
| Management | 2,407 | 14.5% | 2,123 | 14.3% | 1,994 | 15.3% |
| Philosophy Logic and Scientific Method | 1,754 | 15.2% | 1,607 | 15.2% | 1,520 | 15.6% |
| Statistics | 1,549 | 19.5% | 1,969 | 14.6% | 1,560 | 18.4% |
| Finance | 1,526 | 7.8% | 1,113 | 9.7% | 1,058 | 11.6% |
| International History | 1,270 | 26.5% | 1,175 | 32.6% | 1,269 | 30.7% |
| Geography and Environment | 1,238 | 20.1% | 1,128 | 22.4% | 1,228 | 19.8% |
| Psychological and Behavioural Science | 1,125 | 21.8% | 917 | 23.3% | 762 | 24.8% |
| Economic History | 979 | 15.8% | 876 | 17.2% | 918 | 14.2% |
| Social Policy | 936 | 15.8% | 1,006 | 14.9% | 977 | 14.0% |
| International Relations | 830 | 21.9% | 758 | 22.2% | 767 | 18.4% |
| Anthropology | 680 | 34.1% | 587 | 39.4% | 672 | 31.0% |
| Sociology | 428 | 26.6% | 528 | 21.4% | 597 | 16.4% |
| Language Centre | 248 | 40.3% | 324 | 34.0% | 307 | 35.5% |
| All departments | 29,653 | 16.1% | 28,239 | 16.3% | 26,446 | 16.4% |
Every nationality, 2025/26
| Nationality▲▼ | Applications▲▼ | Offers▲▼ | Offer rate▲▼ | Acceptances▲▼ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| British | 11,088 | 2,051 | 18.5% | 831 |
| Chinese | 4,103 | 783 | 19.1% | 328 |
| Indian | 2,171 | 217 | 10.0% | 110 |
| American | 1,124 | 111 | 9.9% | 29 |
| Singaporean | 1,105 | 196 | 17.7% | 91 |
| French | 910 | 142 | 15.6% | 51 |
| Hong Kong | 786 | 168 | 21.4% | 61 |
| Malaysian | 510 | 104 | 20.4% | 68 |
| German | 493 | 73 | 14.8% | 26 |
| Canadian | 439 | 68 | 15.5% | 19 |
| Italian | 402 | 56 | 13.9% | 23 |
| Pakistani | 401 | 59 | 14.7% | 13 |
| Turkish | 328 | 24 | 7.3% | 9 |
| Spanish | 313 | 40 | 12.8% | 13 |
| South Korean | 292 | 50 | 17.1% | 22 |
| Ukrainian | 251 | 17 | 6.8% | 9 |
| Irish | 247 | 28 | 11.3% | 9 |
| Australian | 236 | 47 | 19.9% | 23 |
| Polish | 233 | 39 | 16.7% | 15 |
| Romanian | 205 | 25 | 12.2% | 11 |
| Russian | 170 | 14 | 8.2% | 5 |
| Portuguese | 124 | 14 | 11.3% | * |
| Saudi | 121 | * | n/a | * |
| Indonesian | 115 | 19 | 16.5% | 9 |
| Greek | 111 | 22 | 19.8% | 13 |
| Japanese | 111 | 20 | 18.0% | 5 |
| Dutch | 110 | 16 | 14.5% | 5 |
| Nigerian | 105 | 11 | 10.5% | 6 |
| Swedish | 98 | 17 | 17.3% | 6 |
| Swiss | 96 | 14 | 14.6% | 6 |
| Thai | 94 | 28 | 29.8% | 13 |
| Kazakhstani | 92 | 8 | 8.7% | * |
| Brazilian | 91 | 12 | 13.2% | * |
| Bulgarian | 89 | 12 | 13.5% | * |
| Moroccan | 89 | * | n/a | * |
| Cypriot (EU) | 85 | 12 | 14.1% | 7 |
| Taiwanese | 80 | 8 | 10.0% | * |
| Mauritian | 79 | 11 | 13.9% | 6 |
| Austrian | 76 | 8 | 10.5% | * |
| Belgian | 76 | 10 | 13.2% | 5 |
| Norwegian | 76 | 12 | 15.8% | * |
| Vietnamese | 74 | 19 | 25.7% | 11 |
| Egyptian | 73 | * | n/a | * |
| Uzbek | 65 | * | n/a | 0 |
| Bangladeshi | 64 | 6 | 9.4% | * |
| Czech | 61 | 12 | 19.7% | * |
| Lithuanian | 61 | 8 | 13.1% | * |
| Hungarian | 60 | 10 | 16.7% | * |
| Mexican | 52 | * | n/a | 0 |
| Lebanese | 51 | * | n/a | 0 |
| Nationalities listed | 28,286 | 4,621 | 16.3% | 1,858 |
Comparing systems? We publish the equivalent figures for Imperial, UCL, Oxford and Cambridge, and US universities, including every Ivy League institution, Stanford, MIT and Caltech. If you are weighing the two, Oxbridge or the Ivy League compares what each system is actually looking for.
London School of Economics: Admissions information, read 31 August 2026 (around 30,000 applications for 1,900 places, 2025 entry).
LSE Planning Division: Applications, Offers and Entrants, Tableau Public, last published 11 June 2026.
Freedom of Information release to Clavis Education covering LSE TMUA scores for the 2025 entry cycle.
Frequently asked questions
About 6.3% of applicants take up a place: LSE received roughly 30,000 applications for 1,900 places in 2025. That is an acceptance rate. LSE’s offer rate is materially higher, because it makes more offers than it has places, which is why you will also see figures around 9%, 13% and 16% quoted for the same intake.
Around 30,000 for 1,900 places in the 2025 cycle, or roughly sixteen applicants per place across the School. LSE publishes application data for each programme on its individual course pages, and the spread between programmes is much wider than the School-wide figure suggests.
On a like-for-like basis, yes, at School level: LSE’s acceptance rate of about 6.3% is below Oxford’s 14.2% and Cambridge’s 16.3% for comparable cycles. But the comparison only holds if both sides use the same measure, and at course level it breaks down entirely, since the most competitive Oxbridge courses are tighter than most LSE programmes.
Yes, for Economics and for Econometrics and Mathematical Economics for 2027 entry, and it is recommended for eight further quantitative degrees. Check your specific programme page, as the requirement has been expanding.
On the 2025 FOI data, the median offer holder for Economics scored 7.1, with the middle 50% between 6.5 and 7.4. The median applicant scored 6.7, so the field itself is exceptionally strong. The lowest successful applicant scored 3.9, which shows LSE does not use the test as a threshold. Treat 7.0 and above as the realistic benchmark.
Sitting the TMUA?
LSE requires the TMUA for Economics and for Econometrics and Mathematical Economics, and recommends it for eight further quantitative degrees. Sit a full paper under timed conditions and see where your score falls against the offer holders above, or read what counts as a good TMUA score for the FOI data behind these figures.
Open the TMUA simulator