London School of Economics and Political Science Scholarships for International Students 2026

In the LSE scholarship-recipient stories on Global Scholarships, the funding was used for in-person study in London (not online). Expect most scholarships at LSE to be for in-person degrees.

LSE scholarships (and major external awards that LSE students use) most commonly support LSE’s core areas in the social sciences and policy. In the recipient stories, funded programmes included health and public policy (Ankur Nair – MSc Global Health Policy; Joyce Toh – MSc Health Policy, Planning and Financing), development (Saadia Sabir – Master’s in Development Studies; Muhammad Ashar – MSc Local Economic Development), and political economy (Falguni Lalwani – MSc International Political Economy).

Business subjects: LSE’s management/strategy/finance-related degrees can be scholarship-eligible, and recipients often come from quantitative or professional backgrounds. STEM subjects: LSE is not an engineering school, but it does have quantitative, data, and economics pathways that STEM applicants pursue (for example, Joyce’s work sits at the intersection of health, economics, and policy). Humanities: LSE is primarily social-science focused (with related fields like economic history and social policy). Medicine: LSE does not run an MBBS/medical school degree; however, LSE does offer health-policy and health-economics study (as Joyce put it, her programme covered “epidemiology, health economics, and social sciences”). Because there is no medical degree at LSE, “medicine” scholarships for international students at LSE generally mean health policy/public health policy programmes rather than training as a physician.

LSE scholarships vary by award, and many major funding routes are either open globally or targeted by nationality/residency. In the Global Scholarships LSE stories, recipients included scholars from India (Ankur Nair, Falguni Lalwani), Pakistan (Muhammad Ashar, Saadia Sabir), and Malaysia (Joyce Toh). Some awards are explicitly nationality/residency-linked (for example, Commonwealth-related routes), while others are broadly international.

Yes, it is. In these recipient stories, IELTS came up repeatedly. Ankur Nair said, “I took the IELTS,” and Falguni Lalwani explained that she “completed the IELTS Academic Test.” Timing can matter: Muhammad Ashar noted, “I was required to submit my IELTS score after receiving a conditional offer,” which is a common pattern where you can apply first and satisfy English conditions later.

Minimum academic requirements depend on the programme and are competitive in practice, so think of them as a baseline rather than a guarantee. In the recipient stories, admitted scholars often had strong academics: Joyce Toh reported an undergraduate CGPA of “3.80,” and Muhammad Ashar graduated with a CGPA of “3.78.” Falguni Lalwani also highlighted graduating “First Class with Distinction.” These examples show what successful profiles looked like in practice for scholarship recipients, even though exact “minimums” vary by department.

Based on these recipients’ experiences, competitive scholarship profiles combined strong academics with a clear purpose and fit. Joyce advised applicants to build a “coherent and compelling narrative,” and Ankur emphasized experience plus a strong academic record, saying his “strong academic record and tailored application essays were key.” Academically, the stories show high achievement (Joyce: “3.80” CGPA; Muhammad: “3.78” CGPA; Falguni: “First Class with Distinction”), while scholarship committees also looked for development impact and alignment; Falguni described framing plans around SDG-linked goals and building evidence of impact.

From the recipient stories, the recurring “must-haves” were transcripts, references/recommendation letters, a personal statement, and an academic CV/resume. Ankur said he “tailored my CV and personal statement” and asked mentors for “letters of recommendation.” Falguni described building a checklist for “transcripts, references, citizenship proof, IELTS,” and Muhammad emphasized getting everything uploaded early, saying he ensured “all boxes related to scholarship application… were checked and uploaded well before the deadline.”

• Academics: transcripts/mark sheets and degree certificates (as needed).
• References: usually two referees/recommendation letters.
• Core writing: personal statement/statement of purpose (Muhammad called it “more than just a formal requirement”).
• CV/resume: especially important when highlighting research/work experience.
• English evidence: IELTS/TOEFL if required or if your offer is conditional (Muhammad: “submit my IELTS score after receiving a conditional offer”).

Yes, there is an application fee for both undergraduate and graduate programs at LSE.