How To Increase Your Chances of Getting Accepted at the LSE MPP?

Here we will try to answer the first question we raised in the first post entry: How can I be accepted for a Master at a Top University? But let me be clear from the very beginning: I will only speak about my personal experience being accepted to study an MPP at the London School of Economics and Political Science. Those of you who have other experiences are more than welcome to join the conversation at the Comments Section. 

First of all, be aware this postgraduate is highly competitive which is probably what you are looking for. According to the LSE official webpage, the acceptance ratio in 2023 was 10:1 and that figure was similar this year. Besides, the distribution is quite diverse as students come from every single corner of the world. Take that into account as your application may be analyzed in more detail if you come from an underrepresented country but I'm just guessing. This year, most students came from India, followed by Chile and Peru since this course is very well-known in these countries. However, I was the only student from an EU country and another cohort was from the UK. Overseas fees may have had an impact after Brexit so scholarship schemes are more important. We will later speak about the main grants.

Secondly, there are some requirements for your application to be considered for LSE MPP: 

1. Academic achievement: Upper second class honours (2:1) degree or equivalent in any discipline. That means a 60-69% mark in the UK system (Merit) but here you can find the grade equivalence in your country. LSE does not specify if these marks must be obtained within your first degree so you can send further (Bachelor) degrees that meet the requirement.

Official degrees must be legalised to be recognised by LSE. In most countries you don't need an official stamp to be recognised but they must be officially translated if the origin language was not English and directly sent by your institution to LSE. Don't waste your time trying to translate it and send it on your own because LSE is used to these procedures and will reject it. This can be tricky because some universities are not used to dealing with it and are very rigorous as they can only guarantee the validity of an official degree which is not in English. I personally had to pay a sworn translation and insist so my university could send it to LSE. I will always be grateful for the kind treatment I received from several teachers and civil servants through this process. 

2. English Proficiency: Higher. This means you need a minimum score of: IELTS (7.0), TOEFL iBT (100), Cambridge (185). English tests must be less than two years old at the beginning of the course. You don't need a test if you have successfully completed an undergraduate degree (of at least three years duration), a postgraduate taught degree (of at least one year), a PhD or you're a national and resident of Canada of the UKVI list of majority English-speaking countries (whose first language is English): Antigua & Barbuda, Australia, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Ireland,  Jamaica, Malta, New Zealand, St Kitts & Nevis, St Lucia, St Vincent & the Grenadines, Trinidad & Tobago, UK, USA. 

I personally prefer the IELTS format since the oral exam can be taken in person at the British Council. I did it twice in Madrid (8.0 in 2021 and 7.5 in 2023) so I can tell you it generally reflects your level over time but you'd better do it in advance. The Cambridge exam certificate (Proficiency) does not expire while IELTS and TOEFL validity lasts for a couple of years. 

3. Statement of academic purpose: This may be the most important element in defense of your application because perfectly reflects you. It is well known that some professionals who went through this process offer their (paid) orientation that "guarantees" you being accepted. Of course, you're free to decide but remember there is no guaranteed way to be accepted into any institution and, most importantly, you don't need anybody to tell you who you are and how worth you are. Remember, coherence and honesty are the most direct path to success.

But let's try to be concrete. You need to prioritise: 

a) Coherence: This embodies two elements, which are your own profile and a tailored approach to the institution. In terms of skills, you need to highlight your strengths and recognise your main weaknesses as potential room for improvement. Explain the main milestones (leadership activities, volunteer work,..) in your career and what you are seeking in London. You need to stand out from other students both individually and collectively as all you can contribute to the group is equally important. Make some research about LSE (or whatever institution) and include a reference that fits you.

b) Your abilities: Even though this programme is designed to provide rigorous training in areas of econometrics and quantitative methods, you are not compelled to have them in advance. Therefore, be honest according to your previous background but show yourself eager to polish your quantitative skills from the very beginning (there will be online learning materials prior to the programme starting) and stress some other abilities you have and how they can contribute to the course. Do not doubt you will have several chances to show your creativity, drafting skills or oratory during the year.

c) Your potential: No matter if you are an outstanding youngster with a long path ahead of you or a mid-career professional aiming to update his/her knowledge, you need to show your passion and commitment to the programme as proof of an active role and contribution you will play during the year. Reflect about how the MPP will help you pursue your goals, and specify what your next steps will be.

In my statement, I personally focused on my cross-cultural education, interdisciplinary background, public commitment and professional retraining as the main strenghts. As for my weaknesses, I recognised I was not a newly graduated but I considered myself able to give a different view to a younger group. I defended age is not only a chronological fact but a state of mind, something that did not prevent me from keeping on learning.

Therefore, I claimed my application was marked by resilience and a permanent evolution. And I highlighted I was looking for new challenges, deeper knowledge, the development of new skills and enlarging my networking. And I closed my statament with a "See you at the the World Turned Upside Down" to show both my knowledge and commitment to LSE.

4. Two references: Think carefully about the teachers or professionals you ask for a letter of recommendation as they are an accurate reflection of your application. You should aim at meeting three criteria with them: Prestige, knowledge, diversity and commitment. The more prestigious a teacher is the better for him to be recognised by the selection panel; the more he knows you and your work the more accurate his recommendation can be; the more diverse both of them are the better to attest different strenghts you have; and the more commited he is to public service the better for such a related course. 

I personally asked for a letter of recommendation to an Oxford teacher who had previous experience at LSE, and to a teacher from Chile who advised my final project and had also studied in England. Both of them knew my recent research as well as the UK system, and represented different approaches. Last but not least, they were a woman and a man as a proof of gender equality.

5. CV: Applicants must have at least five years of policy-relevant experience, "though exceptions may be granted for outstanding candidates with slightly less experience". Please, be aware the MPP is an intensive course where many skills and knowledge are assumed so it may be more difficult for a candidate to follow its contents if this previous experience is scarce. 

I personally included all my verifiable merits, prioritising work experience in Spain according to this course, relevant degrees from UK and Chile, as well as special prizes.

In short, ensure your application is complete, accurate, and submitted by the deadline, but the sooner you upload it the better. Competition for places at LSE is strong. So, even if you meet the minimum entry requirements, this does not guarantee you an offer of a place.

LSE Offers, Financing and Scholarship Schemes

Let's asume you are granted an offer from LSE. There are two kinds of them: Conditional and unconditional offers. Conditional offers may be the result of unsatisfactory official documents or academic conditions (English language test results among them) so you may need to provide the required documents, while unconditional offers entitle the candidate to secure a place in the course. 

At this point, you may need to keep several things in mind such as financial aid, some other offers, family matters or negotiate a leave with your company.  Take your time to reflect about what you really intend to do but bear in mind the later you decide the fewer chances you will have in terms of acommodation. 

MPP (both home and overseas) fees for 2025/26 are £43,100 and only students who completed undergraduate study at LSE and are beginning taught graduate study at the School are eligible for a fee reduction of 10 per cent of the fee. The overall amount can be paid in three installments during the year.

According to LSE estimation, living costs in London should be "about £1,300-£1,400 per month for all living expenses, including accommodation, travel, food, laundry, study costs, and other personal expenses". The institution itself recommends to do your own research as "this will vary depending on your lifestyle and requirements". My personal experience is well above that amount as my Urbanest residence en-suite room was more than £1,700, underground round-trip ticket is nearly £6 for Zone 1, and (a very humble) supermarket food was not less than £150 a month, apart from LSE lunch menu which was around £9 at least. Add to that the uncertainty about the exchange rate in a crazy world and you will have a clear idea about how expensive London can be. 

Regarding your financial situation, you may be interested in some scholarship schemes. THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT: You need to specify in your application you are asking for a grant because no late applications will be accepted. You will need to fulfill the LSE's Graduate Financial Support Application (GFSA) via the LSE Graduate Application Portal where you'll have to upload a personal statement section. Besides, different scholarships have different deadlines apart from the LSE application so you will have to be very attentive to both of them. 

Here you can find a list of country based awards where you find out what support schemes are available for you. Overall, you can apply to Chevening Awards which are addressed to worldwide students. LSE contributes 20% to the tuition fee of Chevening Awardees and will support the full tuition fees for those selected for a Chevening Partnership award. This award is very prestigious and you will have access to Goodenough College, a traditional residence which reminds us of the old British style and is located close to LSE. 

 

Apart from that, several countries have their own schemes to help their nationals thrive. ANID Conicyt and Luksic Scholarhip in Chile, the Peruvian Scholarship for Public Service, the Hosh Ibrahim African Scholarship and the (Asian) David & Duncan Clark Scholarship are among them. If you are not awarded with any of them, you can apply for LSE's own funds through the Graduate Application Portal as explained before. 

As a Chilean, I will explain in further detail the Luksic Scholarship Scheme. First of all, even though I am not a Luksic Scholar at LSE (whose representatives this year were my amazing cohorts Mane and Vale), I was awarded a Harvard Kennedy School (HKS) Executive Programme in 2024, which undoubtedly favored my nomination at LSE. Secondly, this initiative has a broad range of grants for the most prestigious universities in the world such as Columbia, MIT, Oxford, Sciences Po and other LSE programmes as well as Visiting Scholars Programmes in Harvard and Stanford. Last but not least, you can also apply for the Luksic Scholars Fund, an initiative aligned with its own Development Points. 

As for Spain, I am not aware of any specific LSE scholarship so you will have to apply for general grant schemes such as Fundación La Caixa, Fundación Ramón Areces and Fundación Rafael del Pino, but be aware you will be competing with students from the whole of Spain aiming to pursue postgraduates all around the world in every single field. You may stress in your application how few Spaniards there are at LSE SPP. This year, I only met one girl at the MPA and another one at the double Degree LSE MPA-University of Toronto Master of Global Affairs (Munk School).

Visa requirements

Once you have accepted the unconditional offer and submitted the Financial Undertaking Form, LSE will issue your Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) that will allow you to apply for a Student visa. This process may vary depending on your country of origin but you will surely have to provide your ID/Passport, date of birth, and an updated picture. Downloading the Uk Immigration app will ease the whole process that took about one month to be resolved successfully.

As for the money, you will need £524 to apply for a Student visa from outside the UK and you'll also have to pay a similar healthcare surcharge that will depend on how long your visa lasts. Besides, you will need to provide evidence of sufficient funds, and these amounts may vary depending on your country and the programme you applied for. Regarding EU countries, it is easier for you to be granted the visa without further financial requirements but you may be contacted to do so. Just in case, I paid the first MPP installment before applying for the Student visa as LSE reported this payment to UK Immigration.

Once you are granted the visa, you will be able to enter and stay in the UK as a Student and you are allowed to work part-time during term-time for no more than 20 hours a week, and full-time during vacations. For this purpose, you'll receive an immigration code that you can share with your employer and you must ask for a National Insurance number.

Accommodation

At this point you should have hired your place through the LSE Accommodation Portal. Otherwise, you risk running out of rooms at University residences for students such as College Hall, International Hall or High Holborn Residence. At this portal you will be offered either a university residence or an Urbanest alternative. This is a network of student residences run by a private provider. As far as I know, the Urbanest Westminster Bridge depends on LSE so you will have direct access to them and is located nearby. 

 

Given I managed my accommodation quite late, I was not able to book a place at any of these residences but at Urbanest Battersea, a King's College-run building in southwest London. Even though I will expand on this neighborhood at another post, I can tell you I felt comfortable during the year despite not being in central London. The place was about 33-35 minutes to LSE (door-to-door: 2-minute lift waiting, 5-minute walk to the underground platform, 4-6 minute waiting, 12-minute train to Charing Cross, 10-minute walk to campus) which is quite reasonable for such a big town. Besides, it is a nice blend of tradition and modernity with a lot of shops, venues and means of transport. Nearby you can find the US Embassy and plenty of modern buildings for upper middle class. 

 

By way of conclusion

You may be overwhelmed right now after receiving so much information. It is far from my intention to disuade you from beginning the LSE adventure. On the contrary, I want to ease your path by better knowing the red tape you must deal with. Do not doubt to ask as many questions as you have and I will try to guide you. But the most important thing is you must be sure if this programme is for you given all the academic, financial and personal effort it entails in this winter of despair. If the answer is yes and you aim for your spring of hope, be sure it will be worth it, but that topic will be covered in our next post.