If you are coming to LSE to attend the pre-sessional programmes to meet the conditions of your LSE offer information can be found on the following web page:

How to Apply for a Student visa for LSE

Support we can provide

It is your responsibility to check the immigration rules and apply for your visa.  However, if you need to attend the pre-sessional programme to meet the conditions of your visa, we can provide additional support to help you extend your visa once you have an unconditional offer.

If you choose to attend a pre-sessional programme and have conditions of your offer that you are required to meet, you will only be given a CAS number for the language programme.  You must successfully complete and pass the programme to be able to extend your visa in the UK.  This includes if you offer is conditional on the basis of your qualifications.  You will need to take and pass the examination at the end of the pre-sessional programme before you can be issued with a new CAS number.

I need to go home after the pre-sessional programme to attend to personal business. Should I get a Student visa or a Standard Visitor visa?

We are increasingly seeing a number of pre-sessional students who plan to return home between the end of their pre-sessional and their main degree due to the Chinese bar examination. As it can often be quicker and cheaper to apply from overseas, you may wish to consider applying for a Standard Visitor visa rather than a Student visa to attend the pre-sessional programme. However, you must note that you cannot apply for your Student visa in the UK if you have a Standard Visitor visa.

If you are studying a Centre for Language Studies course as part of your undergraduate degree for example BSc International Relations and Chinese, and you require a Student visa, please refer to the Undergraduate Degree programmes section of the following web page:

Applying for a Student visa for LSE

If you are coming to the UK to study a Language Centre programme and require immigration permission, you should apply for the Standard Visitor visa.

If you already hold immigration permission for the UK, you may be able to register using this.  Check our "Do I need a Visa?" page for more advice.

If you are attending one of the Language Centre's Non Degree Modern Language programmes and require a visa to be in the UK, you will need immigration permission which permits you to study.

If you do not already hold immigration permission which permits you to study in the UK, you can apply for a Standard Visitor visa to attend your programme. More information is available on the Standard Visitor section of this page.