Embargoes, redactions, visas and graduation

Yes. LSE’s normal position is that awarded theses are made publicly available through LSE Theses Online. 

You may apply to restrict access to your thesis and/or abstract for up to 24 months from submission of your final thesis. Requests may be made on grounds such as publication, commercial exploitation, patenting, or the protection of individuals. 

You can apply for an embargo as part of your final thesis submission. Before applying consider seeking advice from the PhD Academy Team.

If a restriction is approved, your thesis will be placed in the public domain when the approved period ends. 

In exceptional circumstances, you may apply for a further restriction of access beyond two years, or for redaction of parts of your thesis. This must be done before the thesis is made publicly available and will be considered under the relevant Research Degrees Sub-Committee and Research Ethics procedures. 

If you apply for an embargo of less than 24 months from submission to the Library, you can later ask for this to be extended up to the 24-month maximum without further explanation. 

Embargo requests beyond 24 months from submission to the Library are reviewed by the Chair of the Research Degrees Sub-Committee. The Chair may also decide to consult LSE Research Ethics before deciding the outcome of your request. 

Yes. Redaction requests are reviewed by the Chair of the Research Degrees Sub-Committee. The Chair may also decide to consult LSE Research Ethics before deciding the outcome of your request. 

If redactions are approved, the Library will retain the unredacted thesis, but only the redacted version will be made publicly available. 

Yes. You must still submit your final, unredacted thesis to the Library before your award can be made. 

An approved embargo restricts public access to the thesis. It does not remove the requirement to deposit the final thesis. 

If you plan to apply for the Graduate Route post-study visa, you should indicate this through the examination entry process.

You should seek guidance as early as possible from the Student Advice and Engagement Team, ideally before you submit your thesis. 

After you have received advice, you can contact the PhD Academy to discuss how the examination process may align with your visa timeline, and whether your department and examiners can be asked to consider this when scheduling your viva. 

If you have a student visa and you submit your thesis early, there is a chance that you will be awarded your degree before your visa expires. 

If this happens, the PhD Academy is required to notify UKVI that you have completed your programme early. This means that your visa will be cancelled. 

If this may apply to you, you are strongly encouraged to contact the Student Advice and Engagement Team to discuss the possible impact of early submission on your visa status. 

The PhD Academy does not manage graduation ceremonies. 

Your eligibility to attend a graduation ceremony will depend on when your award is confirmed and on the graduation deadlines published by the School. 

Information about graduation ceremonies, including ceremony dates and eligibility deadlines, can be found here.