Repeat teaching is approved for students on a case-by-case basis.  

You must be able to show that the reason you are applying is because exceptional circumstances have affected your ability to engage with your studies. 

Exceptional circumstances are different for every student, but there needs to be a clear reason why you couldn’t complete your studies to the best of your ability. For example, you experienced personal, medical or family problems that were unexpected and outside of your control, and which made it difficult for you to study, attend classes or complete assignments.

You can apply to repeat units that you did not pass. You can’t apply for repeat teaching in a course you have already passed or resubmit any assessments you have passed. 

If your application to repeat is successful you will be expected to: 

• attend all classes, lectures and workshops for the units you are repeating, and;
• attempt all exams and assessments for units that you did not pass in the previous year. 

You can apply to repeat up to one year (up to four units) of your programme. 

There are a minimum number of units you must repeat:

• Non-student visa holders must apply for a minimum of one unit. This can be either one full unit or a combination of half units to cover the full academic year. 
• Student visa holders must apply for a minimum of two units. This is because you need to study for the whole year to keep your student visa.  This can be either two full units or a combination of full and half units to cover the full academic year. 

If you are on a student visa and want to apply for repeat teaching it is important to make sure you are still Complying with the conditions of your visa. You should contact the visa advice team as soon as possible to discuss your options. 

If it is permitted by your programme regulations and approved by your department, you may be able to apply to replace a failed course with an alternative. Any swaps must be of equal unit value. 

If a course you took previously is no longer available you must apply for a suitable alternative. 

Once repeat teaching in a course is approved you will not be able to change later. 

Reach out for support as soon as you can. Your department and the student services team can help you to understand your options. If repeat teaching is right for you, this is what needs to happen next: 

1. Work with your departmental tutor, academic mentor or programme manager. Your application must be supported by your department, so speak to them before you take any further steps. 
2. If you are on a student visa you must contact the Visa Advice Team before continuing with your application.  
3. Gather the information you need to write your application. You will need to answer some questions as part of your application, so it could be helpful for you to talk to your department about these things:
   - Why were you unable to engage fully with your teaching in the previous academic year?
   - What are the reasons you missed classes or coursework? You may be asked to include evidence for these reasons if you can, for example proof of a health or medical condition. The School’s Standards of Evidence policy is available online for guidance.
   - If you attended all classes, why do you think you need repeat teaching? 
   - How will you work with your department to ensure you engage in and take advantage of your repeat teaching next year? 
4. Fill in your application using the application form on this page. 
   The application form can be found below in the section ‘when to apply’. 
5. Give your application to your department to fill in to show they support your application. Once you have their support you can submit your application using the Student Services Enquiry Form.  
6. Make sure your application is sent before the closing date. Applications can only be submitted at two points during the year. 
   More information about deadlines can be found below in the section ‘when to apply’.
7. You will receive an outcome from the Repeat Teaching Panel to your LSE email address.  
   More information about the possible outcomes of applications can be found below in the section ‘application outcomes’.
8. Make sure you will be able to pay your fees. 
   More information about the cost for repeat teaching can be found below in the section ‘repeat teaching fees’.
9. Meet any requirements for your visa, if you are on a student visa.  
10. Register and enrol for the new academic year when enrolments opens.  

The fees for repeat teaching are different depending on your circumstances.

If you get a Disabled Student's Allowance, you should speak to the Student Wellbeing Service to see if your allowance will be affected by the number of units you are requesting to repeat.

• Undergraduate Fees: Repeat Teaching fees are currently £595 per half unit equivalent for a full year of teaching. A full year of Repeat Teaching currently costs £4760. 
• Postgraduate Fees: Repeat Teaching fees are currently the usual yearly fee for the programme which you are studying, pro-rated based on the number of units you are taking. 

Full details can be found in the Table of Fees.  

Repeat Teaching fees are paid in the same way as normal programme fees.

Contact the Fees Office if you have any questions about how to pay. 

If you are thinking about applying for repeat teaching we encourage you to talk to your department or other support staff as soon as you can.  You might have other options, including interruption or deferral, and the university can help you to decide what is best for your situation.

There are two application periods for repeat teaching – during spring break at the end of the winter term and following the July results period at the end of spring term. 

If you have missed the deadline to apply for interruption in winter term you can apply for a full year of repeat teaching. 

Application dates change each year depending on term dates. The sooner you apply, the sooner you will receive your decision. 

Please be aware that late applications cannot be accepted. 

Spring Break application period

The Spring Break application period is now closed. 

If your application is successful, you will be automatically deferred out of your Spring Term assessments and IRDAP if that applies to you. You will only sit your assessments once you have completed your repeat teaching the following year. 

If you miss the application deadline you will be given some other options, including re-applying for repeat teaching in the July period.  We will not keep applications on hold between application periods.

July Results application period

If you have attempted your assessments or deferred your assessments in the Spring Term, you can apply for repeat teaching after July results are released on 18 July. The application period is open from 18 July 2025 to 25 July 2025. 

You will automatically be deferred from IRDAP if your application is approved in July.

Dates for this application period will be posted soon.

Application form (opens as a PDF): Repeat-Teaching-Form-2025-6 

If you require an accessible version, please let us know.

The repeat teaching panel aims to let you know if your application was successful or not within 48 hours of submission.

You and your departmental tutor or programme director will receive an email with the outcome of your application.If you are successful, the email will outline everything you need to do next, including information about fees and deadlines. 

If your application is unsuccessful you can appeal the decision.  The deadline for submitting your appeal will be included in your outcome email. 

To appeal you need to:

• Write a statement explaining why you are appealing. You can include more or new evidence to support your statement.
• Get an updated supporting statement from your department. You can only appeal if you have the support of your department.   
• Submit your statement and the department recommendation using the below enquiry form.  Select ‘engaging with my studies’ and then ‘repeat teaching’ in the drop-down menu of the form. 

Student services enquiry form

You may be asked to appear at a Panel meeting to discuss your appeal. 

If you do not make a successful Repeat Teaching application or appeal, you will automatically be re-entered to take your outstanding assessments as an unregistered student during the next applicable assessment period. Further information about assessment re-entry can be found on the Re-entry webpage.

You might be eligible for fifth-unit repeating teaching if you have met the progression requirements to continue to the next year of your programme but faced exceptional circumstances that mean you have outstanding assessments in up to one full unit. 

Students who successfully apply for fifth-unit repeat teaching will repeat their outstanding unit at the same time as studying towards the units from the next year. This can be a challenging workload. 

You must speak to your department to discuss whether this option is right for you.

How to apply 

 If fifth unit repeat teaching is right for you, work closely with your department to make your application using the form below. 

Refer to the ‘application process’ section at the top of this page to find out more about the steps you need to take. 

The application period opens on the IRDAP results release date. The deadline to apply for Fifth Unit Repeat Teaching is Monday 29 September 2025 at 11:59pm. 

We will not be accepting applications for Fifth Unit Repeat Teaching before IRDAP.

Application form (opens as a PDF): Fifth-unit repeat teaching form 

We aim to get Fifth Unit Repeat Teaching application decisions to students by the end of Week One of Autumn Term.

Fees for fifth-unit teaching

For students who successfully apply for Fifth Unit repeat teaching, there is no additional cost on top of the fees you will pay for your next year of study.

Here are some of the questions we get asked by students who are considering repeat teaching.

If you still have questions after you've read our FAQs please complete the enquiry form. 

 13/02/2025: Repeat teaching form 2025-6 uploaded to 'When to apply' section