PhD students should contact the PhD Academy directly to request any documentation relating to their student status. These letters can be used for matters such as opening a student bank account, requesting council tax exemption, etc

You can use a Certificate of Enrolment to prove that you are a current, enrolled student at LSE.

There is a self-service system for generating the Certificate of Enrolment.

• If you are a new student and have online pre-enrolled and campus enrolled, you will be able to auto generate a letter confirming you are a fully enrolled student.
• If you have completed online pre-enrolment, but have not yet campus enrolled, you cannot request a letter until you have completed campus enrolment.  You should use your offer letter or pre-enrolment pass as evidence of your status in the meantime.
• Continuing students should be able to auto generate a letter after completing online re-enrolment. Some continuing students are required to campus enrol in addition to re-enrolling online. If this applies to you, you will be contacted by the Student Services Centre and you will only be able to auto generate a letter after you have campus enrolled.  

You can request a Certificate of Enrolment by clicking on this link and filling out the form.

After checking your addresses are up to date you can automatically generate a letter that will be immediately emailed to you as a PDF. If your addresses are incorrect they must first be updated in Student LfY.

Wait ONE HOUR after updating your addresses for the details to be updated in our database before requesting a letter.   

Certificates of Enrolment are for the current academic year and contain:

• Your full name

• Your student number

• Your date of birth

• Your term time and permanent addresses

• The title and subject of your programme

• The start and end dates of your programme

• LSE's term dates

• Your enrolment status - for new students this will detail your pre-enrolment status and your campus enrolment status. If you are a new student, you are  fully enrolled only after completing both online pre-enrolment and in-person campus enrolment.

• Your mode of attendance (e.g full-time, part-time)

• Remember - wait one hour after updating your addresses for the details to be updated in our database before requesting a letter.   

Your self-service Certificate of Enrolment will be electronically stamped and signed and should be sufficient for the following purposes:

Bank Letter
Some banks will ask you for documentation to confirm your enrolment status. These letters will need to be addressed directly to the individual bank. You can generate a letter confirming you are a fully enrolled student after you have completed online pre-enrolment and campus enrolment.

If you are a continuing student, Bank Letters can normally be auto generated once you have completed online re-enrolment. 

Further information about opening a bank account and requesting a bank letter visit the Setting up a Bank Account webpage.

 Council Tax Exemption Certificate

Council Tax Exemption Certificates are special Certificates of Enrolment that can be used to give to Local Authorities to prove you are a student.  They meet the requirements of all London Local Authorities. 

You can generate a letter confirming you are a fully enrolled student after you have completed online pre-enrolment and campus enrolment. 

If you are a new student and you have pre-enrolled but not campus enrolled, your letter is unlikely to be accepted by your local council. You must be a fully enrolled student which means you must have also campus enrolled. Check with your local council if you have any queries.

If you are a continuing student, Council Tax Exemption Certificates can normally be auto generated once you have completed online re-enrolment. 

For further information about Council Tax, please visit the  What if I'm Charged Council Tax webpage.

Requesting a document that contains additional information (Customised Letter)

If you require a document that contains additional information, or if you require a certificate of enrolment for a previous year, please request a Customised Confirmation of Student Status below.

You can request a Certificate of Enrolment by clicking on this link and filling out the form.

FOR SCHENGEN VISAS - please take a look at the section below called 'Visa letter for travelling outside the UK'

We may be able produce a customised confirmation of student status letter if a standard Certificate of Enrolment does not contain all of the information you need, for example:

• You are a current student and need a certificate of enrolment for a previous year
• Another institution has asked that we include a specific phrase or sentence

We will do our best to provide the information that you require but we can only include information that is held on your student record that we are allowed to release following your enrolment. We cannot include exam and submission dates, marks, details of academic performance or conduct, attendance records. 

Given their bespoke nature these letters must be requested online and may take a minimum of five working days to produce.

You can request a Customised Confirmation of Student Status by clicking on this link, indicating in the dropdown menu that you need a different type of letter, and explaining what you need the letter to say in the space provided.

You can generate a visa letter for travelling if you need to prove your student status to travel outside the UK. The letter will be addressed to the embassy of the country you plan to visit. 

If the embassy of the country you plan to visit requires a letter that has an original stamp and signature you will need to request a Customised Confirmation of Student Status letter.  When submitting your request you must stipulate that an original stamp and signature are required.  The letter will be processed by the Student Services Centre and will become available within three to five working days (dependent on the time of year).

You should only request a visa letter after you have fully registered on your programme. New students must have completed online pre-enrolment and campus enrolment to be fully enrolled. 

If you are a new student and you have pre-enrolled but not campus enrolled, you are not fully enrolled and your letter will not be accepted. Please check with the Embassy if you have any queries.

If you are a continuing student, your letter can normally be auto generated once you have completed online re-enrolment. Please check if you are a returning student who will also need to campus enrol by visiting the Re-Enrolment webpage. 

These letters can only be used for travel purposes, they cannot be used for Student visas or Short Term Study applications. Please remember that you should not miss any teaching due to travel.  

You can request your letter by clicking on this link and filling out the form.

The Certificate of Course Selection lists the courses that you have chosen for the current academic year. 

You can create a Certificate of Course Selection if you have not yet completed your current year of study or you have taken assessment but are waiting for your results. 

Please click on this link to create a Certificate of Course Selection.

If you have already received formal (not provisional) results you may be able to request an intermediate transcript instead. This will confirm your course selections and your results. 

Reference Letters

Reference letters are typically produced by your Academic Mentor or another member of academic staff within your department. Please contact your department for more information. 

Undergraduate students may also want to consider contacting their Departmental Tutor. 

Student visa holders requesting a letter to include in their application to extend their Student visa from within the UK to study on a new programme at the LSE or another institution another institution in the UK that requires a UK visa extension.

Criteria:

1. Only issued to undergraduate students in their final year of study who hold a Student visa. This letter is solely for the purposes of UKVI applications.
2. All provisional results have been released to the student by the School via email (not department), excluding results for any deferred assessments
3. The student requesting the letter does not have any provisional failed courses in the current academic year or any unredeemed failed marks in previous years
4. For LLB students only - The student requesting the letter does not have any provisional failed courses in the current academic year or any failed marks in previous years
5. The student is deferring / re-sitting assessments in IRDAP for courses of the value of up to 1.0 unit, including any assessments deferred / failed / not attempted and therefore still to be taken from previous academic years
6. The student has not deferred courses as outlined in point 4 beyond the first upcoming IRDAP period (i.e., they are expected to complete in the same academic year of their original June end date)
7. The student requires and requests the letter between the release of provisional Spring Term results and the release of ratified final results post-IRDAP (September)

To make a request:

Once all of the above criteria have been met students must submit an enquiry via the Student Services Enquiry Form.

Students must also provide a confirmation from the other institution that the letter is required because the offer-holder will be making their visa application from the UK.  

Student visa holders requesting a letter to include in their application to extend their Student visa from within the UK to study on a new programme at the LSE or another institution in the UK that requires a UK visa extension.

Criteria:

1. Only issued to 12 months masters students and 2nd year 24 months masters students holding a Student visa. This letter is primarily for the purposes of UKVI applications
2. All provisional results (bar the dissertation mark) have been released to the student via LSE for You and are not blocked for viewing
3. The student requesting the letter does not have any provisional failed courses
4. The student has submitted their dissertation. NB: Academic Departments (Programme Managers/Administrators) responsible for a student who requires this letter will need to confirm to the Student Advice and Engagement Team via email whether the student has completed their programme requirements and the date on which the Department had received the student’s dissertation or final project/essay. This confirmation will need to be given in advance of a student’s request

To make a request:

Once all of the above criteria have been met students must submit an enquiry via the Student Services Enquiry Form and attached a screenshot of their provisional results as published in LSE for You.

Students must also provide a confirmation from the other institution that the letter is required because the offer-holder will be making their visa application from the UK.

Please note that it can take up to five working days for the letter to be issued.  

We no longer issue completion of programme requirements letters, especially in relation to your ability to work in the UK. You can use a Certificate of Enrolment as evidence of your study dates.

To submit evidence of your studies for a Skilled Worker visa application sponsored by a UK employer, students can obtain the following two letters from the School:

1. Certificate of Enrolment: This letter can be used to confirm that a student is completing their programme within three months of the official programme end date.

To make a request: 

Students can obtain a certificate of enrolment via the Student Services Enquiry Form here. 

2. Skilled Worker Academic Reference: Only for Student visa holders requesting a letter to obtain sponsorship (CoS) from their UK employer to switch from a Student visa to a Skilled Worker visa after completing their last assessment and before the official final results are published. To obtain this letter, students must have an offer of permanent employment in the UK.

Criteria:

1. Student has sat all of their examinations and submitted all of their academic papers including a dissertation, final essay or project, if applicable. If your last assessment is a dissertation, a final essay or a project, you must submit the final and complete version before you request a Skilled Worker academic reference letter. Amendments are not permissable after you have been issued with a Skilled Worker academic reference letter. NB: Academic Departments (Programme Managers/Administrators) responsible for a student who requires a Skilled Worker academic reference will need to confirm to the Student Advice and Engagement Team via email whether the student has completed their programme requirements and the date in which the Department had received the student’s dissertation or final project/essay. This confirmation will need to be given in advance of a student’s request
2. Student must provide the Student Advice and Engagement Team with a scanned or PDF copy of their employment offer/contract in a form of an official letter or contract on letterheaded paper from their UK employer. Unfortunately, emails referring to offers of employment will not suffice.

To make a request:

Once all of the above criteria have been met including the Academic Department contacting the Student Advice and Engagement Team with the necessary information, students must submit an enquiry via the Student Services Enquiry Form. 

Please note that it can take up to five working days for the letter to be issued. 

This letter authorises Student visa holders to be on vacation for a maximum of four weeks between the end date of the summer examination period (ie, the end date of Spring Term) and the official programme end date, i.e. during dissertation writing period. 

Please note that this letter will not be issued for the purpose of travelling outside of the UK over the dissertation writing period.

Criteria:

1. Only issued to 12 months masters students and taught 2nd year 24 months masters students holding a Student visa
2. The vacation occurs during the dissertation writing period (ie, between the end of Spring Term and the official programme end date in September as stated on CAS statement)
3. Students must ensure that the vacation request does not interfere with their completion and submission of their dissertation as it cannot be used mitigating circumstances and extension requests
4. Departments (Programme Managers/Administrators) must authorise and confirm your vacation dates and the reason for your vacation to the Student Advice and Engagement Team in advance of your request. 
5. PhD students should request a letter from the PhD Academy.

NB: The School is unable to confirm eligibility for employment or work rights. This decision lies with the employing organisation. Only four weeks’ vacation period is given per student at one time unless the student decides to split their four weeks’ vacation during the dissertation writing period (for example, two weeks in early August and two weeks in early September), which is agreed with the Academic Department. 

To make a request:

Once all of the above criteria have been met students must submit an enquiry via the Student Services Enquiry Form.  

Please note that it can take up to five working days for students to be issued with their letters by email as PDF attachments.

IF YOU ARE REQUESTING A VACATION LETTER TO EVIDENCE YOUR ABILITY TO WORK, YOU MUST NOT WORK IN EXCESS OF 20 HOURS PER WEEK UNTIL YOU HAVE RECEIVED THE OFFICIAL LETTER CONFIRMING YOUR VACATION. 

This letter is produced by Academic Departments and sent directly to employers or other institutions only, illustrating a student’s provisional results. This letter is not issued to students directly. 

Staff in Academic Departments - For more information on the provisional results letter including the School approved provisional results letter template, please refer to Confirming Provisional Results. 

Criteria:

1. Only issued to 12 months masters students and second year 24 months masters students.
2. The letter is directly issued to employers or other institutions via email. This letter is not released to the student making the request. Students should provide their Academic Department with the contact name and email of recipient.
3. Letters are only available once provisional results for your programme have been released, which is usually early August.  Please see Results Publication for exact dates.
4. Only marks which are available will be included.

To make a request:

Once all of the above criteria have been met, you should contact your Academic Department (Programme Manager/Administrator) to make your request.

Please note that internship agreements are processed and issued by LSE Careers. Please refer to their webpage here on internship agreements for further information.

The Home Office require institutions to verify all students who will be eligible for the Graduate Route, regardless of whether they wish to apply.  Verification will only take place after you have received your results and have been informed that you have been awarded your degree:

• July for final year undergraduates, 9/10/21 month MSc students and students from RDAP 2
• September for students awarded after successful completion in IRDAP
• November for 12 and 24 month MSc students
• March for Postgraduate Students participating in RDAP 1

PhD students will be dealt with on a rolling basis.

You cannot apply until you have been emailed by LSE to inform you that you have been verified to the UKVI for the Graduate Route.

The Student Advice and Engagement Team have information on their web pages, which you should refer to as not all students are eligible for this route:

Working on a visa in the UK

The School is unable to provide completion letters for the purpose of airport tax refunds or extra luggage allowance.