HOST is a charity, founded in 1987, that is supported by the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office and many UK universities. It wants to help you feel welcome in the UK and to give you a taste of British life first-hand, by giving international students the opportunity to be guests in the homes of approved hosts all over the UK. Their aim is is to promote international friendship and cultural exchange in a friendly and safe environment. 

HOST has hundreds of friendly, welcoming people across the UK who would like to meet and give you a home-away-from-home experience. All hosts are unpaid, and invite students because they enjoy offering you a welcome to the UK. All HOST volunteers are visited and approved by regional organisers so they know who and where you are going to.

For more information please see HOST UK website.

To apply for a HOST stay you must be:

• over 18 years old
• either an international student or an EU student
• be registered on an undergraduate programme, exchange, the General Course or a Taught Masters programme
• currently registered as an LSE Student (i.e. not on interruption or taking resit exams whilst un-registered)

HOST visits are free due to the generosity of HOST’s volunteers; this includes meal in the host’s house and accommodation. The membership fee is paid for by LSE.

This means you will only have to pay:

• An application fee to HOST of £60 for the weekend (or £36 for day visits). This fee must be paid for every trip you go on.
• Your own travel costs.

You may also have to contribute to, or pay for in full, any outside meals and excursions that you enjoy with your host. Your host will always explain this beforehand.

Christmas visit applications are now closed, however the application fee (for your information only) is:

• Overnight visit: £72
• Day visit: £48
• Partner fee: £30

HOST occasionally funds free visits (i.e. the administration fee is waived) for students from specific countries. HOST also occasionally provides grants to cover travel fees. Funding is currently available from the following organisations for the following students:

• Chevening for Chevening scholars
• Commonwealth for Commonwealth Scholars
• Sasakawa for Japanese students
• SOUTER for students from Afghanistan, Palestine, Syria, Ukraine, Iraq, Israel, Democratic Republic of Congo, Myanmar and Yemen.

As other opportunities become available we will list them here

You can go on a HOST visit throughout the year- Christmas, Easter and the summer vacation are especially popular. 

When making an application you must give three dates when you will be available for your visit.

• Weekend visits normally start on Friday evening and finish on Sunday evening (two nights).
• Day visits can be on Saturday or Sunday. They start in the morning and continue until the early evening of the same day (no overnight stay).
• Christmas visit applications are now closed: Christmas visits run from the weekend before Christmas, Christmas itself and New Year.

Please note: The hosts are volunteers therefore the dates that are offered to you are based on their availability as well as your chosen 3 dates. HOST will try its very best to find you a HOST visit within your given dates and will work with you to find an alternative date if no host can be found.

You can be joined by your husband/wife/partner or children or an international student friend – however they must also complete a separate application.

Please make sure that you and your friend give HOST the same dates when you will both be available, and the same travel budget.

You should apply online using the HOST website.

Your application will be sent to a volunteer regional organiser who will (based on the information you have given) match you with a HOST volunteer and home which they know.

Once a HOST volunteer invites you to their home you will be contacted via email so please ensure that you check your emailsregularly.

HOST will ask LSE to verify your student status and that we are willing to pay for the membership fee. This is all done automatically you do not need to contact us separately

After you have completed your visit we will send you a short survey to complete. This will ask you how you found your visit and how you heard about the HOST scheme. Completion of the survey is a condition of us agreeing to pay your membership fee.

You may also be invited to events to help us to promote the scheme to other students. Whilst attendance at these events is not compulsory we hope that you will come along.