Now in its third year, the collaboration between LSE100 and Ask an Alum shows just how powerful AI‑supported interactions can be. Students are not only reaching out to alumni more confidently from their first year – they’re integrating alumni insights directly into their research, strengthening the bridge between academic inquiry and real‑world expertise.
The latest year of collaboration has been the most ambitious yet. Through AI‑supported matching and guided outreach, students have been able to connect with alumni in ways that felt purposeful, relevant, and academically meaningful. This has been achieved through a bespoke homepage of the tool for the programme, and integration into the classroom.
LSE100 and Ask an Alum 2026 highlights:
- 238 groups of students supported in reaching out to alumni as part of their LSE100 research projects
- 88% response rate from alumni, demonstrating their continued enthusiasm for engaging with student work
- 58% of groups received insights, held calls, or met with alumni to deepen their research
Connecting first-year students with alumni
LSE's first‑year students begin their LSE100 research projects with enthusiasm, curiosity and plenty of questions about the area where they are hoping to make positive change. Whether by sharing professional journeys, offering constructive feedback, or simply asking the right questions – alumni interactions help them build confidence, sharpen their thinking, and see themselves as emerging researchers.
The students appreciate being able to connect with someone who was once a student at LSE and is now making a difference tackling real-world problems in their field. By enabling these connections through Ask an Alum, the School has created a new sense of continuity, community, and encouragement.
What role does AI play?
AI tools have played a quiet but powerful role in this transformation. By helping students match with relevant alumni through Ask an Alum’s algorithm, AI lowers the barrier to meaningful engagement.
After engaging with alumni through Ask an Alum, students report feeling more knowledgeable about their research topic and more aware of the real-world opportunities and barriers that exist for making positive change. Instead of viewing alumni as a distant community, they see them as co‑investigators and partners who can illuminate the real‑world implications of their research projects.
Feedback from alumni
Alumni find the experience rewarding and respond with generosity, expertise, and genuine curiosity about what today’s students are exploring. Many express that these interactions reconnect them with the intellectual energy of LSE, offering a window into emerging debates and giving them a chance to support the next generation of thinkers.
The programme’s design, which is flexible, asynchronous, and guided, means alumni can contribute meaningfully without heavy time commitments. And when they do engage, the impact often extends beyond a single conversation, sparking new connections across continents and sectors.
Looking ahead: how Ask an Alum creates a more connected LSE
The success of the LSE100 collaboration contributes to a much wider story.
Since the launch of Ask an Alum, the platform has facilitated over 6,455 connections between students, recent graduates, offer holders, and alumni (as of March 2026).
This expanding network reflects a growing appetite for cross‑generational learning and support. And the programme continues to evolve:
- Two new offer holder circles launched – one for undergraduates and one for postgraduates in partnership with Student Recruitment Marketing
- A new LSE Generate circle, supporting entrepreneurship‑focused questions
These additions ensure that the Ask an Alum ecosystem now supports the full LSE journey: from offer holders, to students, to graduates, and back again.