A new initiative designed to support undergraduate students from under‑represented backgrounds has seen strong engagement in its first year and has already been recognised for its innovative approach.
LSE Navigate, a dedicated support network for undergraduate students who meet the eligibility criteria for a contextual offer, has seen 80 per cent of eligible students taking part in at least one tailored event or opportunity through the network.
Part of LSE’s Access and Participation Plan, Navigate is a joint initiative between Widening Participation, LSE Careers, Student Communities and LSESU to support students who may face structural barriers to fully accessing the opportunities available at the School. All eligible students are automatically enrolled, with the flexibility to engage with the parts of the network that feel most relevant to them.
Early engagement and recognition
Among the most popular elements of Navigate in its first year have been free access to societies, sports clubs, and the gym through the LSESU Kickstart Programme, alongside pre‑arrival and welcome events designed to build community and confidence as students transition to LSE.
The programme’s early impact was recognised at the recent LSE VIP Awards, where Navigate received the award for Innovative Project of the Year.
What is LSE Navigate?
LSE Navigate is grounded in the belief that every student contributes to the richness of our community and should have an equal opportunity to benefit from the academic, personal and professional experiences that define an LSE education.
The network was co‑designed with students, ensuring that support is embedded, inclusive and responsive to the realities of university life. It aims to remove structural barriers to opportunity, enhancing the student experience by enabling all students to thrive academically, personally and professionally.
A Navigate student reflected on the value of this approach: “Being able to talk to someone who has already gone through the same academic environment has helped me feel more prepared and reassured. They have given me practical advice on managing workload, adjusting to teaching styles at LSE, and navigating university life more generally.”
A whole‑institution approach
The Navigate offer is structured around five core themes – known as BASES – which reflect a whole‑institution approach to the student experience:
- Building Community
- Amplifying Voices
- Supporting Success
- Enabling Opportunities
- Shaping Futures
Students can choose which elements to engage with, depending on their needs and preferences.
This has included:
Building Community
In partnership with LSESU, we have established a peer mentoring scheme that recognises the value of meeting a friendly face who has already navigated unfamiliar spaces and processes.
Amplifying Voices
Our four LSE Navigate Student Advocates have already influenced the development of the transition offer, including work to strengthen inclusive administrative processes and supported access to reuse schemes that reduce the cost of essential items for incoming students.
Supporting Success
We have worked with academic and professional service colleagues in departments to consider the inclusivity of academic communities, and with LSE100 on how to grant permission to make mistakes and demystify the hidden rules of academia.
Enabling Opportunities
We have collaborated with the Financial Support Office to create the Navigate Opportunity Fund, designed to remove financial barriers to participation in enrichment activities. Our work with LSESU has also enabled free access to societies, clubs and the gym for all LSE Navigate students.
Shaping Futures
Working with LSE Careers we have introduced ring-fenced appointments and pilot bespoke workshops and employer visits. We have also collaborated with the Alumni Centre on a postcard campaign highlighting diverse career stories from alumni role models.
Learning from students and shaping what comes next
Navigate continues to develop in partnership with students, informed by a co‑research project with the Eden Centre and 16 of our contextual offer students. Feedback from students, including those who do not regularly take part, is central to shaping the next phase of the network.
Embedding Navigate across the student lifecycle depends on continued collaboration with colleagues across the School. We welcome ideas and opportunities to work together, whether through joint initiatives, adapting existing activity, or making student experience and engagement activities more inclusive.
To discuss possibilities, colleagues can contact Frances Ballaster Harriss, Student Lifecycle Programme Officer at lselife.navigate@lse.ac.uk.
LSE's commitment to widening access to LSE
Navigate sits within the School's Access and Participation Plan which sets out how LSE will improve equality of opportunity for underrepresented groups to access, succeed in and progress from higher education.
LSE's work on education and student experience spans a wide range of projects and initiatives, all focused on ensuring every student has a consistently excellent experience at LSE and feels part of the School community.