Consumer information for US Federal Loans

Please refer to the Schools programme catalogue for current degree programmes.

Please note that the LSE admits regular students who:

• Have a secondary school completion credential or
• Have a recognised equivalent of a secondary school completion credential.

Please see our country page for the United States of America for further details

Please refer to our U.S. Federal loans page for full details on how to apply for Federal Aid.

For award amount determination please refer to our Federal Student Aid Guidance handbook. 

For further information please refer to the school's webpage on assessment discipline and academic misconduct. 

In accordance with Federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA) (20.U.S.C.1232G), the 'LSE' are prohibited from releasing information concerning a student’s records without the consent of the student.

This includes a student’s financial aid status, academic records, charges due or incurred. Therefore, if you would like for the 'LSE' to discuss your financial or academic records with persons or agencies who are not covered under this law, you will need to specifically authorise release of your information. The student will need to complete the “Authorization to Release Financial Information” form, please refer to the U.S Federal Loans page for further details.  

In order to prohibit a conflict of interest with the responsibilities of an agent with respect to private education loans, staff at the School with responsibility for Federal and Private Education Loans from the United States are prohibited from the following:

• Revenue-sharing arrangements with any lender
• Receiving gifts from a lender, a guarantor, or a loan servicer
• Contracting arrangements providing financial benefit from any lender or affiliate of a lender
• Directing borrowers to particular lenders, or refusing or delaying loan certifications
• Offers of funds for private loans
• Call centre or financial aid office staffing assistance
• Advisory board compensation.

Private Loans: For further information please refer to the schools Private Loans webpage

Information on the School's completion and transfer ­out rates is available from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA). The School's non-completion rates can also be found on the HESA website.

Graduate destinations can be found here and here 

Information about copyright material can be found here. 

Tuition fees costs vary according to the degree programme, the cost of tuition is available on the School's website.  

Further information on living costs can be found here 

For detailed information on the allowable costs for Federal Loans, please refer to the LSE's Federal Aid Guide.

Default Management Plan for Title IV Federal Aid can be downloaded via the link below.

Default Management Plan 

A full list of degree programmes offered at all study levels can be found on the School's website . The programme structure and courses for each programme are listed within the degree information under 'Programme structures and Courses' tab.

Further information on:

• Entry requirements
• Fees and funding
• Information for International students
• Programme Structure
• Teaching and assessment

The School is committed to upholding the highest standards of health and safety for the protection of our Students’ mental and physical wellbeing, and creating an environment where Students can thrive and achieve their educational goals

Objective: This policy aims to protect Students from the dangers of drug, psychoactive substances and alcohol misuse and to encourage those who have or may have a drug or alcohol problem or are at risk of addiction to seek help. Please refer to the Student drugs and alcohol policy for further details.

Please refer to the Schools Disability and Wellbeing webpage for full details on services offered by the school. 

Schools participating in the Title IV programme are required to provide information published by the U.S. Department of Education, please refer to their website for full details. 

Federal Regulations require that all first time borrowers complete entrance counselling via Studentloans.gov. Further details on entrance and exit counselling can be found here.

We require that all Federal Loan recipients complete exit counselling, you can access a copy of the U.S. department of Education Guide here

Please see Section 10 of the LSE's Federal Aid Guide for further information.

LSE is committed to building a diverse, equitable and truly inclusive university, please click here for further details. 

LSE does not provide loans for Gainful Employment(GE) programmes. 

Please refer to Section 5 of the Schools Federal Aid Guide.

^Written arrangements: 34 CFR 600.52 and 600.54

An ineligible foreign institution may offer no more than 25% of the home(LSE) institutions programme. 

An eligible host institution in the United States may offer up to 25% of the home institutions (LSE) programme. Note: An individual student is permitted to perform independent research in the United States for not more than one academic year, is permitted if that research is conducted during the dissertation phase of a doctoral programme under the guidance of faculty and the research performed only in a facility in the United States. The home institution is not required to establish a written arrangement with the host institution in this circumstance. 

^Internships/Externships: 34 CFR 668.5(h)(2);

The internship or externship portion of a program if the internship or externship is governed by accrediting agency standards, or, in the case of an eligible foreign institution, the standards of an outside oversight entity, such as an accrediting agency or government entity, that require the oversight and supervision of the institution, where the institution is responsible for the internship or externship and students are monitored by qualified institutional personnel. 

The host institution may offer up to 25% of the home institutions (LSE) programme

Double Degrees:

USA Federal Regulations state that you must have a secondary school completion credential (high school diploma) or the recognised equivalent of a secondary school completion credential to be eligible to receive Federal Student Aid. 

LSE does not have a Mature Student Admissions provision policy.

Intentionally misreporting information on financial aid application materials is a violation of law, subject to fine and/or imprisonment. A student should be aware that s/he will be held responsible for the integrity of any financial aid information submitted either by the student or on his/her behalf.

Applying for and receiving federal aid funds requires that a student (and parents, if necessary) complete and submit various documents. The integrity of these documents and the accuracy of the information presented through them are critical to the financial aid application process. While the Fees, Income and Credit Control team has systems in place to identify and resolve discrepancies in the information it receives, in the case where information and/or documentation intentionally misrepresents a student’s financial need, federal, state, and institutional offices and agencies are defrauded.

If there has been intentional misrepresentation, the student will be referred disciplinary action as outlined in the Disciplinary Procedure for Students .

The LSE will also refer all credible cases of suspected misrepresentation and fraud to the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Inspector General, in compliance with federal requirements. If it is determined that a violation has occurred, the consequences may include, but are not limited to, making full restitution of loans for which the student is not entitled, withholding of future disbursements until the matter is resolved, and obligation to pay the resulting balance on the student account. Cases involving omission are not referred to the Department of Education. However, any ineligible funds received must be returned, and the student will be responsible for the balance on the student account.

If you borrow Federal loans we will submit details of your loan and enrolment to National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS).  

Under strict regulations we are required to confirm your enrolment status every 60 days therefore please inform us immediately should you wish to change, interrupt or withdraw from your course.

This data will be accessible by guarantee agencies, lenders and schools determined to be authorised users of the data system.

The school does not have a preferred Lenders List but will, where possible, we will work with whichever private lender a prospective borrower decides to use. Students should be aware that the majority of private lenders choose not to offer loans when borrowers are studying outside the USA.

You are strongly advised to investigate U.S. Federal Loans before applying for a private student loan, as most American students are eligible for them. Note: Private student loans will be included in your total cost of attendance and are subject to credit checks. For further information on Private Loans, please refer to the school's Private Loans Guide.

Written arrangements: 34 CFR 600.52 and 600.54

 An ineligible foreign institution may offer no more than 25% of the home(LSE) institutions programme. 

An eligible host institution in the United States may offer up to 25% of the home institutions (LSE) programme. 

Internships/Externships: 34 CFR 668.5(h)(2);

The internship or externship portion of a program if the internship or externship is governed by accrediting agency standards, or, in the case of an eligible foreign institution, the standards of an outside oversight entity, such as an accrediting agency or government entity, that require the oversight and supervision of the institution, where the institution is responsible for the internship or externship and students are monitored by qualified institutional personnel. 

The host institution may offer up to 25% of the home institutions (LSE) programme 

Further information about Study Abroad can be found here  please carefully review the eligibility by Programme Type for clarification on Title IV eligible programmes.

The Federal Student Aid guide ' Repaying your Loans' provides information about federal student loan repayment plan options, finding loan history and loan servicers, and making payments.

Please refer to the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) for further details.

The School has an institutional Compensation and Refund Policy for all students who have officially enrolled at the school. Please note that there is a different process for Federal loans calculations and refunds. 

The amount of Title IV funds due for return as a result of a withdrawal is calculated independently of the tuition fee liability charged by the school. Therefore, the student may still owe funds to the school to cover unpaid institutional charges, or may indeed be entitled to a refund in accordance with the Return of Federal Aid Policy. The school may also attempt to collect from the students any Title IV funding that the school is required to return to the U.S. Department of Education.

The Return of Title IV funds Policy Policy outlines the requirements and responsibilities of the London School of Economics and Political Science (“LSE”) and the student (“student”) in receipt of Federal Aid. When a student ceases attendance prior to the planned ending date, the student may not be eligible for the full amount of Federal Aid funds the student was scheduled to receive.

Please refer to the school's Safeguarding Policy for further details. 

The LSE is required to make sure that all students receiving U.S. financial aid are registered on an eligible programme of study and maintaining a minimum level of academic progress.

U.S. Federal regulations (34CFR 668.16, 668.32, 668.34, 446.42) require that all students, who are in receipt of U.S. Federal Student Aid, must maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP). Failure to do so can result in the loss of eligibility to receive further funding.

Please refer to the schools Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy for further details.

The school provides a range of support services for students, including health and wellbeing advice, support for international students, and disability support. Further information can be accessed via our Student Life webpage. 

Information about any required and recommended textbooks for your programme will be provided to you by your department.

The LSE is registered with the US Department of Veteran Affairs (VA), for further information please click here. 

Please contact fees@lse.ac.uk if you have borrowed a Federal Loan and are considering withdrawing. For further details on how to withdraw please click here.