Economics is the department LSE was effectively built around. Founded in 1895 with the explicit mission of studying economics and the social sciences rigorously, LSE's Department of Economics is consistently ranked among the top handful in the world (8th globally by QS subject rankings for Economics and Econometrics), and both the undergraduate BSc Economics and the one-year MSc Economics sit among the most applied-to, most competitive courses at a university that is already one of the hardest single-subject institutions to get into in the UK. For applicants comparing LSE Economics against Oxford PPE, Cambridge Economics, or top US Economics departments, the pitch is a specialist social-science institution, a central London campus a few minutes from the City and Westminster, and an economics faculty with a long list of Nobel-affiliated alumni and former staff, including Amartya Sen.
This guide walks through what it actually takes to get into LSE Economics at both levels: acceptance rate realities, cost, requirements, English-test rules, and career outcomes.
Acceptance Rate: What LSE Actually Publishes
LSE does not publish a course-specific acceptance rate for Economics at either level. Here is what is actually known, and how to read it honestly:
- LSE undergraduate (university-wide): LSE's widely reported 2025-cycle figures show roughly 1,900 places filled from around 30,000 UCAS applications, an overall acceptance rate close to 6%. This is a blended, all-courses figure, not an Economics-specific one, and LSE itself notes that its offer rate (offers made, as distinct from places ultimately filled) runs meaningfully higher, closer to 16%.
- Economics specifically, undergraduate: LSE's own admissions guidance lists Economics as one of its most competitive courses, with typical conditional offers around A*A*A at A-Level or 38-39 points at IB with specific Higher Level subject requirements, on par with Law as one of the two most demanding offer bands LSE sets. LSE does not publish a separate percentage acceptance figure for Economics, so treat the course as running tighter than the university-wide 6%, not looser.
- MSc Economics (graduate): LSE does not publish an aggregate postgraduate acceptance rate at all, for Economics or any other course. What LSE does publish is that competitive taught master's courses, including MSc Economics, generally expect a first-class (1st) degree or a high upper-second (2:1) from a strong economics, mathematics, or related quantitative background, well above the general 2:1 floor most other taught master's courses ask for.
Bottom line: no official LSE source gives a precise Economics-specific percentage at either level. Applicants should treat BSc Economics as harder to get into than LSE's already-selective 6% university-wide average, and MSc Economics as one of the most academically demanding taught master's LSE offers, since no acceptance-rate figure exists to soften that expectation.
Fees and Cost of Attendance
LSE does not set one flat university-wide fee; tuition varies by course band. Approximate annual figures (2026-27, converted from GBP at roughly 1 GBP = 1.34 USD, per LSE's published Table of Fees):
| Cost Item | BSc Economics (Overseas/International, USD/year) | MSc Economics (all students, USD/year) |
|---|---|---|
| Tuition | $53,466 (GBP 39,900, LSE's published Economics-specific Overseas fee) | $54,940 (GBP 41,000; LSE charges Economics master's students an identical fee regardless of Home/Overseas fee status) |
| Living expenses (central London) | $18,693 | $24,924 |
| Total estimated cost of attendance | ~$72,159 | ~$79,864 |
The Home (UK-domiciled) undergraduate fee is fixed government-wide at GBP 9,790/year ($13,119), identical to Oxford's and Cambridge's Home rate since it is set by government regulation, not by LSE. Living costs are estimated from LSE's own official monthly budget guidance of GBP 1,550, applied over 9 months for undergraduates and 12 months for graduate students. The UCAS application fee (GBP 28.50, covering up to five UK course choices) is paid to UCAS, not to LSE directly; LSE's graduate application assessment fee is GBP 95 ($127).
Admission Requirements
BSc Economics (undergraduate):
- UCAS application and personal statement
- Academic reference from school/college
- Predicted or achieved grades of A*A*A at A-Level or 38-39 points at IB with specific Higher Level subject scores, among LSE's most demanding offer bands alongside Law
- English language proficiency test scores (IELTS or TOEFL) for applicants who do not qualify for a waiver
- No interview for the large majority of applicants; decisions are made holistically from the UCAS form, grades, and personal statement
MSc Economics (graduate):
- Statement of purpose
- Two academic and/or professional references
- Official transcripts from all previously attended institutions
- CV/resume
- A first-class (1st) degree or a high upper-second (2:1) in economics, mathematics, or a closely related quantitative field, LSE's expected standard for this specific course
- English language proficiency test scores (if applicable)
- GMAT or GRE are accepted (though not universally required) for a small number of Finance, Management, and Economics-related courses; always check the current MSc Economics course page, since LSE does not publish one fixed policy across all courses
The most competitive taught master's courses, MSc Economics among them, typically fill well ahead of any final advertised deadline, so LSE strongly recommends applying early within its rolling admissions cycle rather than waiting for the last date.
How to Get Into LSE's Economics Program
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Treat the A*A*A / 38-39 IB offer band as the real floor, not a target to approach. LSE places Economics in its most demanding offer tier alongside Law, so a borderline predicted grade profile is a genuine risk, not a minor weakness that other parts of the application can offset.
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Make the personal statement carry real analytical weight. With no interview for most applicants, LSE's admissions team reads the personal statement as the primary window into an applicant's economic reasoning, not just their interest in the subject, so it needs specific, well-argued engagement with economic ideas rather than a general "I love economics" narrative.
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For the MSc, show quantitative depth beyond a basic economics degree. Because LSE expects a first-class or high 2:1 specifically for MSc Economics, applicants from less quantitative undergraduate economics programs should highlight statistics, mathematics, or econometrics coursework and, ideally, a strong quantitative dissertation or research project.
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Apply early in LSE's rolling graduate cycle. MSc Economics is explicitly one of the courses LSE flags as filling before its final advertised deadline, so submitting a complete application early in the cycle, rather than close to any published deadline, meaningfully improves the odds of a place still being available.
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Nail the even IELTS/TOEFL component requirement well ahead of applying. LSE's single unified English standard requires 7.0 in every IELTS component, not just an overall 7.0, so applicants with an uneven skill profile (commonly a weaker Writing or Speaking score) should test early enough to retake if needed.
English Proficiency Requirement (IELTS/TOEFL)
LSE applies a genuinely unified undergraduate standard and a two-tier graduate standard, and MSc Economics falls in the graduate "Standard" tier used by the large majority of LSE's taught master's courses:
- Undergraduate (BSc Economics): IELTS Academic 7.0 overall with 7.0 in every component (Listening, Reading, Writing, Speaking) from a single sitting, or TOEFL iBT 100 overall with component minimums of Writing 27, Reading 25, Listening 24, and Speaking 24.
- Graduate, Standard tier (MSc Economics): IELTS 7.0 overall with no element below 6.5, or an approximate TOEFL iBT equivalent around 100 overall. A smaller set of writing-intensive courses (Media and Communications, several LLM specialisations) sit in a separate, higher "Higher" tier (IELTS 8.0/no element below 7.5); MSc Economics is not one of them.
- Waiver: applicants who are nationals of Canada or a UKVI-recognised majority English-speaking country with English as a first language are generally exempt, as are those who have completed a qualifying degree taught and examined entirely in English in one of those countries.
LSE's Language Centre runs pre-sessional English courses for offer-holders whose score falls just short of the requirement, though exact eligibility and the size of the score gap this can bridge vary by course. For the complete breakdown across all of LSE's courses, see LSE IELTS requirements and LSE TOEFL requirements.
Career Outcomes
LSE does not publish outcomes data broken out specifically for Economics graduates at either level, but the university-wide figures skew heavily toward the kind of finance, consulting, and policy roles Economics graduates are most likely to enter:
- Top recruiters (undergraduate, university-wide): Goldman Sachs, McKinsey & Company, Deloitte, PwC, UK Civil Service, Bank of England
- Top recruiters (graduate, university-wide): McKinsey & Company, Goldman Sachs, Boston Consulting Group, Bain & Company, JPMorgan Chase, International Monetary Fund / World Bank
- LSE does not publish employment-rate or average starting-salary figures for either level in the data used here
Economics is LSE's flagship department, and the presence of the Bank of England, the IMF/World Bank, and top-tier investment banks and consultancies across both the undergraduate and graduate recruiter lists reflects the degree's strong pipeline into economic policy, central banking, and quantitative finance roles specifically, on top of the general consulting and banking recruiting common across LSE as a whole.
FAQ
Does LSE publish a separate acceptance rate for Economics? No. LSE's only published acceptance-rate figure is university-wide (roughly 6% for the 2025 undergraduate cycle, against an offer rate closer to 16%), and it does not publish any acceptance rate at all for graduate courses including MSc Economics. LSE places Economics in its most demanding undergraduate offer tier, so it should be treated as more selective than the 6% average, not less.
What grades do I need for LSE's BSc Economics? LSE typically asks for A*A*A at A-Level or 38-39 IB points with specific Higher Level subject requirements, among the most demanding offer bands LSE sets, on par with Law.
Do I need a specific degree class to get into MSc Economics? LSE generally expects a first-class (1st) degree or a high upper-second (2:1) in economics, mathematics, or a closely related quantitative field for MSc Economics, a higher bar than the standard 2:1 LSE asks for on most other taught master's courses.
What IELTS or TOEFL score do I need for LSE Economics? BSc Economics applicants need IELTS 7.0 overall with 7.0 in every component (or TOEFL 100 with specific component minimums). MSc Economics applicants fall under LSE's graduate Standard tier: IELTS 7.0 overall with no element below 6.5, or an equivalent TOEFL score around 100.
How much does LSE's BSc or MSc Economics cost?
BSc Economics carries LSE's published Overseas fee of GBP 39,900/year ($53,466), with an estimated total cost of attendance around $72,159/year including living costs. MSc Economics costs GBP 41,000/year ($54,940) for all students regardless of fee status, with a total estimated cost of attendance around $79,864/year.
Is the GRE or GMAT required for MSc Economics? Not universally. A small number of Finance, Management, and Economics-related courses at LSE accept, but do not require, a GMAT or GRE score. Always check the current MSc Economics course page directly, since LSE does not apply one fixed policy across every course.