Address: Houghton Street, London WC2A 2AE, United Kingdom
Economics, Political Science, Law, International Relations, Sociology, Statistics, Public Policy
The London School of Economics and Political Science was founded in 1895 by Sidney and Beatrice Webb, Graham Wallas and George Bernard Shaw, with a bequest of 20,000 pounds from the estate of Henry Hunt Hutchinson. The first classes were held in October 1895 at 9 John Street, Adelphi. It joined the University of London in 1900, its first degrees, the BSc and DSc in Economics, were established in 1901, and it began to award its own degrees in 2008. In 2022 it became a university in its own right within the University of London.
The school has been based at Clare Market and Houghton Street, near Kingsway and Aldwych in central London, since 1902. The Old Building on Houghton Street opened in 1922, and the campus now covers about thirty buildings.
In 2024 and 2025 it had 12,950 students, of whom 5,785 were undergraduates and 7,160 postgraduates. About 64 percent of students in 2023 and 2024 came from outside the United Kingdom, including about 77 percent of postgraduates. The school employed 1,935 academic staff and 2,890 administrative staff.
Twenty-seven academic departments and institutes cover economics, government, international relations, sociology, statistics, mathematics and social policy, together with the LSE Law School, the School of Public Policy and the European Institute. The British Library of Political and Economic Science, known as LSE Library, was founded in 1896 and is described as the largest library in the world dedicated to the social sciences, with more than four million printed volumes.
Twenty-one Nobel laureates are affiliated with the school. Four economists linked to it received the Nobel Memorial Prize in the 1970s: John Hicks in 1972, Friedrich Hayek in 1974, James Meade in 1977 and Arthur Lewis in 1979. Alumni include Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, Romano Prodi, Tharman Shanmugaratnam, President of Singapore, George Soros, David Attenborough and B. R. Ambedkar. Fees differ for home and international students. Check the current tariff. Teaching is in English.
Domains taught:
Data Analytics, Finance, Logistics, Mathematics, Project Management, Statistics
Diplomas*:
Bachelor, Doctor, Master
Status:
Public
Partnerships:
University of London, the British Library of Political and Economic Science, the European Institute, the School of Public Policy and the LSE Law School.
Research:
Economics, government, international relations, sociology, statistics, mathematics, social policy, law and public policy.
Famous Alumnis:
Ursula von der Leyen, Romano Prodi, Tharman Shanmugaratnam, George Soros, David Attenborough, B. R. Ambedkar
International recognition**:
Number of staff***:
4825
Current students***:
12950
Foreign students***:
64%
Cumulative former students***:
N/A
Pros
World-leading social science university, central London campus, very international student body, largest social science library in the world.
Cons
Very expensive London living costs, competitive admission, limited campus space, specialised in social sciences.
Best For
Students who want a focused social science university in central London with a very international student body.
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Most Similar Schools Locally
Another national school that puts mathematics and data analytics at the centre is University of St Andrews, and it has almost the same size, at about 11,645 students, and is also a public institution.
London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine takes a similar route through statistics and data analytics, and it also offers graduate certificate programmes and covers bioinformatics and microbiology and genetics as well.
The comparison with Royal Holloway, University of London is straightforward on subjects, since both focus on mathematics and data analytics, and it teaches at the same levels, namely bachelor's, master's and doctoral, and covers marine science and physics as well.
University of Essex follows much the same lines as this school, with data analytics as common ground, and it is also a public institution, and runs the same bachelor's, master's and doctoral programmes.
Among national alternatives, King's College London stands out for its focus on mathematics and data analytics, and it teaches at the same levels, namely bachelor's, master's and doctoral, and covers robotics and physics as well.
Most Similar Schools Abroad
Looking internationally, Renmin University of China in China is where finance, project management and statistics get a comparable treatment; it is larger, enrolling about 27,810 students against roughly 12,950 here, and is also a public institution.
The closest overseas parallel on finance, statistics and mathematics is Toulouse Capitole University, located in France; it teaches at the same levels, namely bachelor's, master's and doctoral, and covers software engineering as well.
Students considering a move abroad can look at Georgetown University in the United States, where finance, project management and statistics also form the core, and it covers life sciences as well, and is larger, enrolling about 20,031 students against roughly 12,950 here.
Pompeu Fabra University, in Spain, takes a similar route through finance, statistics and data analytics; it covers signal processing and life sciences as well, and has almost the same size, at about 12,558 students.
For finance, statistics and mathematics outside the home country, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf in Germany is a natural reference; it is also a public institution, and teaches at the same levels, namely bachelor's, master's and doctoral.
*our own picks (our criteria: a mix between domains, diploma delivered, reputation and size), but obviously too many criteria for an apple-to-apple ranking.
FAQ
Where is the LSE?
On Houghton Street in central London, near Kingsway and Aldwych.
When was it founded?
In 1895, by Sidney and Beatrice Webb, Graham Wallas and George Bernard Shaw.
When did it join the University of London?
In 1900.
When did it become a university in its own right?
In 2022, within the University of London.
How many students does it have?
12,950 in 2024 and 2025, including 5,785 undergraduates.
How international is it?
About 64 percent of students in 2023 and 2024 came from outside the United Kingdom.
How many departments does it have?
Twenty-seven academic departments and institutes.
What is LSE Library?
The British Library of Political and Economic Science, founded in 1896, the largest library dedicated to the social sciences.
Which economists won the Nobel Memorial Prize?
John Hicks, Friedrich Hayek, James Meade and Arthur Lewis in the 1970s.
What does it cost?
Fees differ for home and international students. Check the current tariff.
*: without any judgment of the quality, readers are strongly encouraged to check the official status of the exact diploma envisioned as many universities have a mix of recognized diplomas, not recognized, “co-delivered,” “equivalent to”, “some pathways” (…), can change over time, and can be named differently from one country to another.
**: international reputation: is based on some criteria that do not mean much in some domains or specialties (number of researchers, of scientific publications, on budget ….). Our approximate 1-4 scale:
known locally
known locally and internationally
is listed in some of the world university’s classifications
is listed among the 20 firsts in some of world university’s classifications
***: estimated numbers, based on online sources and/or feedbacks. The numbers can vary greatly depending on school organisation (ex.: school is part of a group, it employs internal staff or external consultants or has public staff without employing them …). Refer to all the links provided to have accurate and updated numbers.
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