London South Bank University: Courses, Fees & Admissions

University profile

About London South Bank University

London South Bank University (LSBU) is a vocationally focused university in south London that traces its roots to the Borough Polytechnic Institute, founded in 1892. Its original aim, to promote the industrial skill, general knowledge, health and well-being of young men and women, still shapes a practical, career-oriented approach, with accredited and professionally recognised courses designed with industry partners and built around placements and work experience. LSBU is a company limited by guarantee and an exempt charity whose principal regulator is the Office for Students, and it holds a TEF Silver rating.

The main campus is in Elephant and Castle in the London Borough of Southwark, the university's home since 1892. A second campus at Electric House in central Croydon concentrates on nursing and health courses. Both campuses have a library, and LSBU's two halls of residence are within a ten-minute walk of the Southwark campus.

Teaching is organised into three colleges and their schools:

College of Health and Life Sciences: School of Allied Health and Life Sciences; School of Nursing and Midwifery
College of Technology and Environment: School of Architecture and Planning; School of Construction, Property and Surveying; School of Engineering and Design; School of Computer Science and Digital Technologies
College of Society and Professions: LSBU Business School; School of Law, Arts and Education

LSBU is the lead institution of LSBU Group, which describes itself as London's first integrated education group. The group brings together the university with South Bank Colleges (including London South Bank Technical College in Nine Elms), South Bank University Academy and South Bank University Sixth Form, and offers integrated routes from school and further education to degree and postgraduate study. Distinctive facilities include London's only anechoic chamber for acoustic studies, the Digital Architecture and Robotics Lab (DARLAB), a Building Information Modelling Centre, the Elephant Studios media hub, the Edric Theatre and hospital-style clinical simulation wards.

Over 2,000 international students from more than 130 countries study at LSBU. International applicants apply directly through the LSBU online application system. Students who do not meet direct entry requirements can take the Undergraduate Foundation Programme or International Year One with OnCampus London South Bank, which lead to guaranteed progression on successful completion. The Students' Union runs over 85 clubs and societies, and the Student Centre houses the Careers Service, Grads Café and The Venue Bar.

University information

Tuition fees

The tuition fee for Home undergraduates starting full-time courses is £9,790 a year. Home students can apply for tuition fee and maintenance loans from Student Finance England. The maximum maintenance loan for 2026/27 is £14,135 for students in London living away from home. For 2026/27, full-time international fees start from £16,440 for undergraduate courses and from £16,740 for MSc, MA and PgDip courses. Self-funded international students can pay in full or pay 75% at enrolment and the rest in instalments. Students who pay a full year in full by the deadline may receive a £1,000 early settlement discount (not available to Home full-time undergraduates). Fees after the first year may rise with inflation up to the Consumer Price Index plus 5% (CPI plus 4% for undergraduate fees outside regulated Home rates).

International scholarships (LSBU Future Global Graduate Awards)

Vice-Chancellor's International Merit Award: £2,000 a year for undergraduates with grades equivalent to AAB or above at A-level (approximately 75% or above in other school leaving certificates).
Global Success Scholarship: up to £4,000, varying by subject, for the first year of undergraduate or postgraduate study. Available to international students who accept their offer and pay the £2,000 deposit within four weeks of meeting all offer conditions.
European Impact Scholarship: £5,000 tuition fee discount per year for the whole course, for new self-funded international fee-paying students from eligible European countries.
Transnational Education (TNE) Partner Award: £5,000 per year for students joining from a recognised LSBU partner institution within two years of their last qualification.
CEG Progression Award and LSBU Pathway Progression Scholarship: £5,000 off first-year fees for students progressing directly from a recognised pathway programme.
Accommodation discount: 75% off McLaren House fees for selected subjects and regions (January intake).

Students can hold only one award. More than £1 million has been committed to the scheme. International scholarships. US students can use US Federal Direct Loans at LSBU. LSBU is BUTEX-affiliated, and study abroad students can apply for the £500 BUTEX International Scholarship. Chevening Scholarships fund Master's study for eligible nationals.

Undergraduate bursaries and support

Care Leaver Bursary and Estranged Students Bursary: £1,000 per year of study for undergraduates under 25 (pro rata for part-time).
Young Adult Carers Award: at least £500 per year for undergraduates under 25 who provide unpaid care.
LSBU Group Progression Award: £1,000 in the first year for students progressing from South Bank Colleges, South Bank University Academy or South Bank University Sixth Form.
Lawrence Burrows Educational Trust Fund: ten scholarships of £3,000 (£1,000 a year) for full-time Home undergraduates of West Indian or Asian background who are under 30 when they complete their course.
LSBU Student Support Fund: a discretionary hardship fund open to all enrolled students all year round.

Eligible students are contacted in the second half of semester one, and bursaries are usually paid in two instalments. Student support bursaries. Sports scholarships are run by LSBU Active.

Postgraduate funding

LSBU Loyalty Award: 25% off tuition fees for LSBU graduates who enrol on a taught postgraduate course, or who progress from a taught Master's to an MRes, MPhil or PhD, in 2026/27. LSBU Loyalty Award.
Aziz Foundation Scholarship: 100% tuition fee Master's scholarships for British Muslim Home students with career aims in law, media, policy, creative content, sustainability or technology.
LSBU PhD Scholarships: funding for UK and international students to do PhD research in fields including psychology, sport, nursing and health, law, social sciences, engineering, built environment, business and the arts.

Government Master's and Doctoral loans are also available to eligible students. Postgraduate scholarships.

The Global Success Scholarship →

The Vice-Chancellor's International Merit Award →

The European Impact Scholarship →

The Transnational Education (TNE) Partner Award →

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Undergraduate entry (UK applicants)

Full-time undergraduate courses are applied for through UCAS using institution code L75 and the course code shown on each course page. Part-time courses and apprenticeships are applied for directly to LSBU, and apprentices need an employer sponsor. Every course requires five GCSE passes at grade C/4 or above, including English and Maths. Functional Skills Level 2 Maths and English are accepted instead of GCSEs. Course-specific requirements are given in UCAS Tariff points on each course page. Admissions tutors consider past academic performance, predicted grades and the personal statement, which should be no more than 4,000 characters. Offers may be conditional or unconditional.

Key dates for September 2026 entry

30 June 2026: apply by this date to be considered before Clearing
1 July 2026: UCAS Extra closes
5 July 2026: Clearing opens
August 2026: results and Confirmation
September 2026: courses begin

UCAS applications for 2027 entry typically open in September 2026. Some courses have different deadlines.

International undergraduate entry

International students and EU nationals without settled or pre-settled status apply directly through the LSBU Online Application Form. One application can include up to two courses, with all supporting documents uploaded. International undergraduates can also apply through UCAS. LSBU accepts a wide range of international qualifications and lists entry requirements by region. Students who do not meet direct entry requirements can take the OnCampus London South Bank Undergraduate Foundation Programme (Business; Humanities and Social Sciences; Engineering and Physical Sciences pathways), which offers guaranteed progression to Year 1. They can also take International Year One, which offers progression to Year 2. Admissions decisions take immigration history into account for Student visa applicants.

English language requirements

Academic IELTS: 6.0 overall with no component below 5.5 (undergraduate); 6.5 with no component below 5.5, subject to course (postgraduate)
TOEFL iBT: 80 overall (undergraduate) or 90 overall (postgraduate), with Reading 18, Listening 17, Writing 17, Speaking 20
PTE Academic: 59 overall (undergraduate) or 60 overall (postgraduate), with at least 59 in each skill
Cambridge English: 169 overall (undergraduate) or 180 overall (postgraduate), with no score below 162
LanguageCert Academic: 65 overall (undergraduate) or 70 overall (postgraduate), with at least 60 in each component
Trinity ISE: ISE II with Distinction in all four components (undergraduate); ISE III with Pass in all four (postgraduate)
GCSE/IGCSE/O-Level English Language or A/AS Level English Language: grade C

LSBU also offers online pre-sessional English courses.

Postgraduate taught entry

Postgraduate study requires a first degree, usually at least a 2:2, or at least three years' relevant post-qualification experience. Some postgraduate diplomas accept other qualifications with relevant work experience. Home applicants apply through the LSBU online application system, and international applicants use the LSBU Online Application Form. PGCE applications go through UCAS Teacher Training, and full-time PgDip Legal Studies applications go through the Central Applications Board.

Research degrees

A PhD normally requires a first or second class honours degree, and typical applicants hold a relevant Master's with Merit or Distinction. Professional experience and publications are also considered. An application is accepted only once a suitable supervisory team has been identified. LSBU Doctoral College offers PhDs, professional doctorates (EdD, Health and Social Care) and Masters by Research. A full-time PhD targets thesis submission in three years, or five years part-time.

Visas and CAS

Overseas applicants need completed qualifications, an English test that UKVI or LSBU approves, and all Student visa documents before a CAS can be issued. These documents include bank statements that meet UKVI requirements and a TB test certificate where applicable. Application, deposit and CAS deadlines vary by region. A non-refundable deposit towards first-year fees may be required before a CAS is issued.

Southwark campus, Elephant and Castle, London SE1: the main campus and the university's home since 1892, at 103 Borough Road. It hosts most schools, including engineering, architecture, construction, computing, business, law, arts and education, and some health teaching. Facilities include the library, the Student Centre (Students' Union, Careers Service, Grads Café, The Venue Bar), the anechoic and reverberation chambers, DARLAB, the BIM Centre, CNC-equipped engineering workshops, Elephant Studios, the Edric Theatre (90-seat auditorium, seven studios), a radio studio, a crime scene workshop and clinical skills laboratories. More than £65 million has been invested in the campus through the ZONES learning environment programme.
Croydon campus, Electric House, central Croydon: a campus for healthcare courses, especially nursing, a 5-minute walk from East Croydon station. It has clinical skills labs that replicate hospital wards, a chiropractic clinic run by fourth-year students (LSBU teaches London's only chiropractic course), a library with loanable laptops and assistive technology, lecture theatres, classrooms and a café, plus the REACT Innovation Centre.

Libraries: a library on each campus, with over 1,000 study spaces, 120,000 electronic journals and databases and over 195,000 books between them.

Residences: two halls of residence near the Southwark campus with over 900 single en-suite bedrooms. McLaren House (1 St Georges Circus, SE1 0AP) offers 39-week contracts, and David Bomberg House (282-302 Borough High Street, SE1 1JJ) offers 39- and 48-week contracts. Rents include utilities, Wi-Fi and gym access. Reception is staffed 24 hours, and the Thrive residential wellbeing team supports residents. Care-experienced, estranged, refugee and asylum-seeker students can have contracts of up to 52 weeks.

Sport and wellbeing: LSBU Active provides sports facilities and runs sports scholarships, and the Human Performance Centre offers sports science services. Students have access to the Mental Health and Wellbeing Service, Disability and Dyslexia Support and the Togetherall peer support platform.

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London South Bank University