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Access and Participation

London School of Management Education (LSME) Access and Participation Plan aims at removing barriers to Higher Education and raising aspiration of our target groups to succeed in their life. The Plan has been developed to attract under-represented populations of the local community, particularly the younger, white and BAME disadvantaged learners, who may want to progress towards Higher Education, yet may not have access to the information or the support to overcome the barriers or may lack in motivation and aspiration. The Plan focuses on identifying these under-represented and disadvantaged students and young people by working directly with the local and regional FE Colleges, Sixth Form, Secondary Schools, Communities, Charities, relevant organisations and the local Councils within the geographical area of East London through networking and outreach programmes.

The projects developed as outreach projects target disadvantaged young people from the backgrounds of white British, Black ethnic minorities, Asian under-represented groups, and Caribbean diaspora. Our outreach programmes also provide opportunities for young people who have dropped out of schools with no prospect of employment, individuals from low participating neighbourhoods, some ethnic minority groups such as the Black Caribbean and Asian students, Care Leavers, refugees and disabled learners. These young people could be in secondary or Sixth Form or Not in Employment, Education or Training (NEET) from low-income backgrounds or from specific target groups.

LSME would support the young people taken into the programme by providing tutoring in the academic programmes, mentoring, career guidance and raising their aspirations etc to succeed and improve academic performance. It would pave their way to Higher Education and better employment prospects in the future. Information on specific projects is as below.

LSME-Inspire Project

LSME-Inspire Project is designed to support younger students in the year groups 10 to 13 with low attainment, especially in English, Maths and Science by providing one-to-one support, mentoring and tuition. This support does not target the most gifted and talented but all students of a low socio-economic background who wish to progress to further or higher education regardless of their ability. The LSME-Inspire aims to work closely with the partner schools to provide tailored support to enhance aspirations and improve GCSE and A-level outcomes for selected students. We work with Secondary and Sixth Form schools and relevant organisations to identify and support the students under this category.

Participating students will get inspired through:

1:1 Tutoring
Career Guidance and Advice
HE Taster Sessions
Interactions with the Potential Employers

LSME NTLTL Project

LSME, “Not Too Late to Learn” (NTLTL), is an initiative aimed at providing assistance and reintegrating into the educational system individuals such as care leavers, refugees, those categorised as NEET, and economically marginalised young people aged 18 and above. This effort is particularly focused on supporting White British young males and various other black minority ethnic groups, including individuals of Caribbean descent, who have disengaged from the education system.

The project aims to provide potential learners within the target population with academic support in a Foundation Year and support their progression to higher education. The eligibility to a contextual offer is made based on the information from the LSME APP Referral Form or the LMSE Equal Opportunities Monitoring Form or after an initial assessment.

The support available for students taken under the NTLTL project includes:

Additional tutoring
Mentoring
Career Guidance
Employer Engagement
Transferrable Skills Development
Training sessions to raise aspiration and build confidence
Scholarships and bursaries
Tailor-made Individual Support

Disability Outreach Project

LSME offers personalized support to all students, including those with disabilities and additional needs, within a mainstream environment. The LSME Disability Outreach project aims to provide contextualized admission to those who have special needs and fall below the entry requirements, academic support in a Foundation Year, and further assistance in progressing to higher education or graduate level jobs. We make reasonable adjustments wherever possible to help all students, including those with disabilities, achieve success in higher education alongside their peers in the same learning environment.

Disability encompasses health conditions that last, or are likely to last, a year or more and negatively impact their studies. Examples include long-term health conditions, sensory impairments, mobility difficulties, mental health challenges (such as anxiety and depression), and autistic spectrum disorder. Specific learning difficulties like ADHD and dyslexia are also included.

Any disability disclosure will be handled confidentially, and if you wish to discuss your needs privately, please inform the Admissions Team. By sharing your challenges, we can explore suitable support options together.

If you believe you require a ‘reasonable adjustment,’ please bring this up during the admissions process. Additionally, you may be eligible for certain benefits, such as bursaries and hardship funds, due to your disabilities or special needs.

Additional support available includes:

A student-centred learning environment
Individual attention and one-to-one support if required
Easily accessible location – Gants Hill Underground and Bus stations
Bursary and hardship funds based on assessment
Assistance with accessing student finance
Fee waivers for eligible students in the Foundation Year
Employability and employer engagement support

Contextualised Admissions

Some of the AP target group students’ enrolment is through a Contextualised Admission process. Contextual Admissions can positively reduce the gaps in admissions between the least and most represented groups of students. The contextual admissions form part of the LSME’s commitment to ensuring that all students with the potential to succeed have equal opportunity to enrol in the academic programmes of LSME.

Contextualised information and data are used to assess an applicant’s prior attainment and potential, in the context of their individual circumstances. The aim is to form a more complete picture of the applicant. Contextual information relates to individual applicant circumstances such as educational, geo-demographic and socio-economic background data, disabilities, being in care, deprivation, underrepresentation etc.

At LSME, we have a proud culture of promoting and facilitating access to higher education for targeted under-represented groups in society. LSME’s AP Plan aims to remove barriers to Higher Education and raise their aspiration to succeed in life and the specific target groups include disadvantaged young people from the backgrounds of White British, ethnic minorities including Caribbean, Asians, refugees, care leavers, disabled individuals and individuals with poor socioeconomic backgrounds, to progress to university or meaningful employment. This is formulated with the understanding that the disadvantaged individuals do not have the same opportunity to meet our entry requirements.

These eligible candidates will undertake our initial assessment test and may be offered admission to our Foundation year programme, if they do not meet our entry requirement. Furthermore, LSME offers, fee-waivers, bursaries and scholarships to the eligible AP Foundation Year students based on an assessment process.

Refugees

LSME welcomes applications from refugees. Several challenges prevent many young refugee from accessing university or Higher Education. They need support to access the education system and learn to be part of and become a productive member of the community.

The four major challenges faced by refugee students include; finance, information, advice and guidance, and health and wellbeing. They are, sometimes unable to access student finance or any other locally available finances. Their unfamiliarity with the UK Higher Education system and ways to access education puts them at a greater disadvantage. Having left their friends and family behind, settling into a new culture, and dealing with language barriers, they are likely to experience emotional and mental health concerns. Hence, the LSME AP outreach projects aim to extend support to people with refugee status to access higher education, through our foundation and degree programmes.

AP Team together with the Admissions Team will offer the following support in this regard:

Provide clear and accurate information about refugees eligibility for courses and financial support,
Organize open days for refugees to visit campus and ask questions (pre-entry support),
Provide detain information about the additional academic support, fee-waivers and bursaries,
Apply Contextual Admissions Policy for the admission process to widen participation
Recognize individual circumstances and provide a customised support package
Regular interactions and follow-up to ensure attainment and progression.

Care Experienced or Care Leavers and looked after Children

In England, while the official care leaving age is 18, young people can leave care as early as 16, at which point they are designated care leavers. Young care leavers are entitled to support from a personal adviser through their local authority until the age of 25. Increasingly, many educational providers are adopting the term “care experienced” to encompass a wider range of individuals in need of support, as the definition of care leavers does not account for all those who may benefit, including students who have been adopted. LSME recognises the importance of providing support to all students who have experienced care at any stage of their lives, including those who have been adopted.

Through the LSME-NTLTL project, LSME is committed to providing care experienced students (ages 18+) with comprehensive academic and financial support as they transition into higher education.

LSME offers fee waivers for our Foundation Year programmes, along with the guidance needed to progress into our degree programmes or any university of their choice. Understanding the unique challenges faced by care experienced students, LSME Admissions and Access and Participation Teams provide tailored pre-entry support and continuous on-course assistance.

Care experienced students are encouraged to enrol in a Foundation Year in Business Management, Accounting and Finance, Health and Social Care, or International Tourism and Hospitality Management if they do not meet the entry requirements for a full degree programme. The Foundation Year serves as an excellent opportunity for those considering higher education but facing academic barriers and offers several benefits:

It provides an essential year at Level 4, designed to help you prepare for university-level study,
Successful completion of the Foundation Year satisfies entry requirements for full degree courses,
It is particularly beneficial for individuals returning to education or those who feel unprepared for degree-level demands,
Students will have the chance to build essential skills, confidence, and knowledge while addressing academic gaps, including literacy skills, and
The Foundation Year offers a preview of university-style teaching and the opportunity to gain practical experience for future undergraduate studies

We invite you to visit the LSME campus for pre-entry advice from our Admissions Team. Should you require assistance with your studies or mental health and well-being throughout your course, our dedicated team is here to support you.

LSME is proud to be a signatory of the Care Leaver Covenant, emphasizing our commitment to helping Care Leavers achieve higher education qualifications and secure graduate-level employment.

LSME Bursary and Scholarship Scheme

As part of the Access and Participation Plan for the period spanning 2020-21 to 2024-25, LSME implements measures to provide financial assistance to eligible students within the Access and Participation (AP) target groups. This assistance is offered through an internal assessment procedure. It includes discretionary bursaries, hardship funds, and scholarships for Foundation Year or fee waivers. Eligibility assessment primarily relies on the information and data submitted by students during registration or enrolment. Should a student’s circumstances change while studying, their eligibility will be reviewed, and support adjusted accordingly. LSME actively encourages students falling within the AP target groups to avail themselves of these benefits to support their academic endeavours at the institution.

Definitions

A Bursary is a financial support provided by the College to eligible students that they are not required to pay back. A scholarship is a grant or payment made to support a student’s education, awarded based on eligibility criteria aimed at improving student access, success and progress from higher education. The scholarship is often referred to as Foundation Year Fee-waiver. At LSME, our scholarships generally reduce the amount of tuition fee payable and may be aimed at diminishing the financial burden on students who intend to obtain a qualification but have limited means due to their social circumstances.

LSME Bursaries and Scholarships are discretionary and provided only to eligible students. Bursaries do not affect your student finances through SLC. Some may receive both the Bursary and Scholarship. Students may receive this Bursary for one year and it may continue for each year of their course depending on their eligibility. Bursaries and scholarships and their terms and conditions are subject to change.

Students eligibility for Bursary and Scholarships are assessed based on the details submitted by them during the admission process. Hence students do not need to apply for them, unless their circumstances have changed since their enrolment. If a student is eligible, we inform them via email shortly after they start their course to receive the awards detailed below.

Three award areas are as follows:

1. Discretionary Scholarships

There are two types of scholarships awarded in this category.

LSME Foundation Year Scholarship
This scholarship or often referred to as Foundation Year Fee-waiver is awarded to students who are AP-eligible, UK-domiciled and full-time students registered on our Foundation Year programme. This may be full Foundation Year fee-waiver or discounted fees. The assessments are carried out by the AP Team based on their enrolment data. These scholarships are administered directly by LSME or through the SLC.

2. LSME Discretionary Bursary

AP eligible students enrolled in the Foundation, degree programme or Diploma in Education and Training may receive an annual discretionary bursary based on an internal assessment. It is received by all eligible students and supports the purchase of stationery or transport costs to the College. This Bursary is administered by LSME through the SLC.

3. LSME Discretionary Means-tested Hardship Funds

Students who are in the AP Target groups may be eligible to a one-off hardship fund in an academic year. It is means-tested and will also be subject to the nature of the hardship and the circumstances. Students who are not AP eligible may also be offered this hardship fund under certain circumstances, based on set assessments. This Bursary is administered by LSME directly or through SLC.

Bursary and Scholarships for Student Access and Participation (AP) Eligible Students

1. NEET Category (for discretionary bursary and fee-waiver)

Students admitted to LSME on a Foundation Year programme from the partnership referral organisations or through our external outreach programmes who are Not in Employment, Education or Training (NEET) may be considered for bursaries, hardship funds and fee-waivers based on their internal assessments.

2. Disabled Students (for discretionary bursary, Hardship funds and fee-waiver)

Based on assessments students with disabilities and special needs, both seen and unseen disabilities are considered for financial under discretionary bursary and hardship funds and fee-waivers and they may include:

Cognitive impairments such as dyslexia, dyspraxia and dyscalculia
Mental health issues
Mild to moderate physical disabilities
Sensory disabilities including hearing and visual impairment
Chronic unseen disabilities

3. Refugees and Care Leavers (for discretionary bursary, Hardship funds and fee-waiver)

Refugee and Care Leaver students are eligible to financial support through discretionary bursary and hardship funds. The documents submitted at the time of enrolment will be assessed by the AP Team to check their eligibility.

4. Other students particularly Black Caribbean and Asians learners (for discretionary bursary and Hardship funds)

The students of Black Caribbean and Asian ethnic groups may be eligible to financial support through discretionary bursary and hardship funds. The documents submitted at the time of enrolment will be assessed by the AP Team to check their eligibility.

Fee Information

Summaries of the student fee information are provided below. This data is generated from predicted student numbers with the corresponding fees for all active programmes.

Fee Information 2025-26

Fee Information 2024-25

Fee Information 2023-24

LSME Access and Participation Plans