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Selection Criteria

LSME is only interested in offering courses to applicants who meet the selection criteria of our Awarding organisations. Accordingly, there is a strict selection and screening process. The admission team reviews all applications submitted and this process includes an assessment of eligibility for the course as well as proficiency in English language and communication skills. The minimum entry requirements for each course are published on our website and in our prospectus. All correspondences are carried out via letters/email. This process follows the steps outlined below and could take a minimum of one week or more depending on individual circumstances.

Screening and Selection Process

Verification of Documents

The Admissions Team checks the application pack, ensuring all relevant documents are enclosed, and all requirements are satisfied. The Admissions Team will also perform the following checks on the applicant’s qualifications:

Check that the qualifications are authentic – A letter/email will be sent to the awarding body or educational institution which awarded the qualification if there is any reason to seek clarification about its authenticity.
Check ongoing qualifications – if the applicant is still on a course for a relevant qualification or is waiting for results, the applicant should provide documentary evidence from the awarding organisation or educational institution. If necessary, the Admissions Team will contact the relevant organisation to verify the applicant’s enrolment on that course.
Check foreign qualifications for equivalence. The awarding bodies used by LSME have entry requirements expressed in terms of the Qualifications & Credit Framework (QCF) levels. The Admissions Team will check the UK equivalent of foreign qualifications with the UK ENIC (previously known as UK NARIC).
Check the authenticity of other supporting documents if necessary.

Application Processing

This policy outlines the processing of all applications submitted to the College. The Admissions Team will consider all applications and make three possible decisions:

The applicant meets the minimum entry requirements and is eligible for an initial assessment and interview.
The applicant meets the minimum entry requirements but will need to submit additional supporting documents. An initial assessment and interview will be arranged.
The applicant does not meet the minimum entry requirements and does not merit an interview or an initial assessment. The Admissions Team will convey the decision for rejection to the applicant, indicating the reasons for rejection (e.g. qualification is below the required level or low English Language test score).

Initial Assessment

Learners will undergo an online initial assessment in Numeracy and Literacy conducted by LSME to ascertain their proficiency in functional skills prior to their interview.

Prospective candidates applying for Teacher Training and any qualification above Level 5 must pass these tests at Level 2 and demonstrate an in-depth proficiency in academic writing in order to be considered for an interview.

Prospective candidates applying for Level 4 and lower level qualifications must pass the initial assessment at Level 1 and demonstrate an ability to write maturely in order to be considered for an interview; however, prospective candidates applying for Foundation programmes must pass these tests at Entry 3.

Interview

The Admissions Team will arrange a time and date with the candidate to carry out an interview.

The interviewer will pay attention to the applicant to assess if:

Their appearance is the same as that of the photo on the passport copy submitted with the application form;
Their level of English (speaking and listening) is good enough to cope with the lectures and course delivery methods used at LSME;
Their knowledge and understanding of, and enthusiasm for the subject appear to match the impression given by their qualifications and application form;
They can adhere to the attendance and coursework submission requirements which determine their potential to succeed in a chosen programme;
Their actual or expected academic or professional qualifications and grades are adequate;
Their relevant work experience will add some value to their training;
Their personal statement of purpose is relevant to the chosen programme.

The interviewer will complete a checklist when making decisions on applicants. The checklist records the detail of what was discussed, work experience, personal interest, attendance, work placement arrangements and general comments.

Decision

The Admissions Team will make a decision on whether to admit the applicant. There are three possible outcomes:

Conditional Offer – The Team believes that the applicant will be ready to start on the chosen course provided certain conditions are met. The terms and conditions are made clear to the applicant in their conditional offer letter.
Unconditional Offer – The Team is satisfied that the applicant is ready to start on their chosen course, having met all the relevant conditions. They will be issued an unconditional offer letter. The offer letters will include a statement on the chosen programme, start date, finish date, awarding body, place of study, tuition fee, mode of study etc.
Rejection – The team is not satisfied with the applicant’s ability to successfully study their chosen course. The Admissions team will indicate the reason for the decision (e.g. academic grades too low, course not suitable or the team is not convinced of the applicant’s intention to study and comply with relevant requirements etc.). A member of the Admissions Team will convey the decision of rejection to the applicant. The applicant is, however, offered further advice on alternative courses that may be suitable for his/her circumstances. If the applicant has listed other course choices, the application will be considered for the next choice of course.

Acceptance

Applicants must accept or reject any offer within two weeks of receiving the offer letter. Failure to do so may result in the cancellation of your application.

Tuition Fees

Privately funded students must pay the minimum first instalment of tuition fees by the date stipulated on their payment plan. Students who will be receiving Student Finance do not need to pay a deposit of tuition fees to the College.

Admission Letter

Successful applicants who have met all the stipulated conditions will receive final admission letters from the College Admin Office. For students on Student Finance, the admission team will issue the admission letter upon the completion of the due diligence process. With respect to privately funded students, the College will issue an admission letter for that student only on receipt of the first tuition fee deposit.

For further information about tuition fees and methods of payment, refer to our Tuition Fee and Refund Policy.

Appeals

If an applicant wishes to appeal any decision during their application the following procedures should be followed:

Tuition and Maintenance Fee Status

If an applicant wishes to appeal against their fee status he/she is advised to contact the Admin Department with additional evidence to ascertain his/her ability to cover the cost of tuition and maintenance fees. The admission team will then review the application and make a final decision.

English Language

If an applicant appeals against an English language offer condition, and does not feel he/she should take a test in the first place, the Administration Department will advise the applicant to send a written statement outlining the reasons for the appeal. This is then passed to the Programme Leader of the course for which he/she is applying for consideration. If the Programme Leader is satisfied with the applicant’s level of English, he/she can agree to waive the condition or request a re-sit, subject to approval by the Academic Board. If the Programme Leader does not agree to waive the condition or request a re-sit, the appeal can be referred to the Academic Board for further consideration at the request of the applicant.

Rejection on any other Grounds

If an applicant appeals against his/her rejection to a course on any other grounds, they must provide the Administration Department with a written statement of why they should not be rejected on the grounds stated. The Administration Department will refer the application to the Programme Leader who will then, if required, seek further information from the Admissions Team. A final decision and feedback will then be passed to the applicant.

If, having received feedback regarding the decision not to offer a place at the College, an applicant feels they have cause for appeal or complaint, they may send a formal written request for a review to the admissions team.

However, applicants should be aware that the College will not review an admission decision where the grounds for requesting a review are simply that the applicant disagrees with the academic judgment that has been applied, and where there is no evidence that the correct procedures have not been followed.

The admissions team will investigate the circumstances surrounding the request for a review in consultation with the relevant academic leaders and/or with other appropriate persons.

When making a request for a review of a decision, the applicant must include the grounds for requesting the review (i.e. any alleged procedural irregularities) and any supporting evidence including, where available, copies of any relevant documentation. Applicants will not normally be permitted to add additional material or grounds after their request for a review have been submitted.

The College will consider requests for a review of a decision in a timely manner, with a view to providing a response within 10 working days of receipt of the written request by the Admissions Team. Where a response is not possible in that timeframe, the Admission Team will write to inform the applicant, giving reasons for the delay.

If the applicant is not satisfied with the outcome of the review conducted by the admissions team, they may refer their case to the appropriate head of the Academic Board (Principal) who will conduct a further investigation. The applicant will again be required to submit their case in writing. This request will be considered in a timely manner, with a view to providing a response within 10 working days of receipt of the written request by the Principal. The decision of the Principal shall be final.

Admission Appeals Policy and Procedure

This policy gives guidance on how London School of Management Education’s admission team handle cases on appeals against refusal of admission in the college. The process is aimed at handling all cases in a transparent manner to ensure that all prospective learners are offered an equal opportunity for admission to the business colleges in London.

Reasons for Rejection

In all cases applicants may be refused admission on grounds of:

Insufficient evidence of previous qualifications.

Insufficient evidence of continued residence in the UK for funded programmes.

Not meeting eligibility criteria.

Not passing the prescribe English language and numeracy test.

Poor performance at the interview.

Appeal Procedures

If an applicant wishes to appeal any decision during their application the following procedures should be followed:

i.Tuition Fee Status

If an applicant has been rejected because of their inability to fund their studies privately wishes to appeal against their fee status he/she is advised to contact the Admin department with additional evidence to ascertain his or her ability to cover the cost of tuition fees. The admission team will then review the application and make a final decision.

ii.English Language

If an applicant appeals against an English language offer condition, and does not feel he/she should take a test in the first place, the Administration Department will advise the applicant to send a written statement outlining the reasons for the appeal. This is then passed to the head of the programme for which he/she is applying for consideration. If the Course Leader is satisfied with the applicant’s level of English he/she can agree to waive the condition or request a re-sit, subject to approval by the Academic Committee. If the Course leader does not agree to waive the condition or request a re-sit, the appeal can be referred to the Academic Committee for further consideration at the request of the applicant.

iii. Rejection on all other Grounds

If an applicant appeals against his/her rejection to a course on all other grounds above, they must provide the Admin Department with a written statement of why they should not be rejected on the grounds stated. The Admin Department will refer the application to the Course leader who will then, if required, seek further information from the Admissions Team. A final decision and feedback will then be passed to the applicant.

If, having received feedback regarding the decision not to offer a place at the College, an applicant feels they have cause for appeal or complaint they may send formal written request for a review to the Admissions team.

However, applicants should be aware that the College will not review an admissions decision where the grounds for requesting a review are simply that the applicant disagrees with the academic judgement that has been applied, and where there is no evidence that the correct procedures have not been followed.

The Admissions Team shall investigate the circumstances surrounding the request for a review in consultation with the relevant academic leaders and/or with other appropriate persons.

When making a request for a review of a decision, the applicant must include the grounds for requesting the review (i.e. any alleged procedural irregularities) and any supporting evidence including, where available, copies of any relevant documentation. Applicants shall not normally be permitted to add further material or grounds after their request for a review has been submitted.

The College will consider requests for a review of a decision in a timely manner, with a view to providing a response within 10 working days of written request reaching the Admissions Team. Where a response is not possible in that timeframe, the Admission’s Team will write to inform the applicant, giving reasons for the delay.

The outcome of the review will be sent in writing to the applicant at the correspondence address which has been provided. If an address is not provided with the written request, the address provided with the original application will be used.

If the applicant is not satisfied with the outcome of the review conducted by the Admissions Team, they may refer their case to the appropriate Head of the Academic Committee who will conduct a further investigation. The applicant will again be required to submit their case in writing. This request will be considered in a timely manner, with a view to providing a response within 10 working days of the written request reaching the Principal. Where a response is not possible in that timeframe, the Principal will write to inform the applicant, giving reasons for the delay. The decision of the Principal shall be final.

Registration and Enrollment

The first week of the course is very important, and all students must attend. An enrolment form is completed, followed by our induction activities and an opportunity to interact with other cohorts and tutors. Induction continues for a further 6 more days, spread over three weeks, to enable students to acquire transferable skills for their respective courses.

Late Registration

All learners must contact the Administration Department of the College if they are unable to enrol at the start date. Late registration is only permitted in exceptional circumstances. The Administration Department will seek final approval from the Departmental Head for another date for registration. Students who arrive late may be at a disadvantage as there may not be any orientation time available. It is the student’s responsibility to catch up on any time missed. If they are likely to miss the first month of the course, students will be advised to defer their course commencement to the next term. The regulatory authorities will be notified accordingly in the case of government-funded students.

Deferring of Admission/Enrolment

The College does not normally defer admissions/enrolments. However, the College may reconsider an application for up to one academic year only. Students wishing to defer their start date will be reconsidered for the next session and must submit an updated CV to the Administration Department two weeks before their session begins. All applications are reconsidered in comparison with other applications for that session.

Non-Enrolment (‘No Show’)

This procedure is set out to monitor the movements of students and to outline the College’s reporting responsibilities in the event a student fails to register with the College once they have been granted Student Finance (Home Students).

This applies to all students in the College (new and existing)

Procedure

Students who fail to register for their course within two weeks (ten working days) of the course start date will be treated as a ‘No Show’.

Students with a ‘No Show’ will lose their admission rights unless a strong reason with valid justification and proof is provided.

Students with a ‘No Show’ who are in receipt of funding support will not have their admission confirmed with the SLC.

If the learner returns after 10 working days, they will be permitted to register and stay on the programme provided they will agree to attend extra days to make up for the lost induction time.

Students who fail to show up within one month of the course start date will be removed from that cohort of learners, and the SLC will be informed accordingly.

Students will be required to register at the College within 10 working days from the commencement of the course.

Any student who fails to register with the College within the stipulated period and without any relevant or valid justification will be treated as a ‘No Show’. Their next of kin will be informed, and the College will cancel their admission and notify all relevant regulatory bodies within 10 working days.

Registration and Enrolment Procedures apply to new and continuing students.