A three-year BSc, L603
Delivered by the Department of Anthropology, with 12 units over three years plus LSE100.
Undergraduate · LSE Social Anthropology
LSE Social Anthropology: ethnography as the method
LSE's BSc Social Anthropology is built around long-term fieldwork methods. Students are trained in anthropological research methods and carry out an ethnographic study in the second year, and an extended essay of up to 8,000 words closes the degree. Its entry rule is broad: AAB, with a wide range of subjects, including sciences, welcomed. The decision is whether ethnography is what you want from the study of society.
Official information · last verified for 2027 entry
What LSE asks for in Social Anthropology
Taken from LSE's BSc Social Anthropology programme page and read on 31 October 2026. For a normal 2028-entry application, made in 2027, every requirement below is last verified for the previous cycle and may change; LSE's 2028-entry requirements and dates are awaiting publication.
AAB, with a wide range of subjects
The standard A-level requirement is AAB, and LSE will consider applicants offering Mathematics and Further Mathematics combined with an essay-writing subject.
IB 37 with 666
The IB requirement is 37 points overall with 666 in higher level subjects.
Training in ethnography
The programme provides full training in anthropological research methods and an in-depth ethnographic study.
Fieldwork and a year abroad
Students can join a summer fieldwork projects scheme and apply to spend a year abroad with a global partner.
Official sources
Read on 31 October 2026 on LSE's BSc Social Anthropology programme page, which describes 2027 entry. LSE's general entry requirements, the fees pages, the language-specialism and fieldwork-scheme pages and the 2028-entry values were not read, and the page lists no additional admissions test or interview so none is stated and are not stated.
The degree
Culture and society, studied through fieldwork
LSE says students examine the variable and universal aspects of human culture and society and the political, economic, family and religious systems that influence people's beliefs and practices, and are encouraged to look at the world in new ways and challenge their own perceptions. In the second year they conduct an ethnographic study and write a report of up to 5,000 words; in the final year they write an extended essay of up to 8,000 words.
Is it the right degree?
Social Anthropology against Sociology
Both study society, with different methods.
Choose Social Anthropology if
you want immersion in a community, ethnography and cultural comparison.
Choose Sociology if
you want to study social processes and institutions across societies. Avandy's LSE Sociology guide covers it.
Choose International Social and Public Policy if
you want to analyse and design policy. Avandy's guide to it covers that.
Entry rules
AAB and a wide range of subjects
The standard A-level requirement is AAB. LSE says social anthropology draws on the arts and sciences, so applicants have studied subjects from English and History to Biology and Mathematics, and that it will consider Mathematics and Further Mathematics combined with an essay-writing subject. The IB requirement is 37 points overall with 666 in higher level subjects. The page lists no additional test or interview. This page states no scores.
A decision framework
Three questions before you commit
This is Avandy's own framework, not LSE's.
Do you want to learn by immersion?
Ethnography is the central method.
Are you comfortable writing long reports?
The second year has a report of up to 5,000 words and the last an essay of up to 8,000.
Is a year abroad attractive?
Students can apply to spend a year with a global partner.
Planning for 2028 entry
Planning for 2028 entry: what carries over and what is awaiting publication
Applying for 2028 entry means applying in 2027, under rules LSE has not yet published for that cycle. Each item below carries one of two labels. Last verified for 2027 entry means LSE published it for the previous cycle and it may change. Awaiting publication for 2028 entry means LSE has not yet published it.
Grades, subject requirements and the subject-mix guidance: last verified for 2027 entry
These are the best guide to what to prepare. LSE has not confirmed them for 2028 entry.
The UCAS deadline and the 2028-entry requirements: awaiting publication for 2028 entry
Check LSE's programme page for the 2028-entry values when they appear.
What to do now
Confirm the required subjects, read the programme's course structure and plan your preparation around it.
Support
Independent support with course choice and preparation
Avandy provides independent academic and admissions support. It is not affiliated with the London School of Economics and Political Science or any of its colleges or departments. Preparation sits within the Avandy Trinity Advisory Model: a Strategic Admissions Consultant, a PhD-level Academic Mentor and a Subject-specific Tutor, working to the actual requirements of each course. Support here means course-fit advice, subject mentoring and ethical preparation; Avandy gives no scores or probabilities and does not write applications. No outcome is promised.
Questions
Questions applicants ask
What does LSE Social Anthropology require?
AAB at A level, or IB 37 points with 666 in higher level subjects, in LSE's wording for 2027 entry.
Do I need particular subjects?
The page names a wide range of typical subjects and sets no required subject.
What is the ethnographic study?
In the second year students conduct an ethnographic study and write a report of up to 5,000 words.
Can I spend a year abroad?
LSE says students can apply to spend a year abroad with one of its global partners.
Is there an admissions test or interview?
The page lists none, so this guide states none.
Are these the rules for 2028 entry?
No. They are LSE's wording for the 2027 application cycle. Check the programme page again when LSE publishes its 2028-entry requirements.
Students and families
Talk to us about LSE Social Anthropology
Tell us about the student's curriculum, their interest in cultures and fieldwork, their subject mix and how this degree compares with Sociology, the universities on the list, and the intended year of entry. A senior adviser will review the academic profile before recommending how to prepare.