London Interdisciplinary School

The London Interdisciplinary School (LIS), founded in 2017 in Whitechapel, east London, is a small independent provider of higher education that builds learning around complex real-world problems instead of single academic subjects. It obtained degree awarding powers in 2020, before any students arrived, becoming the first newly established UK institution since the 1960s to begin operating with such powers. The first undergraduate intake followed in 2021, with master's students joining in 2022. It confers its own degrees without holding university title.

Its principal offering is the BASc in Interdisciplinary Problems and Methods, a three-year degree in which students examine questions such as the ethics of technology, inequality and environmental change, are trained in quantitative as well as qualitative methods and finish with a capstone project. Students may add a year abroad at partners such as Utrecht University, Singapore Management University and emlyon business school. In the first and second years, students are offered paid internships with external organisations. At postgraduate level the school runs an MBA and several MASc degrees. Class sizes are small, with a ratio of roughly 13 students to each member of academic staff.

Information for International Students

LIS, a licensed Student sponsor, takes international students on its full-time MASc programmes and its BASc. Undergraduates apply via UCAS or directly to LIS online. Selection looks beyond grades: all candidates attend a mindset interview, and those falling short of the standard offer also have an academic interview centred on working through real problems. That offer is set at A*AA in A-levels or equivalent, and international equivalents, including the German Abitur and the International Baccalaureate, are accepted. The admissions regulations may require an English language qualification from non-native speakers of English. Those needing visa sponsorship face a fixed deadline in early summer so that CAS and visa processing can be completed.

Once the necessary evidence has been verified, LIS issues a CAS to unconditional offer holders. Under its undergraduate guidance, sponsored students may take part-time work in term time within their visa limits and may apply for the Graduate Route after graduation. The school does not own halls, instead pointing students to partner providers such as Affordable Accommodation 4 Students and Unite Students. Future Leaders Scholarships reduce tuition for a few selected BASc students.