New universities aren't built every day, and for good reason: it's no easy feat. In 2018, LIS brought together a group of academics, entrepreneurs and investors to imagine a new kind of institution. Two years later it was born, becoming the first UK university in over 50 years to open with degree-awarding powers, with its first students arriving at its East London campus soon after.
LIS is built on a simple belief: the world's most complex, interconnected problems can't be solved by a single subject. So rather than teach disciplines in isolation, it takes a problems-first approach, drawing on the arts, sciences and humanities and grounding everything in rigorous methods and real-world application. This runs through everything LIS offers, from its undergraduate and master's degrees to its MBA and professional courses. In an interconnected world, those who thrive will be the ones with range, able to take multiple perspectives and spot the next big shift. LIS exists to develop those problem-solvers, ready to work across boundaries and make a real impact.
At LIS, employability isn't bolted on at the end of a degree, it's built into the experience from day one. Across undergraduate, master's, MBA and professional programmes, students work on real briefs set by external organisations, get 1:1 career coaching, and plug into the LIS Network: 200+ organisations, from start-ups to KPMG, John Lewis and the Mayor of London's office. The aim is bigger than a first job. LIS develops the adaptable, interdisciplinary thinkers almost every sector needs, ready for a career that may look different in ten years, even for jobs that don't yet exist. Its graduates go into consulting, tech, finance, government, research and the creative industries and found ventures of their own.
LIS doesn't own accommodation. Instead, they have established agreements with some of London's leading accommodation providers. This means that you can socialise and live alongside students from a diverse range of backgrounds from other universities in London. In your second and third years, you can choose to remain in the halls, or you might like to share a flat with your friends.
Most halls will offer a range of room options at different price points, so take the time to have a detailed look through each of the websites ahead of choosing your accommodation. You can find more information about our accommodation options here.
The London Interdisciplinary School is based in Whitechapel, East London, just off Brick Lane and a short walk from Shoreditch, with the City of London close by and excellent transport links across the city. Its campus building has a rich history; originally the Salvation Army Mission Hall, it has since been transformed into a unique and modern campus with specialist facilities including a media studio and a gallery for exhibiting student work, and a common room designed by students. The wider setting is hard to beat: London was recently voted the best student city in the world for its culture, quality of life and career prospects.
One advantage of being a smaller, newer university is that students can be very active in setting up and running their own societies. LIS has an independent student organisation, LISSA (LIS Student Association), made up of members of the student body who oversee, approve and allocate budget to societies initiated by students. There is a diverse range of student-run societies, from film and music to debating, sauna and hiking, and if one doesn't exist yet, students are actively encouraged to set it up. While there are no LIS sports teams, many students register with other universities or regional teams, and engage more broadly with London's other universities through their libraries, open lectures and societies.
LIS is an official Higher Education provider listed on the Office for Students (OfS) Register of Providers, the higher education regulator in England. It holds its own degree-awarding powers, having been the first new UK institution in over 50 years founded with them, and its standards have been reviewed by the Quality Assurance Agency (QAA). Students can access UK student finance.
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