The London School of Economics is a public research university located in London, England and a constituent college of the federal University of London. Founded in 1895 by Fabian Society members Sidney Webb, Beatrice Webb, Graham Wallas and George Bernard Shaw for the betterment of society, LSE joined the University of London in 1900 and first issued degrees to its students in 1902.

LSE is located in Westminster, central London, near the boundary between Covent Garden and Holborn. The area is historically known as Clare Market. It has 10,600 students and just over 3,000 staff and had a total income of £340.7 million in 2015/16, of which £30.3 million was from research grants. 155 nationalities are represented amongst LSE's student body and the school boasts the highest percentage of international students out of all British universities. Despite its name, the school is organised into 25 academic departments and institutes which conduct teaching and research across a range of legal studies and social sciences.

The School is recognised as one of the most prestigious universities in the world and is one of the world's leading social science universities, consistently ranked among the top universities nationally and internationally. As of 2016, eight of LSE's subject areas were ranked among the top five in the world.According to the Research Excellence Framework published in 2014, the School has the highest proportion of world-leading research among all British non-specialist universities. LSE is considered part of the golden triangle of highly research-intensive English universities. It is a member of academic organisations such as the Association of Commonwealth Universities, the European University Association and the Russell Group.

The LSE has produced many notable alumni in the fields of law, history, economics, philosophy, business, literature, media and politics. Alumni and staff include 52 past or present heads of state or government and 20 members of the current British House of Commons. To date, 28% of all the Nobel Prizes in Economics have been awarded to LSE alumni and current and former staff, along with 4 Nobel Peace Prizes, and 2 Nobel Prizes in Literature. Out of all European universities, LSE has educated the most billionaires according to a 2014 global census of dollar billionaires. LSE graduates earn greater incomes than the graduates of any other British university.