Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS)

OVERVIEW

Many of you would have heard the word LUMS a lot of times in your lives but not many of you would have known what the word exactly stands for. So LUMS is basically short for Lahore University of Management Sciences. Although now it offers many more degrees, it started with management sciences hence was named that ever since. LUMS is a private not-for-profit university known for its quality education, diversity, and alumni around the globe serving at high positions of top companies of the world. It shares a holistic approach towards nation-building and civic management to serve the critical needs of society. LUMS provides you a platform to pursue different academic disciplines and equip you with them to lead reform in their respective industries, families, and communities. LUMS is considered a top-notch university by everyone around the world with a high QS ranking and leaves a profound impact both nationally and internationally. LUMS has five distinct schools aiming to transform individuals and make them fully equipped to cope with the life that lies ahead. Now let’s look at each school separately and investigate what courses each offers.

SULEMAN DAWOOD SCHOOL OF BUSINESS (SDSB)

Suleman Dawood School of Business, or SDSB for short, was the first school of LUMS established in 1986. It is one of the best business schools in the country if not the best. It is the place where the leading entrepreneurs are born, many of which get admitted into top business schools of the world, such as Harvard, Cambridge, and Stanford, etc, for graduate studies. SDSB has huge and majestic buildings, one of the best places to be on the campus. 

SDSB offers a 4-year undergraduate program to students in the following majors:

• BSc. (Honours) Accounting and Finance

• BSC. (Honours) Management Science

Apart from these majors SDSB also offers a minor in the following discipline:

•   Public Management

SYED BABAR ALI SCHOOL OF SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING (SBASSE)

Syed Babar Ali School of Science and Engineering (SBASSE) was established in 2008, modeled on the idea of some of the leading science and engineering universities of the world, admitting students into various scientific and engineering disciplines offered before they are required to choose a major. The SBASSE is the most organized and majestic building in LUMS, each floor is designated to a specific subject with two wings on each floor. 

The SBASSE offers a four-year BS degree in the following disciplines:

• Computer Science
• Physics
• Chemistry
• Biology
• Mathematics

In addition to these majors, SBASSE also offers minors in the same fields. Apart from the BS programs, SBASSE also offers two Engineering programs which are:

• Electrical Engineering
• Chemical Engineering

MUSHTAQ GURMANI SCHOOL OF HUMANITIES AND SOCIAL SCIENCES (MGSHSS)

Formerly known as the School of Arts and Sciences, MGSHSS was renamed after the establishment of SBASSE. MGSHSS is the most populated school of LUMS, with over 500 freshman students enrolled each year. Its goal is to create a learning environment that is not merely about vocational training, but about educating students who understand each other, recognize differences of all kinds, and yet work together to create a tolerant and socially just society. MGSHSS offers the following majors:

• Economics and Mathematics
• Economics
• Economics and Political Science
• Political Science
• Anthropology and Sociology
• History
• English

Apart from that it also offers minors in the following disciplines:

• Economics
• Political Science
• English
• History
• Philosophy
• Cultural Studies
• Religion
• Anthropology and Sociology
• Psychology

SHAIKH AHMAD HASSAN SCHOOL OF LAW (SAHSOL)

MGSHSS offered a degree in Law since 2003 but with the years passing number of Law students began to increase which is why it was decided to shift this degree to a separate school in 2012 which is now known as SAHSOL. The SAHSOL only offers one degree, a 5-year B.A/L.L.B (Hons) degree which is recognized as a qualifying Law degree by the Pakistani Bar Council, unleashing quality lawyers in the world each year.

ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS FOR ALL SCHOOLS

• Good O Level and AS Level grades. Most students admitted in LUMS have straight As and A*s all the way so you should aim for that as well to increase your chances of admission. If you are a Matric and F.Sc student then aim for a minimum of  85% in both. 

• Good SAT-I score. If you’re planning to apply to SDSB or SBASSE you should have an SAT score of 1350 or more for a higher chance of admission as these two schools are highly competitive with a limited number of seats. For MGSHSS or SAHSOL you can even get an admission at an SAT score of 1250 or more but that doesn’t mean that you should take the SAT lightly, give it your best and try to score as much as possible. How to prepare for and attempt an SAT exam will not be covered in this guide as you can find that out from multiple other sources as well. You can refer to khanacademy.org/SAT which has helped a lot of students ace their SAT exams.

• If you couldn’t give the SAT don’t worry LUMS has its own admission test known as LCAT. It’s similar in pattern to SAT so if you’re prepared for that you can easily attempt the LCAT. However, your primary focus should be giving the SAT. If you can’t for some reason only then go for LCAT. The LCAT usually takes place in March.

• For admission into SAHSOL, you need to give the LAT exam as well. Although there is no minimum score requirement for it prepare for it well and try to score as much as you can.

• Finally, come your A Level/F.Sc part II grades. These do not play a massive role in your admission as by the time they’re conducted you might get your LUMS acceptance already. However, a minimum of 70% aggregate is required otherwise your LUMS admission is revoked. So don’t mess up the final stage and lose the chance to be at one of the premier universities of the world! The minimum grades for A-Level candidates are 2Bs and 1C however students are mostly confused as to what happens if you get 2As and 1D for example. For that, we use the IBCC equivalence conversion formula which is given below. To calculate your percentage just add the weightage of each of your grades and divide it by the total number of subjects attempted. For example, for 2As and 1D, you would do (85+85+55)/3 = 75%. This is above 70% so you can get admission on these grades. 

• Since, LUMS uses a holistic approach to admissions, nothing can guarantee you an admission. Some people with higher SAT scores may be rejected and those with lower scores may be accepted. You should try to improve every aspect of your application so that you have greater chances of being admitted.

SSE SUBJECT TEST

One of the best things about LUMS is its amazing hostel facility inside the campus. There are seven male hostels and five female hostels (a sixth one is under construction) which accommodate more than 3000 students from all over the country. Each floor of the hostel has two wings and is equipped with a fully functional kitchen, 2 sets of washrooms and shower stalls (1 for each wing), and 1 common room. Each common room is air-conditioned and has a TV screen. All freshman students are by default allotted triple occupancy rooms. Later, you can choose your roommate in a double occupancy setting. There is no mess for the hostel, you must buy each meal separately from the cafeteria. There is no air conditioning in the rooms but there are air coolers present in the passageway which substantially reduce the amount of heat inside the hostel buildings. Sleeping in the common room is permissible.  If you are a resident of Lahore and wish to stay in the hostel you can apply for it, but that is subject to vacancy.

OTHER CAMPUS EXPERIENCES

Apart from having a great education system with highly qualified faculty, LUMS is best known for its extracurricular activities. There are more than 50 societies at LUMS with the purpose of promoting what they are and inculcating skills in all students affiliated with them. Moreover, LUMS also provides excellent sports facilities for its students, which range from rugby to boxing to swimming. There are also multiple events held each year in LUMS which are enjoyed to the fullest by the students.

FEE STRUCTURE

Perhaps the only reservation students have while applying to LUMS is its high fee. The fee structure is as follows:

NATIONAL OUTREACH PROGRAMME (NOP)

Many students of Pakistan have a high aptitude, but they don’t apply to universities like LUMS because they can’t afford the high fee. For this purpose, LUMS has a NOP program for people who can’t afford the fee. To be eligible for NOP you must have:

• 80% marks in Matric or O Level.
• A genuine need for financial aid. There is a detailed check of all your assets by LUMS to establish whether you are really deserving or not.

If you meet the eligibility criteria you can apply for NOP a year before your actual application so if you plan to fill in the application in January 2023 then you must apply for NOP around March 2022. After that, a certain number of students are shortlisted who then attend the summer coaching session held at LUMS where they prepare for SAT exam. All students in NOP have their SAT fully funded by LUMS. The students who are then admitted to LUMS under NOP don’t have to pay a single rupee of tuition fee, they are on 100% scholarship or in some cases maybe 120%.

FINANCIAL AID

If you did not apply for NOP or weren’t eligible for it you can still waver off some chunk of your fees with the Financial Aid given by LUMS. You will have to provide all necessary documents of your assets and state the amount of fee that you can pay. After reviewing the Office of Financial Aid at LUMS will let you know about how much fees they are willing to waver off. In some cases, most of the fee is reduced, around 70%, but in some cases, there may be no financial aid given if they think that you can afford the fee easily. 

ADMISSION DATES

The application opens in late December around the end of the calendar year and the deadline for submission is around the last week of January or the first week of February. This means you have around a month to fill in all the details and submit your application which is more than sufficient time. There may be a variation in dates so refer to the LUMS website for better knowledge about them.

WRITING YOUR PERSONAL STATEMENT

Here comes the most important part of your LUMS application, the Personal Statement (PS for short). It doesn’t matter if you have good grades and SAT scores to show, if your PS isn’t up to the mark your chances of getting admission are very thin. Suppose there are two candidates to select from, both exceptionally good but there is only one seat left. How does the admission committee decide who to select? That’s where your PS comes in. We have established that the PS plays a key role in your selection but what exactly is a PS and how do you write it? So basically, back in the days there used to be interviews of candidates who applied based on which the final selection process took place. However, as the number of students applying increased rapidly each year, it was difficult for the selection board to interview such a large number of candidates (more than 10,000 applicants each year), so the PS was introduced to judge them. A PS statement is basically a summary of your life so far, your skills, things you are good at, and those which make you unique. It is not only LUMS that requires a PS but many other top universities of the world as well, but it varies from university to university. The PS comprises two questions. The first asks you why you are choosing LUMS and why are you choosing the major that you chose. The second asks about your skills and ambitions which will help you achieve your goals.  Your job is not only to answer the questions but also to make your PS as unique as possible. You should be introspective and there shouldn’t be any ambiguity in your response. A good way to prevent that is to have someone else read it and spot any errors in it. Try not to state the obvious, for example, “I wish to join LUMS because it is the best university in Pakistan and is one of the best in my chosen field” is correct, but it isn’t a very good response. Why? Because most people would say this, and it doesn’t portray your insights. A better response would be something like “I spent a great deal of time researching about universities which I could opt for and LUMS came out on top not only because of its amazing faculty but also due to other campus facilities it offers making it unique.” While writing your PS you must keep in mind that the person reading it knows nothing about you so make sure that you don’t miss out on important details! Another bonus tip is to name specific faculty members you’d like to work with. This shows that you are well researched about the university that you are going to. Make sure to be a man of your words too, just typing in stuff and not implementing it isn’t good! While mentioning your achievements make sure to don’t go overboard stating unnecessary stuff or something which wasn’t your achievement! There is no upper limit for the number of words in both questions but try to sum up both questions in around 500 words each. Your PS shouldn’t be too short either too long as it will bore the reader. Your ambitions that you state really matter. Now comes the question that what do the selectors see in the applicants? As LUMS is one of the top universities in the world, they tend to hire the cream of the country. With such a low acceptance rate and the number of applicants increasing each year it is a difficult job for them to select the right candidate. They need to see hard work, passion, dedication, and other qualities which would help them succeed at the university and cope with its academic and social pressure. They are looking for all-rounded students, who know how to manage studies and other extracurricular activities. Hence, make sure to take part in as many activities as you can that happen at your school or outside it to make a good Personal Statement.

OTHER IMPORTANT INFORMATION REGARDING THE APPLICATION PROCESS

• Make sure to upload a good photograph on the portal. Follow the guidelines carefully which are basically having a white background, the picture should be hair to shoulders, you should be facing the camera and other details which would be mentioned there. The photograph is going to be with you on your LUMS ID if you get admitted, no one wants a bad photograph there!
• Be very careful with spelling and numbers. Double, triple-check them to make sure there are no errors.
• In the achievements, tab do not write something which you don’t have proof of. Later you would have to upload proof which is mostly a certificate of whatever achievement you have stated, signed by the authority who gave it.
• Keep checking your email often as it is the primary mode of communication during the application stage.
• Be very careful with deadlines of uploading documents, LUMS is very strict in this regard.

That pretty much sums it up, good luck with your application process if you’re planning to apply to LUMS! However, if you’re still unclear about anything and need further guidance feel free to reach out to members of our team using the Kis Senior tab on our website, our sole purpose is to make this easier for you! For more information about LUMS, you can visit its website which is lums.edu.pk.

Compiled by Zammad Khan – LUMS class of 2025

For reporting any errors, write to us at team@kisuni.org