If approved by LSE Council, which has final say, fees would be lowest in Russell Group of universities
The London School of Economics' academic board, which represents its academic staff, voted by a narrow margin on Wednesday to reject charging the maximum £9,000 tuition fees.
The board voted by 68 to 67 votes in favour of charging £8,000. This fee would be the lowest in the Russell Group of universities.
The final decision on the LSE's undergraduate fees for next year will be made by the LSE Council, its governing body, on 25 May. The council will consider proposals to charge either £8,000 or £9,000.
The academic board debated proposals to set fees at either £8,000 with 40% of income above £6,000 set aside for bursaries for poorer students and widening participation or £9,000 with 50% of income above £6,000 set aside for the same reasons.
Ashok Kumar, LSE Students' Union education officer, said: "The Academic Board has today accepted £8K in favour of access and affordability. This is not only about the LSE ethic, but also a political statement about rejecting, at least in part, the policies of this government."
The LSE is less reliant on domestic undergraduates' tuition fees than other universities as a majority of its students are international.