- School Profile
- School Stats
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The School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) is a college of the University of London and the only Higher Education institution in the UK specialising in the study of Asia, Africa and the Near and Middle East.
SOAS is a remarkable institution. Uniquely combining language scholarship, disciplinary expertise and regional focus, it has the largest concentration in Europe of academic staff concerned with Africa, Asia and the Middle East.
On the one hand, this means that SOAS remains a guardian of specialised knowledge in languages and periods and regions not available anywhere else in the UK. On the other hand, it means that SOAS scholars grapple with pressing issues - democracy, development, human rights, identity, legal systems, poverty, social change - confronting two-thirds of humankind.
This makes SOAS synonymous with intellectual excitement and achievement. It is a global academic base and a crucial resource for London. We live in a world of shrinking borders and of economic and technological simultaneity. Yet it is also a world in which difference and regionalism present themselves acutely. It is a world that SOAS is distinctively positioned to analyse, understand and explain.
Our academic focus on the languages, cultures and societies of Africa, Asia and the Middle East makes us an indispensable interpreter in a complex world.
We have:
more than 200 academics specialising in these areas
more than 3,700 undergraduate and post graduate students from more than 100 countries
programmes in a wide range of social science, humanities and languages and cultures
10 of its 16 departments score 5 or 5*
been consistently awarded high marks for the quality of its teaching by the QAA
a staff student ratio of 11:1.
SOAS is a remarkable institution. Uniquely combining language scholarship, disciplinary expertise and regional focus, it has the largest concentration in Europe of academic staff concerned with Africa, Asia and the Middle East.
On the one hand, this means that SOAS remains a guardian of specialised knowledge in languages and periods and regions not available anywhere else in the UK. On the other hand, it means that SOAS scholars grapple with pressing issues - democracy, development, human rights, identity, legal systems, poverty, social change - confronting two-thirds of humankind.
This makes SOAS synonymous with intellectual excitement and achievement. It is a global academic base and a crucial resource for London. We live in a world of shrinking borders and of economic and technological simultaneity. Yet it is also a world in which difference and regionalism present themselves acutely. It is a world that SOAS is distinctively positioned to analyse, understand and explain.
Our academic focus on the languages, cultures and societies of Africa, Asia and the Middle East makes us an indispensable interpreter in a complex world.
We have:
more than 200 academics specialising in these areas
more than 3,700 undergraduate and post graduate students from more than 100 countries
programmes in a wide range of social science, humanities and languages and cultures
10 of its 16 departments score 5 or 5*
been consistently awarded high marks for the quality of its teaching by the QAA
a staff student ratio of 11:1.
Faculty
| Number of Faculty Staff | Headcount: 367 FTE: 341 |  |
| Total number of academic faculty staff who are responsible for planning, directing and undertaking teaching only, research only or both teaching and research. Please include: vice-chancellors, deputy vice-chancellors, principals, professors, heads of school, associate professors, principal lecturers and tutors. Please exclude research assistants*, PhD students who contribute to teaching, and exchange scholars or visiting professors who are members of another university. *FAQ: How is research assistant defined? | ||
| Number of International Faculty Staff | Headcount: 172 FTE: 163 | |
| Number of academic faculty staff who are of foreign nationality. The term ‘international’ is hereby determined by citizenship. For EU countries, this includes all foreign nationals, even if from another EU state. In Hong Kong, this includes professors from Mainland China. Inclusion and exclusion mirrors those for academic faculty staff. | ||
Undergraduate Information
| Number of Undergraduate Students | Headcount: 2,425 FTE: 2,352 | |
| Number of students pursuing a Bachelor’s level or equivalent degree. This excludes certificates/diplomas and associate’s degrees. | ||
| Number of International Undergraduate Students | Headcount: 790 FTE: 790 | |
| Number of undergraduate students who are foreign nationals. The term ‘international’ is hereby determined by citizenship. For EU countries, this includes all foreign nationals, even nationals of other EU states. In Hong Kong, this includes students from Mainland China. Please exclude all exchange students. | ||
| Average International Undergraduate Fees | £ GBP 11,460 | |
| Average tuition fees per academic year (two semesters) that an international student would be expected to pay for an undergraduate program, with ‘program’ referring to the complete range of courses contributing to a degree. FAQ: How do I calculate average fees? | ||
| Average Domestic Undergraduate Fees | £ GBP 3,145 | |
| Average tuition fees per academic year (two semesters) that a domestic student would be expected to pay for an undergraduate program, with ‘program’ referring to the complete range of courses contributing to a degree. FAQ: How do I calculate average fees? | ||
Graduate / Postgraduate Information
| Number of Graduate / Postgraduate Students | Headcount: 1,806 FTE: 1,409 | |
| Students pursuing a higher-level degree (Master and Doctorate), including both taught and research postgraduates (e.g. PhD students) | ||
| Number of International Graduate Students | Headcount: 1,102 FTE: 1,102 | |
| Number of graduate / postgraduate students who are foreign nationals. The term ‘international’ is hereby determined by citizenship. For EU countries, this includes all foreign nationals, even nationals of other EU states. In Hong Kong, this includes students from Mainland China. | ||
| Average International Graduate / Postgraduate Fees | £ GBP 11,460 | |
| Average tuition fees per academic year (two semesters) that an international student would be expected to pay for a graduate / postgraduate program, with ‘program’ referring to the complete range of courses contributing to a degree. FAQ: How do I calculate average fees? | ||
| Average Domestic Graduate / Postgraduate Fees | £ GBP 4,000 | |
| Average tuition fees per academic year (two semesters) that a domestic student would be expected to pay for a graduate / postgraduate program, with ‘program’ referring to the complete range of courses contributing to a degree. FAQ: How do I calculate average fees? | ||
Students
| Total Students | Headcount: 4,665 | |
| Total number of students. | ||
| Total International Students | Headcount: 2,035 | |
| Number of students who are foreign nationals. The term ‘international’ is hereby determined by citizenship. For EU countries, this includes all foreign nationals, even nationals of other EU states. In Hong Kong, this includes students from Mainland China. | ||
| Average International Student Fees | £ GBP 11,460 | |
| Average tuition fees per year that an international student would be expected to pay for any course | ||
| Average Domestic Student Fees | £ GBP 3,145 | |
| Average tuition fees per academic year (two semesters) that a domestic student would be expected to pay for any program, with ‘program’ referring to the complete range of courses contributing to a degree. FAQ: How do I calculate average fees? | ||
Graduate Output
| Proportion of Graduates Employed | 97% | |
| Proportion of graduates (excluding those opting to pursue further study) in permanent employment within 6 months of graduation | ||
| Number of PhDs Awarded | 87 | |
| Total number of PhDs awarded in the last 12 months | ||
Main claims to international academic or non-academic excellence
SOAS has students registered from over 140 countries and is extremly proud of its diverse population.
Range of Fees
£3,070 - £10,920
Basic TOEFL/IELTS requirements
IELTS 7 with 7 in all the subscores.
TOEFL Score of 600 (250 CBT)with TWE 5.0
Accommodation
510 Rooms available in Undergraduate Accommodation - Dinwiddy House
Accommodation Range
Single Room: £115.08
Entry Requirements
Our entry requirements range from AAA to BBC, please check our prospectus for further information.
Language Support
SOAS offers pre-sessional and some in-sessional courses to applicants who fall short of the required English Language Assessment criteria.
- Anthropology and Sociology
- Art and Archaeology
- China and Inner Asia
- Department of Africa
- Development Studies
- Economics
- Financial and Management Studies
- History
- Japan and Korea
- Law
- Linguistics
- Media and Film Studies
- Music
- Near and Middle East
- Politics and International Studies
- South Asia
- South East Asia and Islands
- Study of Religions
- Anthropology
- Social Anthropology - Full Time
- Business/Management
- Management - Full Time
- Creative/Performing Arts
- History of Art - Full Time
- History of Art and Archaeology - Full Time
- Music - Full Time
- Economics
- Development Economics - Full Time
- Economics - Full Time
- Ethnicity, Gender and Diversity
- African Language and Culture - Full Time
- African Studies - Full Time
- Ancient Near Eastern Studies - Full Time
- Arabic and Islamic Studies - Full Time
- Arabic Cultural Studies - Full Time
- Arabic studies - Full Time
- Hebrew and Israeli Studies - Full Time
- South Asian Studies - Full Time
- South East Asian Studies - Full Time
- Geography
- Geography - Full Time
- History/Archaeology
- History - Full Time
- History of Art - Full Time
- History of Art and Archaeology - Full Time
- Languages
- African Language and Culture - Full Time
- Arabic - Full Time
- Bengali . - Full Time
- Burmese - Full Time
- Chinese - Full Time
- Georgian - Full Time
- Gujarati - Full Time
- Hausa - Full Time
- Hindi - Full Time
- Indonesian - Full Time
- Japanese - Full Time
- Korean - Full Time
- Linguistics - Full Time
- Nepali - Full Time
- Persian - Full Time
- Sanskrit - Full Time
- Sinhalese - Full Time
- Swahili - Full Time
- Tamil - Full Time
- Thai - Full Time
- Tibetan - Full Time
- Turkish - Full Time
- Urdu - Full Time
- Vietnamese - Full Time
- Law/Legal Studies
- Law - Full Time
- Politics
- Politics - Full Time
- Sociology/Social Studies
- Development Studies - Full Time
- Theology/Religion
- Study of Religions - Full Time