Founded in 1916, the former School of Oriental and African Studies, now Soas University of London, has shifted its academic focus from its roots in Britain’s imperialist projects, when its purpose was to train colonial administrators to run the empire’s colonies, to current debates that challenge its founding function. The university has pioneered moves to decolonise the curriculum, committed itself to challenging Eurocentrism and has developed a toolkit for increasing inclusivity in teaching and redressing disadvantage through racism and colonialism.
It has recently relaunched the Soas Middle East Institute (formerly the London Middle East Institute) and in 2024 opened the Centre for Pan-African Studies, which is intended to promote interdisciplinary research, policy dialogues and public engagement on issues related to the African continent and its diaspora. In another new project Soas anthropologists have been awarded nearly £8 million from Research England to help understand and address inequalities in access to mental health care in London and beyond.
High-profile alumni add to Soas’s reputation, among them its president, Zeinab Badawi, a broadcast journalist; Achim Steiner, administrator of the United Nations Development Programme; David Lammy, the UK foreign secretary; and the England rugby player Maro Itoje.
What is Soas University of London’s reputation?
A small university with fewer than 6,000 students, Soas has degree combinations across law, politics, economics, finance, business, management, the arts, humanities and languages — with a specialist international focus on Asia, Africa and the Middle East. Its development studies course ranks joint third in the 2024 QS World University Rankings.
More than 40 per cent of undergraduate programmes offer the opportunity to spend a year studying in another country, experiencing a different culture first-hand, and all have the option to learn a non-European language alongside their degree programme. Some of the countries with which Soas has the strongest study links include Palestine, Korea, Kenya, Thailand, China and Jordan.
Soas climbed ten places in our research quality index, to 36th, thanks to a strong performance in the latest Research Excellence Framework (REF 2021). Eighty-seven per cent of the research it submitted was ranked world-leading or internationally excellent, with particular success in law, anthropology and music.
Last year Soas entered our top 30 and was shortlisted for our Specialist University of the Year title. However, a double-digit fall in 2025 is due to less buoyant rates of graduate employment and struggling rates of student satisfaction. It ranks in the bottom five for students’ evaluations of both teaching quality and the wider experience in our analysis of the annual National Student Survey (NSS), and in the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF 2023) received only a bronze rating for student experience.
However, the university maintained a silver award overall and drew praise from assessors for “a clear articulation of the range of educational gains [Soas] intends its students to achieve, and why these are highly relevant to its students and their future ambitions”.
What degree courses have been discontinued and what new courses are available?
No degrees are being launched or closed in 2024 or 2025.
What are Soas University of London’s entry requirements — and my chances of getting in?
The lowest entry grades, CCC, apply to degrees with foundation years, while Soas’ entry requirements go up to AAA. Contextual offers benefitted just under 10 per cent of applicants in 2023’s admissions cycle — undercutting the standard rate by up to two A-level grades. Soas accepted a record number of new undergraduates (more than 1,600), boosted in part by increased interest from international students. Nearly a quarter of entrants in 2023 gained their places through clearing.
What are the graduate prospects?
The university nurtures relationships with public sector organisations, charities, NGOs, law firms, consultancies and the cultural and creative industries, and its graduates can be found working at organisations such as PwC, Amnesty International, Sotheby’s and the BBC. It launched a paid internship programme in 2021 and has placed students with employers such as African and Asian galleries, charities and tech companies. Soas falls from the top 50 in the country for graduate prospects (at 65=, down 20 places) according to the latest national Graduate Outcomes survey, which showed 75.4 per cent of Soas graduates working in high-skilled jobs or engaged in further study 15 months after finishing their degrees, down by 6.2 per cent year on year.
What is Soas University of London’s campus like?
The school moved into the five-storey north block of Senate House, the imposing Bloomsbury headquarters of the University of London, in its centenary year, consolidating its facilities around Russell Square. The campus includes a student hub, with services such as accommodation, counselling, student finance and careers, and a plaza under a glass canopy. The university’s Bloomsbury campus has a refurbished students’ union common room and bar and is investing in an extensive upgrade of its IT facilities.
Students past and present agree that the Soas library is among the university’s most compelling features. Located in the Russell Square campus, it is one of only five National Research Libraries in the UK and houses more than 1.5 million volumes, periodicals and audio-visual materials in 400 languages. Its special collections of manuscripts, rare books and archives focus on Asia, Africa and the Middle East.
Everything you need to know about Soas University of London’s student life and wellbeing support
Occupying a prime spot in the University of London district, Soas students have their own bar, social space and catering facilities. The students’ union hosts interest groups and societies, such as anime, Chinese percussion and the feminist society, as well as sports clubs including basketball, cricket, aikido and squash. New students can set up their own groups. The university also has a student-run radio station and newspaper. While the university does not have its own sports facilities, it is well placed for plenty of University of London and public amenities.
Soas offers a student counselling service through which its therapists offer support in person or online and in one-to-one, group or workshop settings. There is specialist counselling for students who identify as black and/or trans/non-binary, and for international students. A multi-faith chaplaincy and a mentoring service also provide support. All new students are required to take part in consent and active bystander training sessions.
What do the students say?
“My undergraduate experience at Soas combined academic depth and cultural enrichment with diverse social opportunities.The curriculum offers a refreshing change from Eurocentric studies, providing a truly global perspective. Being in the heart of London on a vibrant campus fosters a strong sense of community."
Maryam Choudhary, president of activities and events at Soas students’ union, and a management graduate
What about student accommodation at Soas University of London?
First-years who apply during the main cycle are guaranteed accommodation. Prices start at £155 per week and not exceeding £364 per week.
How diverse and inclusive is Soas University of London?
With students from ethnic minority backgrounds making up more than three quarters (77.3 per cent) of its admissions, Soas has the fourth most ethnically diverse student body in the UK. It ranks 103rd overall in our social inclusion index for England and Wales. The university offers free week-long bridging courses to prepare applicants who are the first in their family to go to university, or who are from a low-participation neighbourhood, or who are over 21 and entering higher education for the first time.
Everything you need to know about scholarships and bursaries at Soas University of London
Almost half of undergraduates received some form of financial help from the university in 2024. Awards based on financial need include the Soas bursary (of £4,500 paid over the duration of a degree), as well as the University of London Scholars Programme, Soas Sanctuary Scholarships, and Rahim Lalji ’14 Development Studies Bursaries. The International Academic Excellence Scholarship provides a £2,500 tuition fee discount to 16 overseas students.
