The School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London

History

• SOAS is the only higher education institution in the UK specialising in the study and research of Asia, Africa and the Middle East.
• The school was founded in 1916 as the School of Oriental Studies.
• SOAS uniquely combines disciplinary expertise, language scholarship and regional focus.
• SOAS has the largest concentration of specialist staff (350+ academics) concerned with the study of Asia, Africa and the Middle East at any university in the world.
• SOAS is a global academic base, a crucial resource for London and a seat for international political debate and interaction.

Location and transport

• SOAS is based in the heart of London. The capital's rich cultural, social and intellectual life is  on its doorstep.
• SOAS is well served by all forms of public transport. It has excellent travel connections with bus, underground and train within easy access of the main campus at Russell Square.
• The Russell Square campus is in historic Bloomsbury, well-known as the intellectual centre of the city while Vernon Square is close to many of Islington's boutiques and restaurants.
• SOAS is also placed close to Senate House, Birkbeck College and UCL libraries.

Entry standards

• SOAS welcomes applications from students with a variety of qualifications and experience reflecting our commitment to recruiting a diverse student community.
• Admissioon tutors will consider the whole application, including the student's personal statement. Considerable weight is also given to the academic references.
• A level offers range from A*AA to BBB, depending on the subject. 
• The entry requirements detailed in the course descriptions represent the minimum for each subject. Applicants must demonstrate that they are able to achieve the appropriate qualifications.

Student mix

• SOAS has more than 5,000 students and welcomes students from more than 130 countries.
• About 50% of students are from countries outside the UK.
• There is a roughly equal split between undergraduates and postgraduates (55%:45%).
• The ratio of female to male students is 62:38.
• 24% of undergraduates are over 21 when they start their course.
• On average undergraduate applications to admissions are approximately 6:1.

Course flexibility

• The programmes provide many options to suit a student's interests, whether they have decided for a single subject or a two subject (combined) degree.
• SOAS offers more than 400 degree combinations in social sciences, humanities, languages and the arts, all with a distinctive regional focus.

Teaching standards

• In 2009, the School was awarded the Queen’s Anniversary Prize for the excellence, breadth and depth of its language teaching. This was the second time the School had won this prestigious prize.
• Small group teaching remains an important feature of study at SOAS – its student-staff ratio (11:1) is one of the best in the UK.
• SOAS is above the national average for student satisfaction at 86% (National Student Survey 2011).

Research standards

• Over 50% of the staff submitted to the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise rated world-leading or internationally excellent. SOAS was ranked top in the UK for Asian studies and did well in anthropology, politics, history and music.
• SOAS houses major research initiatives, including the Hans Rausing Endangered Languages Project to study and document endangered languages worldwideand the research programme on Law, Human Rights and Peace in the Middle East.

Academic strengths

• Academic focus on the languages, cultures and societies of Africa, Asia and the Middle East makes SOAS an indispensable interperter in a complex world.
• The school offers an unparalleled range of over 30 non-European languages, many of which can be studied at beginner or higher level.
• More than 24% of our degree programmes involve spending a year in another country and 45% of undergraduates take a language course.

Student facilities, including library and computing

• The Library is one of the world's most important academic libraries for the study of Asia, Africa and the Middle East and attracts scholars from all over the world. It is just one of five National Research Libraries in the country.
• The Library has more than 1.5 million volumes, periodicals and audiovisual materials in 400 languages.
• It has recently underwent a £6.5-million transformation project which provides a modern environment as the School approaches its centenary in 2016.
• SOAS has its own exhibition and conference space, the Brunei Gallery, which presents (and promotes) events related to the cultures of Asia, Africa and the Middle East, to be a student resource and a public facility.
• In addition to a changing programme of visiting exhibitions and events, a permanent rotating display of our own rich collections of manuscripts and artefacts is on show in the Foyle Special Collections Gallery.
• The School has approximately 220 computers (Macs and PCs) available for student use, providing internet access and email facilities. A room with multimedia computers is available to students submitting work using non-traditional media, and a range of television and radio programmes is available from around the world in a variety of languages.
• SOAS Radio is an outlet for creative media and talent housed by the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London. Run by alumni, current students and staff at the School, including volunteers from like-minded communities, SOAS Radio is dedicated to varied and original programming on world music, culture and current affairs.

Disability services

• SOAS Students' Union is a bustling and diverse environment which offers support and representation for all SOAS students.
• The union's role is to make sure that all our students' voices are heard, be they international, home, part-time or full-time.
• There are three sabbatical co-presidents (Finance & Communications, Welfare and Sports & Societies) who work full time to represent students.

Sport

• The Students' Union offers a wide range of sports clubs and societies, which provide an excellent springboard into the social life of the university, and enhances both the educational and social sides of a student's university life.
• The sports teams have been more popular and succesful in recent years, with mens and womens tennis, football, basketball and rugby teams making themselves known on the university circuit. Squash and badminton have recently been added to a portfolio which is particularly strong on martial arts, ranging from Karate to Capoeira, with lessons held regularly in the basement dojo, and the hall in Vernon Square.

Recent/prospective new builds

• SOAS is transforming its library into a 21st century learning environment with a new reception area, group study rooms and increased seating for users.
• The Student’s Union bar, social space and catering facilities in the main campus were refurbished in the summer of 2010 .

Availability of part-time work

• The JobShop vacancy service advertises part-time jobs with SOAS and outside employers.
• The JobOnline vacancy service advertises internships, work experience, voluntary work and graduate training schemes.
• There is also a Job Alert service.

Notable alumni

• Professor John Atta Mills (PhD Law 1970) – President of Ghana.

• Aung San Suu Kyi (Research student 1987-8) – Leader of the National League for Democracy, Burma, and Nobel Peace Prize recipient, 1991.

• Zeinab Badawi (MSc Near and Middle Eastern Studies 1989) – Television and radio reporter and news presenter.

• HE Francis K. Butagira (African Law 1966) – Ambassador and Permanent Representative, Mission of the Republic of Uganda to the United Nations.

• Luisa Diogo (MSc Financial Economics 1992) – Former Prime Minister of Mozambique.

• Emeritus Professor Sir Raymond Firth (Malay, Occasional Student 1939; SOAS Honorary Fellow) – Ethnologist from New Zealand, known as the 'Founding father of British Anthropology'.

• Dom Joly (Politics 1990) – Award-winning comedian and journalist.

• David Lammy MP (LLB 1993; member of the SOAS International Advisory Board) – MP for Tottenham, Minister of State for Higher Education.

• Paul Robeson (African languages 1934) – American actor, singer, and civil rights activist.

• Dame Freya Stark DBE (Arabic and Urdu language 1921–45) – British travel writer. One of the first Western women to travel through the Arabian deserts, often alone. Joined Ministry of Information during World War II and contributed to the creation of a propaganda network aimed at persuading Arabs to support the Allies or at least remain neutral.

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