SOAS University of London guide: Rankings, open days, fees and accommodation
Overview
Soas is in a good place. Its income, surplus and net cash inflow from operating activities were all up in 2023-24 when so many other universities struggled. The 2025 edition of the QS World University Rankings rated Soas second in the UK for its ability to attract top academic talent from around the world. And the university enjoyed a record number of applications and admissions for courses beginning in September 2024. The number of freshers admitted through Ucas was 128% higher than in 2018 at 1,675. Its popularity can be put down to the geographic focus of its courses, spanning Africa, Asia and the Middle East, which together encompass many of the world's greatest contemporary economic, political, environmental and strategic challenges. Many courses share a title with those offered elsewhere in UK higher education but little else. So, the university's LLB (law) degree offers course options in Islamic family law, alongside more standard modules such as intellectual property. Other degrees are unique to Soas and the range of language degrees is unparalleled in British higher education. Soas is situated in Bloomsbury, in the heart of London, and close to all the facilities of the University of London.
Paying the bills
Just under 1,100 Soas bursary annual awards of up to £1,500 were made to Soas undergraduates who live in England (only) in 2024-25. They are paid to students from homes with annual income of less than £25,000, with those with the lowest incomes prioritised alongside those whose homes are also in postcodes among the 20% that send fewest into higher education, first-generation students whose parents or guardians did not go to university, and care leavers. The bursary pays out a maximum of £4,500 over three years of study, so the year abroad in a language degree is not covered. Scholarship support for UK students is limited with one academic excellence award worth £7,000 for students who achieve a pass rate of over 70%, equivalent to a first-class degree. A hardship fund of £150,000 for 2023-24 was split among 151 students who applied in severe financial need. Given the socioeconomic diversity on campus, about one in four Soas students qualify for financial support, mostly the Soas bursary. Students have access to University of London residential accommodation, some of it close to the university's Bloomsbury headquarters with other residences much further afield. Self-catered prices range from £7,360 for 40 weeks in a single room with shared bathroom up to £19,125 for 51-week single studio contract. Catered rooms cost between £10,167 and £16,055 for the same tenancy.
What's new?
Soas is the latest university to replace the three-term academic calendar with a two-semester model. The switch takes place from the upcoming 2025-26 academic year, which will be divided into two 11-week study blocks containing 10 weeks of teaching and a reading week. Each semester ends with a revision and assessment period with the assessment periods falling in January and May. The university continues to upgrade formal and informal spaces across campus, which has included facelifting the Denys Lasdun-designed library, adding a new commons area to support informal collaborative study and research. The brutalist-style landmark - one of just five National Research Libraries in the UK and a global resource - contains more than 1.5m books or items in 400 languages, all of them focused on Asia, Africa and the Middle East. Soas makes a pitch to environmentally aware applicants with its 2040 net carbon zero commitment. Tangible evidence of this commitment can be found with the ongoing work to replace gas and oil-fired heating systems in Bloomsbury with air source heat pumps. Working with the University of London and neighbouring University College London, the project will be completed by 2030. A total of 57 new combined honours courses admit their first students for the start of the 2025-26 academic year. Core subjects of film studies, digital media and culture, and creative arts are available with between 18 and 20 different options each.
Admissions, teaching and student support
'Many of the benefits of university education come alive when we show up in person... when we are on campus, we see that the people we bump into, the questions we can pose, and the conversations we have after lectures are an integral part of the education.' This statement from the university in our annual survey sums up what a high-quality university education can and should look like. It also knocks on the head the idea that watching lectures online could ever replicate the experience of attending them in person - something all Soas students are expected to do. The university offers a study skills service with workshops (covering academic writing, exam preparation, dissertation writing and general academic support) and one-to-one tutorials (offering personalised assistance to enhance students' confidence and academic performance). Mentoring for long-term non-therapeutic support takes place alongside counselling for students experiencing mental health and wellbeing issues. The Spectrum.Life student assistance programme provides 24/7 cover to supplement the university's own face-to-face, phone and email provision on campus. Contextual offers are generally pitched at one A-level grade below the standard offer. For students meeting multiple qualification criteria, a drop of two grades will be considered. Among the eligibility criteria considered are free school meals data; postcode information on university participation and deprivation; whether a student is a carer, parent, estranged or a care leaver; and whether the applicant has served in or comes from an armed forces family. Campus safety measures include compulsory sexual consent and active bystander workshops during the welcome period.