About SOAS, University of London
SOAS, University of London (the School of Oriental and African Studies) is 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, religion, social change - confronting two-thirds of humankind.
This makes SOAS synonymous with intellectual enquiry 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.
SOAS, University of London at a glance:
89% Satisfied
SOAS is above the national average for student satisfaction at 89% (National student survey 2012).
160 Countries
SOAS has more than 6,000 students from 160 countries, and 38 per cent of them are from outside the UK.
Equal Split
There is a roughly equal split between undergraduates (55%) and postgraduates (45%).
Mature Students
41% of undergraduates are over 21 when they start their course.
350 Combinations
More than 350 undergraduate degree combinations are available in social sciences, arts, humanities and languages, all with a distinctive regional focus and global relevance.
Languages
SOAS offers an unparalleled range of non-European languages, all of which may be studied without prior knowledge. The school was awarded the Queen's Anniversary Prize in 2009 for the excellence, breadth and depth of its language teaching.
Opportunity
More than forty per cent of our degree programmes offer the opportunity to spend a year studying in another country.
300 Academics
SOAS has the largest concentration of specialist staff (300+ academics) concerned with the study of Africa, Asia and the Middle East at any university in the world.
National Leader
In the Research Assessment Exercise of 2008, at least 60 per cent of our submissions were ranked at either the highest grade of 4* (world-leading quality) or 3* (internationally excellent).
11:1 Ratio
Small-group teaching remains an important feature of study at SOAS – our student-staff ratio (11.3:1) is one of the best in the UK.
Close to 200 Postgraduate Programmes
SOAS has close to 200 postgraduate programmes (taught and distance learning) in the social sciences, humanities and languages with a distinctive regional focus and global relevance.
Resources
The SOAS Library – recently refurbished – has more than 1.5 million items and extensive electronic resources for the study of Africa, Asia and the Middle East, and attracts scholars from all around the world.
