SOAS-Alphawood Programme

SOAS is delighted to announce that applications are now invited for a number of Alphawood scholarships in the academic year 2026/27. 

They will support the following in-person and online programmes at SOAS:

• SOAS-Alphawood Postgraduate Diploma in Asian Art
• MA History of Art and Archaeology
• Online SOAS-Alphawood Postgraduate Diploma in Asian Art

The Alphawood scholarships in the 2026/27 academic year will provide for: 

• Tuition fees: scholars’ SOAS tuition fees for the relevant programme will be paid in full (as well as the cost of any English language support).
• Maintenance: an allowance of £18,700 per annum (pro rata) will be paid to the scholar to cover costs of living and studying in central London. For online scholars, an allowance of £3000 per annum will be paid to help with maintenance costs in their home country.
• Travel: the cost of economy flights to and from the UK at the start and end of the MA/Diploma programme will be paid by the scholarship for those studying in London.
• Visa and other costs: the costs of any visa, requisite health checks and Immigration Health Surcharge costs required for visa purposes, will be reimbursed to those scholars studying in London. 

The following eligibility criteria apply to all prospective applicants to the Alphawood scholarships scheme this year: 

• You must have received an offer for your programme of study from SOAS by the time that the scholarships are awarded in March 2026. 
• You should normally be resident in one of the following countries: Brunei, Cambodia, East Timor, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar/Burma, Singapore, Thailand, or Vietnam.
  • Applications will be considered from candidates who are not normally resident in these countries, provided you can demonstrate your intention and capacity to return or relocate to the region to pursue employment, teaching, further study or to otherwise make a direct and positive impact in the countries listed above regarding the objectives of the remit given above. Please include evidence of this in your personal statement.

For the 2026/27 academic year, these Alphawood scholarships will be available to support one of the following programmes:

• SOAS-Alphawood Postgraduate Diploma in Asian Art
• MA History of Art and Archaeology
• Online Postgraduate Diploma in Asian Art

For direct entry to MA/Diploma programmes, candidates must meet SOAS’ minimum requirements and provide evidence of their English Language proficiency at the point of application. This could be either:  

• an approved English Language test result (IELTS for UKVI or equivalent) together with the date the test was taken (within the last two years)
• an overall IELTS score of 6.5 (minimum of 6.0 in all sub-scores) or equivalent
• evidence of prior undergraduate study, at an English-language university, where possible.   

You can find details of SOAS requirements on our English language requirements page.

Successful applicants who do not meet the minimum English language threshold for entry onto the MA/Diploma programmes will not be eligible to take up an Alphawood scholarship.    

Instead, you may be offered English language training depending on your individual needs. Preference for training may be given to applicants that can evidence their proficiency in English Language within the last two years, as indicated by an IELTS or equivalent test result. 

If you are not able to provide such evidence, please give a reason in the relevant section of your application form. 

Applicants will need to prove their knowledge of the English language when they apply for a UK Student visa.

Please note that examinations must be booked at a centre that is approved by UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI).

Applicants are reminded that the examination should be valid for visa application purposes and should be issued with a UKVI reference number. Results from other types of English language examinations may not be valid for visa application purposes. 

Successful applicants will be reimbursed for the cost of one English language examination for UKVI test once arrived in the UK and after opening a UK bank account.   

Alphawood scholarship applicants will need to submit official IELTS or equivalent results (dated from within the last two years) as a part of the application for admission or provide a valid reason why this has not been possible. 

Applications for award are assessed by a selection panel comprised of members of SOAS staff with pertinent academic and professional experience and convened as a function of the SOAS-Alphawood Scholarships Selection Panel.  

The panel will assess candidates on the information provided in both the application for admission to the MA/Diploma programme (academic references, transcripts, personal statements and other relevant information) and that contained in the Alphawood scholarships application.  

The panel will assess applicants on the basis of the following criteria: 

• Previous degree and experience in Southeast Asian Buddhist and Hindu art and architecture from ancient to pre-modern times, including study of the built environment, sculpture, painting, illustrated texts, textiles and other tangible or visual representations, along with the written word related to these, and archaeological, museum and cultural heritage studies.
• Interest in (and engagement with) the objectives of the programme of study.
• Potential for personal growth and development with the scholarship award.
• Intentions following completion of their studies at SOAS.
• Interest in (and engagement with) the objectives of the Alphawood remit.
• Perceived potential for direct and positive impact in the field and in the region.
• The potential for advancing the field of study within the remit.
• Expressed financial need for a scholarship to support MA/Diploma study at SOAS.

MA dissertation

If applying for an MA programme, you should outline your proposed dissertation topic at the point of application for admission and application for award and articulate how this topic addresses the ancient to pre-modern Buddhist or Hindu art or architecture of Southeast Asia, in line with the objectives of the remit. Please include evidence of this in your personal statement.

Independent Study Project

Alphawood scholars on the SOAS-Alphawood Postgraduate Diploma in Asian Art who select the Independent Study Project as a supporting course must ensure that the chosen topic engages with the Alphawood remit: ‘to further the understanding and preservation of ancient to pre-modern Buddhist and Hindu art and architecture in Southeast Asia’. 

Use of AI and LLMs

Applicants for both the Diploma and the scholarship should produce an original text of which they are the sole author. Use of AI or large language models (such as ChatGPT) in preparing your application will be detrimental to your application. 

Step one: apply for the MA/Diploma programme  

Candidates considering an applicaxtion for an Alphawood scholarship are asked to complete their application for admission to the relevant MA/Diploma programme through the following online applications: 

• SOAS-Alphawood Postgraduate Diploma in Asian Art
• MA History of Art and Archaeology
• Online Postgraduate Diploma in Asian Art

Please read the relevant guidance on the SOAS site before you start your application.

All Alphawood scholarship applicants must have an offer of admission in place by the time the SOAS-Alphawood Scholarships Selection Panel begin reviewing applications in late February 2026.  

As it may take several weeks to assess applications for admission and to offer a place in the relevant programme, we strongly recommended that applicants complete and submit applications for admission to SOAS as early as possible, and by 15 February 2026 at the very latest. 

Step two: apply for an Alphawood scholarship 

After submitting an application for admission to the MA or PGDiploma, applicants should then apply for an Alphawood scholarship through the following application forms:

• In-person PGDip and in-person MA
• Online PGDip in Asian Art

Applicants should complete and submit their application form in one sitting. It is not possible to save drafts of this form or return to a partially complete form at a later date for revision. 

As such, we recommend all applicants make note of the questions and work on responses in a separate document until fully satisfied with the responses. Applicants may then return to the online application form to input and submit these final responses.

• 15 February 2026 or earlier: candidates should submit their complete application for admission to SOAS using the application forms indicated above.
• 21 February 2026: candidates must submit their complete application for a scholarship through the relevant application form by this date.
• March 2026: the SOAS-Alphawood Scholarships Selection Panel and SOAS-Alphawood Group agree the successful applicant/s for award.
• April 2026: SOAS will contact all applicants to inform them of the outcome of their application.