Term dates

The academic year at SOAS consists of three terms, the first two roughly 11 weeks long and the third usually eight weeks in length. The autumn and spring terms include a reading week.

For information and guidance about enrolment, timetables, settling into university and more, please visit our SOAS Essentials area.

Term dates for 2023/24

2023

• 25 December: Christmas Day: Bank Holiday
• 26 December: Boxing Day: Bank Holiday
• 27 December: Closed Day
• 28 December: Closed Day
• 29 December: Closed Day

2024

• 1 January: New Year’s Day – Bank Holiday
• 29 March: Good Friday – Bank Holiday
• 1 April: Easter Monday – Bank Holiday
• 2 April: Closed Day
• 6 May: Early Spring Bank Holiday – Bank Holiday
• 27 May: Spring Bank Holiday – Bank Holiday
• 26 August: Summer Bank Holiday – Bank Holiday
• 27 August: Closed Day
• 25 December: Christmas Day – Bank Holiday
• 26 December: Boxing Day – Bank Holiday
• 27 December: Closed Day
• 28 December: Closed Day
• 30 December: Closed Day
• 31 December: Closed Day

Postgraduate taught students

Masters students are expected to work on their dissertation throughout the summer – for these students, this period between the end of Term 3 and the programme end date is not classed as a vacation.

For Masters students, only the Christmas and Easter breaks are vacations.

Postgraduate research students

Taught course term dates do not apply to SOAS research programmes. SOAS research degrees are year-long programmes with the enrolment running from the first day of the academic session until the day preceding the first day of the next academic session (September to September).

Students who wish to take a break during the academic year should contact the Doctoral School for more information about requesting annual leave.