Term dates
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
| Dates 2024/25 | Reading week | |
|---|---|---|
| Term 1 | 23 Sep 2024 - 13 Dec 2024 | 4 Nov - 8 Nov |
| Term 2 | 6 Jan 2025 - 21 Mar 2025 | 10 Feb - 14 Feb |
| Term 3 | 21 Apr 2025 - 13 Jun 2025 | |
| Term 4* | 30 Jun 2025 - 5 Sep 2025 | |
*Term 4 only applies to PGT and PGR students
Please note that these approved term dates are accurate at the time of publishing but can be subject to alteration.
Closed days
| 2024 | |
|---|---|
| 1 January | New Year’s Day (Bank Holiday) |
| 28 March | Closure Day |
| 29 March | Good Friday (Bank Holiday) |
| 1 April | Easter Monday (Bank Holiday) |
| 6 May | Early Spring Bank Holiday (Bank Holiday) |
| 27 May | Spring Bank Holiday (Bank Holiday) |
| 26 August | Summer Bank Holiday (Bank Holiday) |
| 25 December | Christmas Day (Bank Holiday) |
| 26 December | Boxing Day (Bank Holiday) |
Postgraduate dates
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.