Academic calendar

In the new calendar, a semester is a study block with 10 weeks of teaching and a reading week. Each semester includes a learning and assessment period, meaning there will be two assessment periods each year, one in January and May, as well as a reassessment period in August.

Academic calendar

Break periods

University closure days (incl. Bank Holidays)

Academic calendar

Break periods

Academic calendar

Break periods

Postgraduate taught students

Masters students are expected to work on their dissertation throughout the summer – for these students, the period between the end of semester 2 and the programme end date is not classed as a vacation and is considered term time.

Postgraduate research students

Research degrees at SOAS are continuous, year-long programmes. Enrolment runs from the first day of the academic session in September until the day before the next academic session begins the following September.

While the school refers to academic semesters and calendar years for administrative purposes, research students are expected to engage in their studies throughout the entire academic year. This includes the summer period, which is considered an active and integral part of your research programme, regardless of the taught course academic calendar.