SOAS Future Leaders Scholarship

Key information

Deadline date
Amount
Tuition Fees

Scholarship overview

Are you ready to lead change and shape a better future?
We are proud to launch the SOAS Future Leaders Scholarship. A prestigious new opportunity for outstanding Master’s students beginning their studies in the 2025/26 academic year.

The SOAS Future Leaders scholarship is designed to support visionary students who demonstrate academic excellence, leadership potential, and a commitment to driving positive change in their communities and beyond.

We’re looking to recruit a cohort of scholars who reflect the full diversity and richness of the SOAS student body. To achieve this, four scholarships will be awarded in each of SOAS’s three academic colleges—with two scholarships for a Home students and two for Overseas students in each college.

At SOAS, we challenge conventional thinking and empower students to question the global status quo. This scholarship supports future leaders who are ready to confront complex global challenges and contribute to building more just, inclusive, and sustainable societies.

Each scholarship covers tuition fees in full.

Eligible programmes

Candidate criteria

  • This scholarship is open to both Home and Overseas fee status applicants. 
  • New admissions only (programmes starting in 2025/26). 
  • Applicants for the SOAS Future Leaders would ideally possess a First-Class Honours degree from a UK university or international equivalent. Applicants with a non-UK degree must be evidenced by references and transcripts. Applicants with a 2.1 may also apply but will not be given preference. 
  • Preference will be given to applicants who do not already hold a master’s level qualification and have not studied at a postgraduate level previously.
  • Scholarship applicants must have applied to SOAS but are not required to have received an offer of admission by the scholarship deadline. An unconditional offer will need to have been received by the time the relevant panel meets to discuss scholarship applications. 
  • Applicants must meet the English language condition of their offer of admission to study at SOAS, if applicable. If your offer is conditional on English, please arrange your English test and ensure you meet the English requirements as soon as possible.

 Candidate assessment

  • Candidates will be assessed based on their academic merit, work experience and personal statement by a Selection Panel. 
  • The assessment of your application will be based on the information provided in your scholarship and admission applications. 
  • As part of the application process, candidates are required to submit a supporting statement of up to 800 words. This statement is a key part of the assessment and should provide a compelling case for why you are an ideal candidate for the SOAS Future Leaders Scholarship. Your statement should demonstrate how your previous academic achievements, relevant work or voluntary experience, and examples of leadership—formal or informal—reflect your potential as a future leader. 
  • You must submit a complete application of your programme as soon as possible and then submit an application for this scholarship in order to be considered. Please note that complete applications for admissions can take up to 4 weeks to be considered by the Department, although this duration can vary depending on the time of the year. You should be prepared to wait up to 6 weeks in busy periods. 
  • You will need to have an unconditional offer for your programme by the time the Scholarship Panel meet. 
  • Late or incomplete applications will not be considered.

Scholarship application procedure

To apply for this scholarship, applicants should follow the following steps:

Step 1: Apply for your programme

To apply for a master’s degree programme, please see Taught Masters applications 

Step 2: Apply for the scholarship

You must apply for this scholarship via the online application form by 12:00pm (midday) UK local time on 15 May 2025.

Notification of results

The scholarship shortlisting and awarding period is expected to be completed by the end of June. Successful candidates will be contacted first, and once all awards have been allocated, unsuccessful candidates will be notified. 

Enquiries

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