SOAS Research Studentships

SOAS Research Studentships offers full-time MPhil/Ph.D. scholarships to eligible Black British students and students based in Africa, Asia, and the Middle East.

SOAS University of London is committed to addressing inequalities in participation in doctoral degree programmes. We invite applications from Black British students as well as students based in Africa, Asia, and the Middle East. As part of your application, please provide a short widening participation statement (maximum 800 words) in which you outline how you qualify under the eligibility criteria. You might wish to include obstacles, including disabilities, growing up in a lower-income family, or being the first in your family to go to university. Also, your widening participation statement should include why you wish to study at SOAS and how this scholarship and programme of study will impact/benefit your eventual career aims/community.

Each scholarship covers tuition fees in full and includes a maintenance allowance, providing full financial support and doctoral skill development to successful recipients for a 3 year full-time programme. The total maintenance for 2024/25 will be confirmed closer to September 2024, but will provide a minimum of £20,622.

Eligible programmes

Any full-time MPhil/PhD programme (new admissions only).

Candidate criteria

This scholarship is open to UK/EU/Home and International/Overseas fee-paying students. In order to be eligible, applicants should:

• Be permanent residents in the UK (Home fee status students) from the following ethnic groups:
  • Black (Black or Black British African, Black or Black British Caribbean, Black or Black British other or Mixed Black or Black British)

or

• Applicants who are ordinarily residents of Africa, Asia, or the Middle East.
  Students who are members of the SOAS Ebony Initiative are ALSO eligible for the Ebony Initiative studentships. Please indicate your participation in the Ebony Initiative programme on the appropriate section of the application form.
• Applicants must have an offer of admission to pursue one of the eligible full-time research programmes at SOAS by the time the scholarship selection panel takes place.
• Applicants must meet the English language condition of their offer of admission to study at SOAS as soon as possible but no later than 10 May 2024.  If your offer is conditional on English, please arrange your English test and ensure you meet the English requirements as soon as possible.
• The scholarship cannot be held along with any other major scholarship or studentship.

Candidate assessment

Candidates will be assessed on academic merit by an Advisory Panel that has undergone diversity training and which consists of at least three academic members from Black and Minority Ethnic backgrounds.

The assessment of your application will be based on the information provided in your scholarship and admission applications. Selectors will be looking at academic attainment as demonstrated by prior results, references, publications and research proposal, as well as the widening participation statement.

Scholarship application deadline

• Scholarship applications must be received no later than 12:00pm (midday UK local time) on 10 May 2024
• In order to be considered for this scholarship, you must ALSO submit a complete online application for your programme. Please note that complete applications for admission can take up to 4 weeks to be considered by the Department, although this duration can vary depending on the time of year. You should be prepared to wait up to 6 weeks in busy periods.
• Late or incomplete applications will not be considered.

Notification of results

Successful candidates will be notified by the end of July 2024. If you have not heard from us by the end of July, you should assume your application was unsuccessful.

Scholarship application procedures

Further information about PhDs at SOAS University of London is available from: doctoralschool@soas.ac.uk.

There is a two-step procedure for applying:

• STEP 1:  Apply for your programme

Get guidance for applying to a Research Programme and information on what makes an application at How to Apply.

• STEP 2:  Apply for the scholarship by 12:00pm (midday UK local time) on 10 May 2024

You must apply for this scholarship via the online application form.

For enquiries, please contact us at:

Email : scholarships@soas.ac.uk 
Telephone : +44 (0)20 7074 5106