TEACHING
QUALITY
Soas
31
st
NATIONAL
RANK
RANK
84%
FIRSTS
2:1s
2:1s
85.6%
COMPLETION
RATE
RATE
Key Stats
n/a
91st=
STUDENT
EXPERIENCE
EXPERIENCE
30th=
RESEARCH
QUALITY
QUALITY
67th
GRADUATE
PROSPECTS
PROSPECTS
Contact details
ADDRESS
Thornhaugh Street,
Russell Square, London, WC1H 0XG View on map >
Telephone
Email
Website
Open days
October 29
University Profile
A donation of £20m last November from a Soas graduate – equivalent to more than a quarter of the institution’s annual turnover – will fund three fully-endowed new academic posts, more than 80 scholarships and boost campus expansion in London.
The gift to advance the study and preservation of Buddhist and Hindu art in southeast Asia was described as “transformational” by Professor Paul Webley, the director of Soas. The donation came from Fred Eychaner through his private Alphawood Foundation, based in Chicago. Eychaner studied for Soas’ postgraduate diploma in Asian art in 2009.
Explaining his decision to make one of the largest single donations ever to be made to a British higher education institution, Eychaner said Soas offered “a very special learning and research environment where West meets East. While Soas is firmly rooted in London, it has always been outward looking and seeks to make an impact in the regions it studies.”
That description neatly encapsulates the mission of the only higher education institution in the UK specialising in the study of Africa, Asia and the Middle East. It has recently dropped its full
The school has a global reputation in subjects relating to two-thirds of the world’s population. There are 5,400 students on campus, plus over 3,000 studying distance learning programmes. They come from more than 130 countries, but two-thirds are from Britain and the rest of the EU – and the proportion is higher still among the undergraduates.
Students tend to be highly committed and often politically active – not surprising since many will return to positions of influence in developing countries – and the variety of cultures makes for lively debates on campus.
The school has almost doubled its investment in student support with the switch to higher fees, as well as increasing its outreach activities, which include summer schools, masterclasses and academic buddying.
Enrolments have been rising steadily, bucking the downward trend in the study of non-European languages across the UK.
Soas is located at the heart of the University of London in Bloomsbury. There is a second campus less than a mile away and adjacent to two student residences, providing student-orientated facilities such as a Learning Resource Centre and an internet café.
The centrepiece of the main campus is an airy, modern building with gallery space as well as teaching accommodation, a gift from the Sultan of Brunei. The library is one of just five National Research Libraries in the country, holding 1.5m volumes, periodicals and audio-visual materials in 400 languages, and attracts scholars from around the world.
More than 40% of degree programmes offer the opportunity to spend a year at one of the school’s many partner universities in Africa or Asia. The school has a much wider portfolio of courses than its name would suggest, offering more than 400 degree combinations and 100 postgraduate programmes.
Degrees are available in familiar subjects such as law, music, history and the social sciences, but with a different emphasis. So, in the school’s law degree, alongside courses in family law in England and Wales are options covering Islamic law, Chinese law and the legal systems of Asia and Africa.
There is also a more limited portfolio of Foundation programmes and language courses offered at Soas.
Approximately 45% of undergraduates take a language as part of their degree and the school has now introduced a Language Entitlement programme which offers one term of a non-accredited SOAS Language Centre course free of charge. The school won a Queen’s Anniversary Prize for the excellence, breadth and depth of its language teaching in 2010.
The £6.5m Library Transformation Project has added more language laboratories, music studios, discussion and research rooms, gallery space and other facilities. Soas is in the top 80 in the QS World Rankings for the arts and humanities, and has been strengthening its academic staff in a variety of disciplines as it approaches its centenary in 2016.
The numbers taking distance learning courses, mainly outside the UK, have grown considerably. The transfer of University of London postgraduate programmes previously taught by Imperial College has made Soas one of the world’s largest providers of distance learning at this level.
Postgraduates are attracted by a research record which saw more than half of the work submitted for the last Research Assessment Exercise rated world-leading or internationally excellent.
There is no separate students’ union building, although the students do have their own recently refurbished bar, social space and catering facilities. The former University of London Union – soon to be a students’ centre – is close at hand, with swimming pool, gym and bars. The West End is also on the doorstep.
Nearly 1,000 residential places are available within 15 minutes’ walk of the school. Another 101 places are available in flats at the second campus. However, the school has few of its own sports facilities and the outdoor pitches are remote, with no time set aside from lectures.
The gift to advance the study and preservation of Buddhist and Hindu art in southeast Asia was described as “transformational” by Professor Paul Webley, the director of Soas. The donation came from Fred Eychaner through his private Alphawood Foundation, based in Chicago. Eychaner studied for Soas’ postgraduate diploma in Asian art in 2009.
Explaining his decision to make one of the largest single donations ever to be made to a British higher education institution, Eychaner said Soas offered “a very special learning and research environment where West meets East. While Soas is firmly rooted in London, it has always been outward looking and seeks to make an impact in the regions it studies.”
That description neatly encapsulates the mission of the only higher education institution in the UK specialising in the study of Africa, Asia and the Middle East. It has recently dropped its full
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title (School of Oriental and African Studies) in favour of Soas, University of London, but its focus remains unchanged.The school has a global reputation in subjects relating to two-thirds of the world’s population. There are 5,400 students on campus, plus over 3,000 studying distance learning programmes. They come from more than 130 countries, but two-thirds are from Britain and the rest of the EU – and the proportion is higher still among the undergraduates.
Students tend to be highly committed and often politically active – not surprising since many will return to positions of influence in developing countries – and the variety of cultures makes for lively debates on campus.
Enrolments have been rising steadily, bucking the downward trend in the study of non-European languages across the UK.
Soas is located at the heart of the University of London in Bloomsbury. There is a second campus less than a mile away and adjacent to two student residences, providing student-orientated facilities such as a Learning Resource Centre and an internet café.
The centrepiece of the main campus is an airy, modern building with gallery space as well as teaching accommodation, a gift from the Sultan of Brunei. The library is one of just five National Research Libraries in the country, holding 1.5m volumes, periodicals and audio-visual materials in 400 languages, and attracts scholars from around the world.
More than 40% of degree programmes offer the opportunity to spend a year at one of the school’s many partner universities in Africa or Asia. The school has a much wider portfolio of courses than its name would suggest, offering more than 400 degree combinations and 100 postgraduate programmes.
Degrees are available in familiar subjects such as law, music, history and the social sciences, but with a different emphasis. So, in the school’s law degree, alongside courses in family law in England and Wales are options covering Islamic law, Chinese law and the legal systems of Asia and Africa.
There is also a more limited portfolio of Foundation programmes and language courses offered at Soas.
Approximately 45% of undergraduates take a language as part of their degree and the school has now introduced a Language Entitlement programme which offers one term of a non-accredited SOAS Language Centre course free of charge. The school won a Queen’s Anniversary Prize for the excellence, breadth and depth of its language teaching in 2010.
The £6.5m Library Transformation Project has added more language laboratories, music studios, discussion and research rooms, gallery space and other facilities. Soas is in the top 80 in the QS World Rankings for the arts and humanities, and has been strengthening its academic staff in a variety of disciplines as it approaches its centenary in 2016.
The numbers taking distance learning courses, mainly outside the UK, have grown considerably. The transfer of University of London postgraduate programmes previously taught by Imperial College has made Soas one of the world’s largest providers of distance learning at this level.
Postgraduates are attracted by a research record which saw more than half of the work submitted for the last Research Assessment Exercise rated world-leading or internationally excellent.
There is no separate students’ union building, although the students do have their own recently refurbished bar, social space and catering facilities. The former University of London Union – soon to be a students’ centre – is close at hand, with swimming pool, gym and bars. The West End is also on the doorstep.
Nearly 1,000 residential places are available within 15 minutes’ walk of the school. Another 101 places are available in flats at the second campus. However, the school has few of its own sports facilities and the outdoor pitches are remote, with no time set aside from lectures.
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Detailed Statistics
PERFORMANCE
PERFORMANCE
CATEGORY
SCORE
RANK
Ranking
-
31 (24)
Student experience
79.8
91st=
Research quality
21.7
30th=
Ucas entry points
422
30th=
Graduate prospects
64.2
67th
Firsts and 2:1s
84
8th
Completion rate
85.6
63rd
Student-staff ratio
11.6:1
6th=
Services/facilities spend (£)
2,027
28th
World ranking
-
331= (337)
VITAL STATISTICS
Undergraduates
(Full-time)
2,990
Undergraduates
(Part-time)
40
Postgraduates
(Full-time)
1,805
Postgraduates
(Part-time)
580
Applications/places
4,175/1,005
Applications/places ratio
4.2:1
STUDENT CITIES
Leah Edwards, students’ union officer
The Hare Krishna who gave out free food daily and the queue is a great way to meet people too.
Choosing between 180 societies, you can’t find the time to go to them all.
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Cost of living
Nightlife
Transport
Culture
ACCOMMODATION
Places in accommodation
881
Accommodation costs
£147-£256
Catered costs
£137-£348
Accommodation contact
FEES
UK/EU fees
£9,000
Fees (overseas year)
£1,350
Fees (international)
£15,320
Finance website
Graduate salaries
£19,489
BURSARIES/SCHOLARSHIPS
>
For students from low participation neighbourhoods, 33 awards: £2,500 fee waiver and £2,000 cash a year; for academic achievers from low-income families, 66 awards of £3,000 cash a year.
>
Enhanced study support and hardship funds.
SPORT
Sports points/rank
8.5, 118th
Sport website
Student satisfaction
85.8%
85.5%
83.7%
82.3%
81.5%
78.1%
71.5%
68.8%