SOAS University of London
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📸 At a Glance

 🌍 Bloomsbury, London, England
🎓 Russell Group ❌
⚖️ Race Equality Charter ✅ Bronze Award
💷 Scholarships Available  ✅ 
🏅 Ranking 94 (Complete University Guide 2026)

🔎 Overview

SOAS is a specialist member institution of the University of London, based on a single campus in Bloomsbury, central London, close to the British Museum and British Library. It specialises in the study of Asia, Africa, and the Middle East, offering degrees across languages, law, politics, economics, anthropology, and development studies, with an interdisciplinary approach that lets students combine subjects across departments.

 📊 Ethnicity Breakdown

  • Black: 14%
  • Mixed race: 13%
  • White: 26%
  • Asian: 34%
  • Other: 9%
  • Not known: 4%

💷 Scholarships & Funding

  • Cowrie Foundation Scholarship – Not available until 2028
  • SOAS Teaching Scholarship (MPhil/PhD) – This fully-funded scholarship covers tuition fees plus a maintenance stipend (at least £20,622 for 2026/27) for a 3-year, full-time MPhil/PhD at SOAS, alongside paid teaching experience. It’s open to Black British students (Home fee status) and to students ordinarily resident in Africa, Asia, or the Middle East, with one place reserved for a Palestinian national. Applicants need an offer to study a research programme at SOAS and must submit a widening participation statement as part of their application.

  • SOAS Teaching Scholarship (MPhil/PhD) – This fully-funded scholarship covers tuition fees plus a maintenance stipend (at least £20,622 for 2026/27) for a 3-year, full-time MPhil/PhD at SOAS, alongside paid teaching experience. It’s open to Black British students (Home fee status) and to students ordinarily resident in Africa, Asia, or the Middle East, with one place reserved for a Palestinian national. Applicants need an offer to study a research programme at SOAS and must submit a widening participation statement as part of their application.
  • Numerous scholarships closed for 2026/27 – to be updated for 2027/28 shortly.


👩🏿‍🎓👨🏾‍🎓 Student Life & Support

  • African & Caribbean Society (ACS)
  • Bla(c)k Panthers – A student society focused on Black identity, activism, community and political engagement.
  • Black Feminists Society
  • Black PhD Society
  • Nigerian Society
  • Ghana Society
  • East African Society
  • Sudan Society
  • Somali Society
  • Ethiopian & Eritrean Society
  • Sierra Leone Society
  • Zimbabwe Society
  • Congolese Society
  • Kenya Society
  • Uganda Society
  • Tanzania Society
  • Afro-Latin Society

ℹ️ The university also points students to its full clubs and societies directory under cultural/national societies, which may include additional or more up-to-date groups not listed here.

📣 Things Uni To Know

  • Race Equality Charter (Bronze Award) – SOAS is recognised for its commitment to tackling racial inequalities and improving the experiences of Black, Asian and minority ethnic students and staff.
  • BME Students’ Forum – A Students’ Union representative forum that advocates for Black and minority ethnic students, raises concerns and campaigns on issues affecting the community.

    Students’ Union Liberation & Campaigns Team – Supports liberation groups, organises campaigns, events and initiatives, and represents underrepresented student communities.

    Report + Support – An online platform where students can report discrimination, harassment, bullying or sexual misconduct and access specialist support.

What this means

•Race Equality Charter: Recognises universities improving ethnic minority representation and outcomes. Awards include Bronze, Silver, or Gold; some universities are members without an award.

• Ethnicity breakdown: Shows the ethnic makeup of UK-domiciled students (those with a UK permanent address) across all levels, based on the most recent academic year.

Scholarship Update

• Scholarships are for Black students (home/domestic) and African/Caribbean students (international).

• "Black" includes those of Black heritage and mixed Black heritage.

• Eligibility varies by scholarship - check each listing for details.

• Scholarships are for 2026–27; some may have closed. Check back for 2027–28 updates.

• Scholarship availability changes yearly, some scholarships may be closed now but reopen later. Check official sites for details and revisit this page for updates and new listings.

See All Universities

How This Data Works

• Info is based on the latest HESA (Higher Education Statistics Agency) and publicly available data for UK-domiciled students, reflecting the previous academic year (rounded to whole numbers).

• Ethnicity is self-identified, so figures are indicative, not exact.

• The “Mixed” category by HESA includes all mixed ethnic backgrounds, including mixed Black backgrounds.

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