Situated in the heart of London, SOAS has acquired a global reputation for the high quality Asia, Africa and Middle East programmes it offers to over 3,000 students from 110 countries

Situated in Russell Square, in the heart of London, over the past 88 years the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) has acquired a global reputation for its high quality Asia, Africa and the Middle East research and studies. Affiliated with London University SOAS has over 3,000 students, instructed by over 200 research-cum-teaching faculty on its musters. It’s a testimony to the quality of its study and research programmes that students from 110 countries represent one-fourth of its enrollment. Within Britain as well SOAS enjoys an excellent reputation. The 2001 Research Assessment Exercise (RAE) of the education ministry ranked SOAS among the top research institutions in the country, with ten of the 15 departments rated the maximum 5 or 5*.

Founded in 1916, SOAS which offers specialist degrees in the languages and cultures of Asia and Africa has acquired new relevance in the contemporary globalised world. Its wide range of undergraduate, postgrad, doctoral and certificate degree programmes in the humanities and social sciences as well in several non-European languages is unmatched by any institution of this genre.

Comments Prof. Colin Bundy, director and principal of the school: “SOAS is synonymous with intellectual excitement and academic achievement. Students who study here are passionate about their subjects and are dedicated to expanding their knowledge of the world around them. In the sphere of higher education, SOAS remains a place that dares to be a little different. It is our academic focus on the languages, cultures and societies of Africa, Asia and the Middle East that makes us distinctive. At SOAS, students have an opportunity unparalleled in British higher education to learn more about the most urgent issues confronting two-thirds of humankind.” 

London. The political, financial and cultural capital of Britain, London attracts millions of visitors each year drawn to its wealth of galleries, theatres and museums, palaces, parks and squares, restaurants and shops, not to mention famous and familiar landmarks such as Big Ben, the red bus, the black cab and the tower of London.

SOAS is sited in the epicentre of London. Students can walk to the British Library, the National Gallery, Trafalgar Square and Buckingham Palace, sip coffee in Soho and do light shopping in Oxford Street. Further afield are the museums of South Kensington and galleries and theatres of the South Bank.

For those who believe that there’s more to the academic experience than study, London is another city by night. ‘Cosmopolitan’ does not do justice to the number of cuisines available and the range of theatre (West End and fringe), cinemas, music, clubs, pubs, social and cultural events, lectures and discourses on offer.

Campus facilities. SOAS has two campuses — in Russell and Vernon squares. The Russell Square campus is situated in the legendary Bloomsbury area, the birthplace of Fabian Socialism, and is surrounded by other colleges and buildings of the University of London. The British Museum, Oxford Street, Covent Garden and the West End are all within easy walking distance. The Vernon Square campus is located between Kings Cross and Islington, a 15-minute walk from Russell Square. Adjacent to two SOAS student halls of residence this new facility offers state-of-the-art teaching and learning resources and an internet café besides spacious social amenities.

The recently refurbished library on the Russell Square campus specialising in Asian and African studies is one of the finest in the world. It contains more than one million volumes in over 4,000 languages, subscribes to 4,500 periodicals, and houses an audio collection of over 4,000 items of music, poetry and plays.

Many of the social and sports activities offered by SOAS are either on campus or staged in the premises of the University of London Union (ULU), two minutes from Russell Square. The SOAS Students Union in Russell Square has a large common room with a snack bar, stationery shop and a cash machine. The union also runs a very popular bar with regular evening events — including musical and cultural evenings. 

Admission. Applications for undergrad programmes at SOAS must be made through the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service. Students can obtain a UCAS handbook and form from any of the 11 British Council libraries in India or from UCAS directly (e-mail: enq@ ucas.ac.uk). Applications for 2005 should be submitted between 1 September 2004 and 15 January 2005. However students applying for admission into SOAS’ postgrad and certificate programmes should apply directly to the university.

The minimum eligibility criterion for admission into undergrad programmes is successful completion of Plus Two (class XII) and a bachelor’s degree for postgrad programmes. Proof of proficiency in the English language is also a necessary admission requirement (IELTS score of 5.0 or TOEFL score of 637+). Students whose scores fall below the acceptable test scores are required to take a pre-sessional or in-sessional course in English.

For more information contact the School of Oriental & African Studies, Thornhaugh Street, Russell Square, London WC1H 0XG, United Kingdom. Telephone: +44 (0) 20 7637 2388; Fax: +44 (0) 20 7436 3844; e-mail study@soas.ac.uk; Website: www.soas.ac.uk. 

Accommodation. SOAS students have exclusive access to two student halls of residence located on Pentonville Road, a 20-minute walk from the Russell Square campus. Shaftesbury Student Housing owns Dinwiddy House which accommodates 510 undergrad and postgrad students; and Paul Robeson House which accommodates 252 postgrad students in single rooms and both undergrad and postgrad in the seven double rooms available to couples.

Each building offers purpose built, self-catering accommodation which features individual study bedrooms and en-suite facilities, telephone and internet cabling. Six or seven rooms are clustered around a shared kitchen/ diner. A launderette and common room with television and vending facilities are located on-site and each residency has bicycle covered storage. The price of a single room for 2004-05 is £98.42 (Rs.8,070) per week.

SOAS students are also entitled to apply for a place in one of the seven inter-collegiate residences owned and maintained by London University. Moreover a wide range of private accommodation is available.

Degree programmes. SOAS offers a full range of social science and humanities degree programmes, as well as languages and cultures, with distinctive regional focus. Over 300 degree combinations are available at the undergraduate level and over 70 at the Master’s level. The school is structured academically into three faculties: arts and humanities, languages and cultures and law and social sciences (see box). In addition to academic departments SOAS also has regional and interdisciplinary centres which are responsible for a vigorous programme of activities such as conferences, colloquia, seminars and publications.

Scholastic options at SOAS

The School of Oriental and African Studies offers a wide range of foundation, undergraduate, postgrad, certificate and diploma programmes. The three faculties include:

Faculty of Arts and Humanities. Anthropology and sociology, art and archaeology, history, study of religions

Faculty of Languages and Cultures. Languages and cultures of Africa, languages and cultures of China and inner Asia, languages and cultures of Japan and Korea, languages and cultures of the near and Middle East, languages and cultures of South Asia, languages and cultures of South east Asia, linguistics

Faculty of Law and Social Sciences. Development studies, economics, law, political and international studies

NB: For details of courses visit www.soas.ac.uk

Cost of study (annual)

Tuition fee 
Degree £9,500
Certificate and diploma courses £9,500
Accommodation £3,762 
Food & living expenses £7,350

NB £=Rs.85

Summiya Yasmeen