As the major national centre for the study of Africa and Asia, SOAS has a global reputation in subjects relating to two thirds of the world’s population.

Originally only a specialist Oriental college, the school now covers a much wider range of subjects.

The library, with nearly one million volumes, periodicals and audiovisual materials in 400 languages, attracts scholars from around the world.

It is in the top 50 in The Times Higher Education/QS world rankings for the arts and humanities and has been strengthening its academic staff in a variety of disciplines.

Multimedia

• Sunday Times University Guide table

Related Links

• School of Oriental and African Studies

• A student's guide to ... School of Oriental and African Studies

Multimedia

• SOAS website

International

The 4,000 students come from some 110 countries, although two thirds are from Britain and the rest of the EU – and the proportion is higher still among the undergraduates. However, the school has a much wider portfolio of courses than its name would suggest, with 300 degree combinations on offer. Degrees are available in familiar subjects such as law, music, history or the social sciences, but with a different emphasis.

There is also a more limited portfolio of Foundation degrees and language courses. Over 5,000 students (from inside and outside SOAS) take language courses at a variety of levels. Student recruitment is on the rise, especially among independent school candidates, who account for almost a third of the British undergraduates. An increase in student numbers of 33 per cent was one of the largest at any university in 2005 and this was followed by another rise of nearly 18 per cent as top-up fees arrived, but applications were down by more than the national average at the official deadline for courses beginning in 2008.

Postgraduate

The main growth area is postgraduate courses, which have helped to tackle a financial deficit. In addition, more than 2,400 students are now taking distance learning courses, mainly outside the UK. Numbers have risen with the transfer of University of London postgraduate programmes previously taught by Imperial College, making SOAS one of the world’s largest providers of distance learning at this level.

Postgraduates are attracted by a research record which saw history rated internationally outstanding in the last assessments. Seven of the 11 subject areas were placed in the top two categories. Teaching assessments have also been good, a maximum score for history of art leading the way, with East and South Asian studies close behind. The final assessments produced solid results in politics and economics.

Languages

Nearly all students take advantage of the unique opportunities for learning one of the 50 languages on offer. There is also an option of spending one, two or three terms of a degree course in one of the school’s many partner universities in Africa or Asia. The school was chosen to house a national teaching centre for languages.

More than a fifth of the British undergraduates come from working-class homes – less than the national average for the school’s subjects. The dropout rate has fluctuated over recent years, but was back down to less than 16 per cent in the latest statistics, just above the UK average for the subjects and entry qualifications at SOAS. The school is located in Bloomsbury, but in 2001 opened a second campus at Vernon Square, Islington.

Student scene

Less than a mile from the main Russell Square site, and adjacent to the student residences, it provides student-orientated facilities such as 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. There is no separate students’ union building, although the students do have their own bar and catering facilities.

The well-equipped and under-used University of London Union is close at hand, with swimming pool, gym and bars. The West End is also on the doorstep. The 769 residential places, which accommodate first-year students, are within 15 minutes’ walk of the school. Another 119 places are planned in flats in Vernon Square. However, the school has few of its own sports facilities and the outdoor pitches are remote, with no time set aside from lectures.

The ethnic and national mix has led to inevitable tensions at times, but SOAS is small enough for most students to know each other, at least by sight, and the atmosphere is normally friendly. Students tend to be highly committed – not surprising since many will return to positions of influence in developing countries – and the variety of cultures makes for lively debate.

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