View source for SOAS University of London

{{Short description|Public university in England}}
{{redirect|SOAS|other uses|SOAS (disambiguation)}}
{{distinguish|School of Advanced Study}}
{{Use British English|date=October 2012}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2020}}
{{Infobox university
 | name                   = SOAS University of London
 | image_name             = SOAS Crest.jpg
 | image_upright          = .7
 | caption                = [[Coat of arms]]
 | latin_name             = 
 | motto                  = Knowledge is Power
 | established            = {{start date and age|1916}}
 | type                   = [[Public university|Public]]
 | endowment              = £57.1 million (2024)<ref name="SOAS 2024">{{cite web | url = https://www.soas.ac.uk/sites/default/files/2024-12/soas-finance-2024-v9_Final.pdf | title = Financial Statements for the Year to 31 July 2024 | access-date = 12 December 2024 | publisher = School of Oriental and African Studies | page = 34}}</ref>
 | budget                 = £113.8 million (2023/24)<ref name="SOAS 2024"/>
 | chancellor             = [[Anne, Princess Royal|The Princess Royal]]<br />(as Chancellor of the [[University of London]])
 | president              = [[Zeinab Badawi]]<ref name="soas.ac.uk">{{cite web | url =https://www.soas.ac.uk/news/newsitem155283.html| title = Zeinab Badawi appointed as President of SOAS| date = 5 October 2021| access-date = 6 October 2021 | publisher = School of Oriental and African Studies |url-status=live |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20211006181152/https://www.soas.ac.uk/news/newsitem155283.html |archive-date=6 October 2021 }}</ref>
 | vice_chancellor        = [[Adam Habib]]
 | chair                  = [[Michael Hastings, Baron Hastings of Scarisbrick|Lord Hastings of Scarisbrick]]<ref name="Lord Dr Michael Hastings">{{cite web | url =https://www.soas.ac.uk/about/michael-hastings| title = Lord Dr Michael Hastings profile page | date = 8 May 2025| access-date = 8 May 2025 | publisher = SOAS University of London }}</ref>
 | academic_staff         = {{HESA academic staff population|INSTID=10007780}} ({{HESA staff year}})<ref name="HESA staff citation">{{HESA staff citation}}</ref>
 | administrative_staff   = {{HESA non-academic staff population|INSTID=10007780}} ({{HESA staff year}})<ref name="HESA staff citation"/>
 | students               = {{HESA student population|INSTID=10007780}} ({{HESA year}})<ref name="HESA citation">{{HESA citation}}</ref><br/>{{HESA FTE student population|INSTID=10007780}} [[Full-time equivalent|FTE]] ({{HESA year}})<ref name="HESA citation"/>
 | undergrad              = {{HESA undergraduate population|INSTID=10007780}} ({{HESA year}})<ref name="HESA citation"/>
 | postgrad               = {{HESA postgraduate population|INSTID=10007780}} ({{HESA year}})<ref name="HESA citation"/>
 | doctoral               = 
 | city                   = [[London]]
 | state                  = 
 | country                = United Kingdom
 | campus                 = Urban
 | mascot                 = [[Arabian camel]] and [[Asian elephant]]
 | website                = {{official URL}}
 | logo                   = SOAS University of London logo, October 2020.png
 | staff                  = 
 | affiliations           = {{hlist|[[Association of Commonwealth Universities|ACU]]|[[University of London]]|[[Universities UK]]}}
}}
The '''School of Oriental and African Studies''' ('''SOAS''') is a [[public university|public]] [[research university]] in [[London]], England, and a [[constituent college|member institution]] of the federal [[University of London]]. Established in 1916, the school specialises in the study of Africa, Asia, and the Middle East. 

SOAS is one of the world's leading institutions for the study of Asia, Africa, and the Middle East.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/0/school-of-oriental-and-african-studies-soas-guide/|title=Daily Telegraph Education Guide|newspaper=The Telegraph |date=3 August 2016 |access-date=21 March 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170321171430/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/0/school-of-oriental-and-african-studies-soas-guide/|archive-date=21 March 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> Its library is one of the five national research libraries in England.<ref>{{cite web |title=Review of the full economic costs of National Research Libraries A report for HEFCE by CHEMS Consulting |url=https://dera.ioe.ac.uk/12205/1/rd10_11.pdf |website=ioe.ac.uk |publisher=CHEMS Consulting}}</ref> SOAS also houses the SOAS Gallery, which hosts a programme of changing contemporary and historical exhibitions from Asia, Africa, and the Middle East with the aim of presenting and promoting cultures from these regions. The annual income of the institution for 2023–24 was £113.8 million of which £9.6 million was from research grants and contracts, with an expenditure of £76.6 million.<ref name="SOAS 2024"/>

SOAS is divided into two colleges and one self-standing school: the College of Humanities; the College of Social Sciences; and the [[SOAS School of Law]]. The university offers around 350 [[bachelor's degree]] combinations, more than 100 one-year master's degrees, and PhD programmes in nearly every department. The university has educated several [[head of state|heads of state]], [[government ministers]], [[diplomat]]s, [[central bankers]], [[Supreme court|Supreme Court]] [[judge]]s, a [[Nobel Peace Prize]] Laureate, and many other notable leaders around the world. SOAS is a member of the [[Association of Commonwealth Universities]].

==History==

===Origins===
The School of Oriental Studies was founded in 1916 at 2 [[Finsbury Circus]], London, the then premises of the [[London Institution]]. The school received its [[royal charter]] on 5 June 1916 and admitted its first students on 18 January 1917. The school was formally inaugurated a month later on 23 February 1917 by [[George V of the United Kingdom|George V]]. Among those in attendance were [[George Curzon, 1st Marquess Curzon of Kedleston|Earl Curzon of Kedleston]], formerly [[Viceroy of India]], and other cabinet officials.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.soas.ac.uk/centenary/the-soas-story/early-years-1917-36/ |title=Early years (1917-36) |publisher=SOAS, University of London |access-date=27 July 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160711200829/http://www.soas.ac.uk/centenary/the-soas-story/early-years-1917-36/ |archive-date=11 July 2016 |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[File:London Institution at the Finsbury Circus.jpg|thumb|left|The former premises of the [[London Institution]] in [[Finsbury Circus]] which originally housed SOAS and was demolished soon after being sold in 1936<ref>{{cite web |last1=Collections |first1=Special |title=SOAS Picture Archive: Finsbury Circus – Special Collections, SOAS Library |url=https://blogs.soas.ac.uk/archives/2016/09/19/soas-picture-archive-finsbury-circus/ |website=Special Collections, SOAS Library |access-date=29 April 2025}}</ref>]] 
The School of Oriental Studies was founded by the British state as an instrument to strengthen Britain's political, commercial, and military presence in Asia and Africa.<ref name="SOAS Imperial Training">{{cite book| title=The School of Oriental and African Studies: Imperial Training and the Expansion of Learning|last=Brown |first=Ian |date=21 July 2016 | publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]], 2016| isbn = 9781107164420}}</ref> It would do so by providing instruction to colonial administrators ([[Colonial Service]] and [[Indian Civil Service (British India)|Imperial Civil Service]]),<ref name="SOAS Imperial Training"/> commercial managers, and military officers, as well as to missionaries, doctors, and teachers, in the language of the part of Asia or Africa to which each was being posted, together with an authoritative introduction to the customs, religions, laws, and history of the people whom they were to govern or among whom they would be working.<ref name="SOAS Imperial Training"/>

The school's founding mission was to advance British scholarship, science, and commerce in Africa and Asia, and to provide London University with a rival to the Oriental schools of [[Humboldt University of Berlin|Berlin]], [[Saint Petersburg State University|Petrograd]], and [[Institut National des Langues et Civilisations Orientales|Paris]].<ref>''Nature'', 1917, Vol. 99 (2470), pp. 8–9 [Peer Reviewed Journal].</ref> The school immediately became integral to training British administrators, colonial officials, and spies for overseas postings across the [[British Empire]]. Africa was added to the school's name in 1938.

===Second World War===
For a period in the mid-1930s, prior to moving to its current location at Thornhaugh Street, [[Bloomsbury]], the school was located at Vandon House, Vandon Street, London SW1, with the library located at [[Clarence House]]. Its move to new premises in Bloomsbury was held up by delays in construction and the half-completed building took a hit during the [[The Blitz|Blitz]] in September 1940. With the onset of the [[Second World War]], many University of London colleges were evacuated from London in 1939 and billeted on universities in the rest of the country.<ref>''University of London: An Illustrated History: 1836–1986'' By N. B. p. 255.</ref> The School was, on the Government's advice, transferred to [[Christ's College, Cambridge]].<ref>Nature, 1939, Vol. 144(3659), pp. 1006–1007.</ref>

In 1940, when it became apparent that a return to London was possible, the school returned to the city and was housed for some months in eleven rooms at Broadway Court, 8 [[Broadway, London]] SW1. In 1942, the [[War Office]] joined with the school to create a scheme for State Scholarships to be offered to select grammar and public-school boys with linguistic ability to train as military translators and interpreters in Chinese, Japanese, [[Persian language|Persian]], and Turkish. Lodged at [[Dulwich College]] in south London, the students became affectionately known as ''the Dulwich boys''.<ref>Sadao Ōba, ''The "Japanese" War: London University's WWII secret teaching programme'', p. 11,</ref> One of these students was [[Charles Dunn (Japanologist)|Charles Dunn]], who became a prominent Japanologist on the faculty of the SOAS and a recipient of the [[Order of the Rising Sun]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Charles Dunn: Master of the rising sun|author=O'Neill, P G.|work=[[The Guardian]]|date=13 September 1995|page= 16}}</ref> Others included [[Peter Parker (British businessman)|Sir Peter Parker]] and [[Ronald P. Dore|Ronald Dore]]. Subsequently, the School ran a series of courses in Japanese, both for translators and for interpreters.<ref>Peter Kornicki, ''Eavesdropping on the Emperor: Interrogators and Codebreakers in Britain's War with Japan'' (London: Hurst & Co., 2021), chapter 3.</ref>

===1945–present===
[[File:Colonial Students in Great Britain- Students at the School of Oriental and African Studies, London, England, UK, 1946 D29302.jpg|thumb|left|A student from [[Northern Rhodesia]] at SOAS in 1946]]
In recognition of SOAS's role during the war, the 1946 Scarborough Commission (officially the "Commission of Enquiry into the Facilities for Oriental, Slavonic, East European and African Studies")<ref name=aim-scarb-comm>{{cite web |title=Commission of Enquiry into the Facilities for Oriental, Slavonic, East European and African Studies |url=http://www.aim25.ac.uk/cgi-bin/vcdf/detail?coll_id=6029&inst_id=19&nv1=search&nv2= |website=aim25.ac.uk |access-date=12 August 2015 |year=1945 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304073725/http://www.aim25.ac.uk/cgi-bin/vcdf/detail?coll_id=6029&inst_id=19&nv1=search&nv2= |archive-date=4 March 2016 |url-status=live }}</ref> report recommended a major expansion in provision for the study of Asia and the school benefited greatly from the subsequent largesse.<ref name="independent">{{cite news | url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/professor-sir-cyril-philips-523619.html | location=London | work=The Independent | date=19 January 2006 | access-date=17 July 2013 | first=M. E. | last=Yapp | title=Professor Sir Cyril Philips | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140318105907/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/professor-sir-cyril-philips-523619.html | archive-date=18 March 2014 | url-status=live }}</ref> The [[SOAS School of Law]] was established in 1947 with [[Seymour Gonne Vesey-FitzGerald]] as its first head. Growth however was curtailed by following years of economic austerity, and upon Sir [[Cyril Philips]] assuming the directorship in 1956, the school was in a vulnerable state. Over his 20-year stewardship, Phillips transformed the school, raising funds and broadening the school's remit.<ref name="independent" />

A college of the University of London, the School's fields include [[Law]], [[Social Sciences]], [[Humanities]], and [[Languages]] with special reference to Asia and Africa. The SOAS Library, located in the Philips Building, is the UK's national resource for materials relating to Asia and Africa and is the largest of its kind in the world.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.theguardian.com/education/2005/dec/17/choosingadegree.highereducation/ |title=What's it like at SOAS |first=Matthew |last=Phillips |date=17 December 2005 |newspaper=The Guardian |access-date=17 December 2005 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140920175824/http://www.theguardian.com/education/2005/dec/17/choosingadegree.highereducation |archive-date=20 September 2014 |url-status=live }}</ref> The school has grown considerably over the past 30 years, from fewer than 1,000 students in the 1970s to more than 6,000 students today, nearly half of them postgraduates. SOAS is partnered with the [[Institut National des Langues et Civilisations Orientales]] (INALCO) in [[Paris]] which is often considered the French equivalent of SOAS.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ambafrance-uk.org/IMG/pdf_100917_EC_Brochure_115x170_pdf_SG.pdf |title=Archived copy |access-date=6 January 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130520085552/http://www.ambafrance-uk.org/IMG/pdf_100917_EC_Brochure_115x170_pdf_SG.pdf |archive-date=20 May 2013 |df=dmy-all }}</ref>

In 2011, the [[Privy Council of the United Kingdom|Privy Council]] approved changes to the school's charter allowing it to award degrees in its own name, following the trend set by fellow colleges the [[London School of Economics]], [[University College London]] and [[King's College London]]. All new students registered from September 2013 will qualify for a SOAS, University of London, award.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.qaa.ac.uk/en/ReviewsAndReports/Documents/School%20of%20Oriental%20and%20African%20Studies/School-of-Oriental-and-African-Studies-University-of-London-IRENI-13.pdf|title=SOAS, University of London an Institutional Review by the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education|date=23 May 2016|website=Qaa.ac.uk|access-date=20 August 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161221061515/http://www.qaa.ac.uk/en/ReviewsAndReports/Documents/School%20of%20Oriental%20and%20African%20Studies/School-of-Oriental-and-African-Studies-University-of-London-IRENI-13.pdf|archive-date=21 December 2016|url-status=live}}</ref>

In 2012, a new visual identity for SOAS was launched to be used in print, digital media and around the campus. The SOAS tree symbol, first implemented in 1989, was redrawn and recoloured in gold, with the new symbol incorporating the leaves of ten trees, including the [[English Oak]] representing England; the [[Ficus religiosa|Bodhi]], [[Acer palmatum|Coral Bark Maple]], [[Teak]] representing Asia; the [[Brachystegia glaucescens|Mountain Acacia]], [[Dacryodes edulis|African Pear]], [[Lasiodiscus]] representing Africa; and the [[Phoenix dactylifera|Date Palm]], [[Pomegranate]] and [[Ghaf]] representing the Middle East.<ref>[http://www.soas.ac.uk/visualidentity/generalfaqs/ SOAS Visual Identity FAQs, SOAS, University of London] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130427121118/http://www.soas.ac.uk/visualidentity/generalfaqs/ |date=27 April 2013 }}. Soas.ac.uk (12 October 2012). Retrieved 17 July 2013.</ref>

=== Student politics===

==== Israel and Palestine ====
SOAS has a student body of which many are committed [[Anti-Zionism|anti-Zionists]]. The SOAS Students' Union was the first [[students' union]] to carry out a referendum, in 2005, to support the Boycott Divestment and Sanctions movement for goods stocked in the Students' Union,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Learn more on the BDS Referendum at SOAS |url=https://soasunion.org/news/article/6013/BDS-Referendum-at-SOAS/ |access-date=2025-02-25 |website=soasunion.org}}</ref> and in 2015, the SOAS Students' Union held a referendum in which its members voted to adopt the [[Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions]] directions more generally in the university. In 2022, students occupied the management section of the university for nine days, citing the university's investments in Israel amongst other reasons, which led to the university spending £200,000 in their eviction.<ref name="soasspirit.co.uk">{{Cite web |date=2023-02-06 |title=SOAS: The School of Occupation and Apartheid Studies |url=https://soasspirit.co.uk/soas-the-school-of-occupation-and-apartheid-studies/ |access-date=2025-02-25 |website=SOAS Spirit |language=en}}</ref> After [[Gaza war|Israel's war in Gaza]]. university management suspended seven students [[Gaza war protests in the United Kingdom|protesting]] the university's investments in Israel and partnership with [[University of Haifa|Haifa university]], a university in Israel with three military colleges and a military base on campus.<ref name="soasspirit.co.uk"/> These students stated that the suspensions were arbitrary and a "targeted act of political repression", whereas the university replied that the students were a "threat to the SOAS community".<ref>{{Cite web |title=London university students say they were 'targeted' over Gaza rallies |url=https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/israel-palestine-war-soas-london-students-targeted-gaza-rallies |access-date=2025-02-25 |website=Middle East Eye |language=en}}</ref> In the same period, a lecturer reported that security had removed a poster with the [[Flag of Palestine|Palestinian flag]] from her door. SOAS responded that the display of the Palestinian flag violated "safeguarding".<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-12-11 |title=Policing Protest at SOAS: A Report on Recent Security Conduct |url=https://soasspirit.co.uk/policing-protest-at-soas-a-report-on-recent-security-conduct/ |access-date=2025-02-25 |website=SOAS Spirit |language=en}}</ref>

SOAS has an active Jewish Society which is explicitly anti-Zionist.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Jewish Society |url=https://soasunion.org/organisation/6673/ |access-date=2025-02-25 |website=soasunion.org}}</ref> In 2024, and in the context of [[2024 pro-Palestinian protests on university campuses|university protest camps]] established around the world relating to Israel's war in Gaza, SOAS director Adam Habib hosted a high-level meeting about antisemitism on campus, extending an invite to various Jewish academics on campus, but excluding any representation from the Jewish Society. On April 19, 2024, SOAS posted a job advert for a new Jewish Chaplain whose key responsibilities include supporting "the implementation of a Jewish Society within the Student [sic] Union," therefore implicating that the existing Jewish Society would be replaced by a society organised from the top down.<ref name="Dazed">{{Cite web |last=Dazed |date=2024-04-25 |title=The Jewish students fighting for Palestine |url=https://www.dazeddigital.com/life-culture/article/62461/1/meet-the-jewish-students-fighting-for-palestine-university-antisemitism |access-date=2025-02-25 |website=Dazed |language=en}}</ref>

In December 2020 ''[[The Guardian]]'' reported that SOAS refunded a student £15,000 in fees after he chose to abandon his studies as a result of the "toxic antisemitic environment" he felt had been allowed to develop on campus.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2020-12-29|title=Soas repay student's £15,000 fees over 'toxic antisemitic environment'|url=http://www.theguardian.com/education/2020/dec/29/soas-repay-students-15000-fees-over-toxic-antisemitic-environment|access-date=2021-01-24|website=The Guardian|language=en}}</ref> Examples of matters he considered anti-Semitic are, according to the Guardian report previously cited, that being pro-Israel was described as "Zionist", the student body's public support of the BDS movement, and that his proposal to write a thesis on perceived anti-Israel bias at the UN led to a response that, in his words, "he was covering up Israeli war crimes and was a white supremacist Nazi". He additionally stated that he had seen "anti-Semitic graffiti" on campus, but did not specify what this was, leaving it unclear as to whether or not he considered statements for example in support of the BDS movement as anti-Semitic. Leading Jewish figures at the university have disagreed with his assessment, with stating that they felt "much more comfortable being outwardly Jewish, visibly Jewish, or having people know that I'm Jewish around SOAS students than I am in pretty much any other context in this country."<ref name="Dazed"/>

==Campus==
[[File:Philips Building, SOAS 02.jpg|thumb|The Philips Building]]
The campus is located in the [[Bloomsbury]] area of central London, close to [[Russell Square]]. It includes College Buildings (the Philips Building and the Old Building), Brunei Gallery building, 53 Gordon Square (which houses the Doctoral School) and, since 2016, the Paul Webley Wing (the North Block of Senate House). The SOAS library designed by [[Sir Denys Lasdun]] in 1973 is located in the Philips Building. The nearest [[London Underground|Underground]] station is [[Russell Square tube station|Russell Square]].

The school houses the Brunei Gallery, built from an endowment from the [[Hassanal Bolkiah|Sultan of Brunei Darussalam]], the leader of a country whose human rights abuses are ongoing,<ref>{{Cite web|last=Perry|first=Louise|date=2020-01-29|title=The strange world of the radically left-wing Soas university|url=https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/the-strange-world-of-the-radically-left-wing-soas-university|access-date=2020-11-05|website=The Spectator }}</ref> and inaugurated by the [[Anne, Princess Royal|Princess Royal]], as Chancellor of the University of London, on 22 November 1995. Its facilities include exhibition space on three floors, a book shop, a lecture theatre, and conference and teaching facilities. The Brunei Gallery hosts a programme of changing contemporary and historical exhibitions from Asia, Africa and the Middle East with the aim to present and promote cultures from these regions.<ref>[http://www.culture24.org.uk/mw118/ The Brunei Gallery, SOAS] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160624163356/http://www.culture24.org.uk/mw118 |date=24 June 2016 }}. Culture24. Retrieved 23 May 2016.</ref>

The Japanese-style roof garden on top of the Brunei Gallery was built during the Japan 2001 celebrations and was opened by the sponsor, [[Haruhisa Handa]], an Honorary Fellow of the School, on 13 November 2001.<ref>[http://www.culture24.org.uk/mw118 SOAS Japanese-Inspired Roof Garden] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160624163356/http://www.culture24.org.uk/mw118 |date=24 June 2016 }}. Opensqaures.org. Retrieved 23 May 2016.</ref>

The school hosted the [[Percival David Foundation of Chinese Art]], one of the foremost collections of Chinese ceramics in Europe. The collection has been loaned to the [[British Museum]], where it is now on permanent display in Room 95.

The SOAS Centenary Masterplan conceived the development of two new buildings and a substantial remodelling of existing space to realign and develop the entrance and two areas within the Old Building. The cost estimates for the Centenary Masterplan settle at around £73m for the total project. The full implementation of the School's Centenary Masterplan would deliver approximately 30% additional space, approximately 1,000 sq metres.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.soas.ac.uk/directorate/soas2016/file23384.pdf |title=2016 A Vision and Strategy for the Centennial |date=April 2010 |publisher=SOAS |access-date=24 September 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110604073116/http://www.soas.ac.uk/directorate/soas2016/file23384.pdf |archive-date=4 June 2011 }}</ref>

==Governance and administration==

===Presidents===
{| class="wikitable"
! Appointed !! President
|-
|2001 || [[Helena Kennedy, Baroness Kennedy of The Shaws|Helena Kennedy]]<ref>[https://blogs.soas.ac.uk/centenarytimeline/2017/03/08/100-years-of-soas-women/ 100 years of SOAS women] SOAS University of London, 8 March 2017.</ref>
|-
| 23 April 2012 || [[Graça Machel]]<ref>{{Cite web |date=23 April 2012 |title=Graça Machel Appointed as President of SOAS, University of London |url=https://www.soas.ac.uk/news/newsitem75798.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220629223035/https://www.soas.ac.uk/news/newsitem75798.html |archive-date=Jun 29, 2022 |website=SOAS}}</ref>
|-
| 5 October 2021 || [[Zeinab Badawi]]<ref name="soas.ac.uk"/>
|}

===Directors/Vice-Chancellors===
[[File:Edward Denison Ross by John Lavery (1856-1941).jpg|thumb|upright|[[Edward Denison Ross]] by John Lavery]]
Since its foundation, the school has had ten directors. The inaugural director was the linguist [[Edward Denison Ross]]. Under the stewardship of [[Cyril Philips]], the school saw growth and modernisation.<ref name="independent" /> Under [[Colin Bundy]] in the 2000s, the school became one of the top ranked universities both domestically and internationally.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2005/apr/19/education.highereducation |title=Oxford topples Cambridge from top spot |newspaper=The Guardian |first=Matthew |last=Taylor |date=19 April 2005 |access-date=23 May 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160826130121/https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2005/apr/19/education.highereducation |archive-date=26 August 2016 |url-status=live }}</ref> In January 2021 [[Adam Habib]] became director of SOAS in place of [[Valerie Amos]], who had taken up the position of Master at [[University College, Oxford]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.soas.ac.uk/news/newsitem146159.html|title=Professor Adam Habib to be next Director of SOAS University of London|date=18 February 2020|publisher=SOAS University of London}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.timeshighereducation.com/news/adam-habib-soas-will-be-voice-developing-world-west|title=Adam Habib: SOAS will be 'voice for developing world in the West'|website=Times Higher Education|date=26 January 2021}}</ref> In 2024, the position of director was renamed vice-chancellor.<ref>[https://www.soas.ac.uk/about/governance/executive-board Executive Board] SOAS University of London.</ref>

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Appointed !! Director/Vice-Chancellor
|-
| 1916 || [[Edward Denison Ross]]
|-
| 1937 || [[Ralph Lilley Turner]]
|-
| 1956 || [[Cyril Philips]]
|-
| 1976 || [[Jeremy Cowan]]
|-
| 1989 || [[Michael McWilliam]]
|-
| 1996 || [[Tim Lankester]]
|-
| 2001 || [[Colin Bundy]]<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/education/2005/apr/21/highereducation.careers?INTCMP=ILCNETTXT3487|title=Soas head resigns after five years|access-date=14 July 2012|newspaper=The Guardian|date=21 April 2005|first=Donald|last=MacLeod|location=London|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160306193513/http://www.theguardian.com/education/2005/apr/21/highereducation.careers?INTCMP=ILCNETTXT3487|archive-date=6 March 2016|url-status=live}}</ref>
|-
| 2006 || [[Paul Webley]]<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/education/2006/feb/07/highereducation.careers?INTCMP=ILCNETTXT3487|title=Soas appoints new director|access-date=14 July 2012|newspaper=The Guardian|date=7 February 2006|first=Donald|last=MacLeod|location=London|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160306195830/http://www.theguardian.com/education/2006/feb/07/highereducation.careers?INTCMP=ILCNETTXT3487|archive-date=6 March 2016|url-status=live}}</ref>
|-
| 2015 || [[Valerie Amos, Baroness Amos|Valerie Amos]]
|-
| 2021 || [[Adam Habib]]
|}

===Board of Trustees===
The SOAS Board of Trustees sets policy, mission, and purpose for the university. The Trustees are also responsible for overseeing the management of resources and upholding SOAS's role. The board consists of a chair, two vice-chairs, an honorary treasurer, 10 lay members, the Vice-Chancellor, Provost, and Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Deputy
Vice-Chancellor Research and Knowledge Exchange, Deputy Vice-Chancellor of Finance and Operations and Clerk to the Board, a Professional Services Member, college deans, and student representatives.<ref name="SOAS Board of Trustees">{{cite web | url =https://www.soas.ac.uk/about/governance/board-trustees | title = SOAS Board of Trustees | access-date = 8 May 2025 | publisher = SOAS University of London }}</ref>

==Academic organisation==
===Colleges and departments===
As of 1 August 2025, SOAS is divided into two colleges and one self-standing School.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.soas.ac.uk/academic/|title=Academic Departments, Institutes, Centres and Faculties at SOAS, University of London|website=Soas.ac.uk|access-date=16 July 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150722082922/https://www.soas.ac.uk/academic/|archive-date=22 July 2015|url-status=live}}</ref> These are further divided into academic departments. SOAS has many Centres and Institutes, each of which is affiliated to a particular faculty.

====College of Humanities====
The College of Humanities houses the School of Art, the School of History, Religions and Philosophies, the School of Languages, Cultures and Linguistics, and the School of Anthropology, Media and Gender. The first ever university linguistics department in the United Kingdom was created in 1932 at SOAS, serving as a centre for research and study in Oriental and African languages.<ref>{{cite web |date=14 May 2014 |title=Collaboration for language preservation and revitalisation in Asia |url=https://asiancorrespondent.com/2014/05/collaboration-for-language-preservation-and-revitalisation-in-asia/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160624232142/https://asiancorrespondent.com/2014/05/collaboration-for-language-preservation-and-revitalisation-in-asia/ |archive-date=24 June 2016 |access-date=23 May 2016 |work=Asian Correspondent}}</ref> [[J. R. Firth]], known internationally for his work in phonology and semantics, was a Senior Lecturer, Reader and Professor of General Linguistics at the school between 1938 and 1956.

The College of Humanities offers courses at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels, with an emphasis on Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. A gift from the [[Alphawood Foundation]] in 2013 created the Hiram W. Woodward Chair in Southeast Asian art, the [[David Snellgrove]] Senior Lectureship in Tibetan and Buddhist art, and a Senior Lectureship in Curating and Museology of Asian Art, as well as a number of scholarships for students, making the Department of Art & Archaeology a key institution at a global level in the study of [[Southeast Asia]].<ref>{{Cite web| url = http://www.alphawoodfoundation.org/newsroom/2015/6/17/alphawood-foundation-announced-a-32-million-gift-to-soas| title = Alphawood Foundation announced a $32 million gift to SOAS| website = Alphawood Foundation Chicago| access-date = 26 February 2016| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160304064147/http://www.alphawoodfoundation.org/newsroom/2015/6/17/alphawood-foundation-announced-a-32-million-gift-to-soas| archive-date = 4 March 2016| url-status = live}}</ref> The university is also a member of the [[Screen Studies Group, London]].

====College of Social Sciences====
The College of Social Sciences houses the departments of Development, Politics and International Studies, Economics, and Finance and Management.

====SOAS School of Law====
{{Main|SOAS School of Law}}
One of the largest individual departments, the '''SOAS School of Law''' is one of Britain's leading law schools and the sole law school in the world focusing on the study of Asian, African and Middle Eastern legal systems.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.topuniversities.com/university-subject-rankings/law-legal-studies?tab=indicators&search=soas&sort_by=rank&order_by=asc|title=QS World University Rankings for Law and Legal Studies 2024|date= 10 April 2024|access-date=23 July 2024}}</ref> The School of Law has more than 400 students. It offers programmes at the [[LL.B.]], [[LL.M.]] and [[MPhil]]/[[PhD]] levels. [[International students]] have been a majority at all levels for many years.

The SOAS School of Law has an unrivaled concentration of expertise in the laws of Asian and African countries, [[human rights]], transnational [[commercial law]], [[environmental law]], and [[comparative law]]. The SOAS School of Law was ranked 15th out of all 98 British law schools by ''[[The Guardian]]'' League Table in 2016.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/education/ng-interactive/2015/may/25/university-guide-2016-league-table-for-law|title=University guide 2016: league table for law|website=[[TheGuardian.com]]|date=25 May 2015 |access-date=13 December 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161220203529/https://www.theguardian.com/education/ng-interactive/2015/may/25/university-guide-2016-league-table-for-law|archive-date=20 December 2016|url-status=live}}</ref>

Although many modules at SOAS embody a substantial element of English [[common law]], all modules are taught (as much as possible) in a comparative or international manner with an emphasis on the way in which law functions in society. Thus, law studies at SOAS are broad and comparative in their orientation. All students study a significant amount of non-English law, starting in the first year of the LL.B. course, where "Legal Systems of Asia and Africa" is compulsory. Specialised modules in the laws and legal systems of particular countries and regions are also encouraged, and faculty experts conduct modules in these subjects every year.

===Institutes and regional centres===
SOAS has a number of region-specific institutions, drawing on expertise across the various colleges:<ref>[https://www.soas.ac.uk/about/institutes-and-regional-centres Institutes and regional centres] SOAS University of London.</ref>
*SOAS China Institute
*SOAS Middle East Institute
*SOAS South Asia Institute
*SOAS Centre for Taiwan Studies

It also has a number of regional centres and other, non-regional institutes:
*SOAS Shapoorji Pallonji Institute of Zoroastrian Studies
*Centre of African Studies
*Centre for Pan-African Studies
*Centre of Contemporary Central Asia and the Caucasus
*Centre for Iranian Studies
*Centre of Korean Studies
*Centre for the Study of Pakistan
*Centre for Palestine Studies
*Centre of South East Asian Studies
*Japan Research Centre

==Academic profile==
[[File:Brunei Gallery.jpg|thumb|The entrance to the Brunei Gallery]]
SOAS is a centre for the study of subjects concerned with Asia, Africa and the Middle East.<ref name="TheCompleteUniversityGuide">{{cite web |url=http://www.thecompleteuniversityguide.co.uk/the-school-of-oriental-and-african-studies |title=SOAS, University of London (The School of Oriental and African Studies) |work=The Complete University Guide |access-date=23 May 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121127072609/http://www.thecompleteuniversityguide.co.uk/the-school-of-oriental-and-african-studies |archive-date=27 November 2012 |url-status=live }}</ref> It trains [[government officials]] on [[secondment]] from around the world in Asian, African and Middle Eastern languages and area studies, particularly in [[Arabic]], [[Islamic Studies|Islam, and Middle Eastern Studies]] formed the major bulk of classical [[Oriental Studies]] in Europe – and [[Standard Chinese|Mandarin Chinese]]. It also acts as a consultant to government departments and to companies such as [[Accenture]] and [[Deloitte]] – when they seek to gain specialist knowledge of the matters concerning Asia, Africa and the Middle East.

The school has a student-staff ratio of 15:1, which in the Complete University Guide 2025 ranked 44th in the UK.<ref name="TheCompleteUniversityGuide"/>

===Library===
[[File:SOAS Library interior view.jpg|thumb|The interior of the SOAS library]]
The SOAS library is a library for Asian, African and Middle Eastern studies.<ref name="COPAC profile on SOAS Library">{{cite web |url=http://copac.jisc.ac.uk/about/libraries/soas.html |title=SOAS Library, University of London |publisher=COPAC |access-date=23 May 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160503225055/http://copac.jisc.ac.uk/about/libraries/soas.html |archive-date=3 May 2016 |url-status=live }}</ref> It houses more than 1.2 million volumes and electronic resources for the study of Africa, Asia and the Middle East,<ref name="COPAC profile on SOAS Library"/> and attracts scholars from all over the world. The library was designated by [[HEFCE]] in 2011 as one of the UK's five National Research Libraries.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.soas.ac.uk/library/about/collectionoverview/ |title=Brief Overview of the Collection |work=SOAS Library |access-date=27 July 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190727205546/https://www.soas.ac.uk/library/about/collectionoverview/ |archive-date=27 July 2019 |url-status=live }}</ref>

The library is housed in the Philips Building on the [[Russell Square]] campus and was built in 1973.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.soas.ac.uk/centenary/the-soas-story/new-library-1973-1985/ |title=New Library (1973-1985) |publisher=SOAS, University of London |access-date=27 July 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160822094556/https://www.soas.ac.uk/centenary/the-soas-story/new-library-1973-1985/ |archive-date=22 August 2016 |url-status=live }}</ref> It was designed by architect [[Sir Denys Lasdun]], who also designed some of Britain's [[brutalist]] buildings such as the [[Royal National Theatre|National Theatre]] and the [[Institute of Education]].

In 2010/11, the library underwent a £12 million modernisation programme, known as "the Library Transformation Project".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.mcaslan.co.uk/projects/soas-library-transformation-interiors |title=SOAS Library Transformation Project |publisher=John McAslan + Partners |access-date=23 May 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160511041542/http://www.mcaslan.co.uk/projects/soas-library-transformation-interiors |archive-date=11 May 2016 |url-status=live }}</ref> The work refurbished the ground floor of the library and created new reception and entrance areas, new music practice rooms, group study rooms and a gallery exhibition space.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.soas.ac.uk/news/newsitem60373.html |title=Library Transformation Enters New Phase |publisher=SOAS, University of London |date=4 August 2010 |access-date=27 July 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160822095549/https://www.soas.ac.uk/news/newsitem60373.html |archive-date=22 August 2016 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Since SOAS is a constituent college of the University of London, its students also have access to [[Senate House Library]], shared by other colleges such as [[London School of Economics]] and [[University College London]], which is located close to the Russell Square campus.

The library was used as a filming location for some scenes in the 2016 film ''[[Criminal (2016 film)|Criminal]]''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.screendaily.com/reviews/criminal-review/5102368.article|first=Fionnuala|last=Halligan|title='Criminal': Review|website=screendaily.com|date=8 April 2016|access-date=10 April 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160414173914/http://www.screendaily.com/reviews/criminal-review/5102368.article|archive-date=14 April 2016|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Rankings===
{{Infobox UK university rankings
| ARWU_N =
| ARWU_W = 
| QS_N = 
| QS_W = 511=
| THE_N = 61
| THE_W = 401–500
| LINE_1 = 0
| Complete = 62=
| The_Guardian = 116
| Times/Sunday_Times = 75
| LINE_2 = 0
| TEF = Silver
}}
[[File:SOAS 10 Years.png|thumb|upright=1.2|SOAS' [[Rankings of universities in the United Kingdom|national league table]] performance over the past 10 years]]
The 2022 [[QS World University Rankings]] placed SOAS 2nd in the world for Development Studies,<ref>{{cite web |title=QS World University Rankings by Subject 2022: Development Studies |date=23 January 2025 |url=https://www.topuniversities.com/university-rankings/university-subject-rankings/2022/development-studies |publisher=QS Top Universities}}</ref> 10th for Anthropology<ref>{{cite web |title=QS World University Rankings by Subject 2022: Anthropology |url=https://www.topuniversities.com/university-rankings/university-subject-rankings/2022/anthropology?&search=soas |publisher=QS Top Universities |access-date=11 March 2023}}</ref> and 15th for Politics.<ref>{{cite web |title=QS World University Rankings by Subject 2022: Politics | date=23 January 2025 |url=https://www.topuniversities.com/university-rankings/university-subject-rankings/2022/politics?&search=soas |publisher=QS Top Universities}}</ref> For Arts & Humanities overall, it was placed 67th in the world by the same rankings.<ref>{{cite web |title=QS World University Rankings by Subject 2022: Arts and Humanities |url=https://www.topuniversities.com/university-rankings/university-subject-rankings/2022/arts-humanities?&search=soas |publisher=QS Top Universities |access-date=11 March 2023}}</ref> As an institution, it placed 508th overall in the QS World University Rankings 2025, having fallen from a high of 252nd in 2017.<ref>[https://www.topuniversities.com/universities/soas-university-london QS Global World Rankings 2025]</ref> SOAS ranked 33rd globally for International Students and 49th for International Faculty in the 2023 QS World University Rankings.<ref>[https://www.soas.ac.uk/about/news/soas-among-worlds-best-attracting-international-talent SOAS among world's best for attracting international talent]</ref>

SOAS's Department of Financial and Management Studies (DeFiMS) is ranked within the top 60 in the UK for Business Studies in the 2023 [[Rankings of universities in the United Kingdom|Complete University Guide]]'s League Table.<ref>{{cite web |title=Business & Management Studies |url=https://www.thecompleteuniversityguide.co.uk/league-tables/rankings/business-and-management-studies |publisher=Complete University Guide |access-date=11 March 2023}}</ref> The research strength of the department has been previously recognised by the 2021 [[Research Excellence Framework]] (REF) where 81 per cent was rated as world-leading and internationally excellent, placing it 41st in the country by GPA.<ref>{{cite news |title=REF 2021 Business and Management Studies |url=https://www.timeshighereducation.com/content/ref2021businessmanagementstudies |access-date=11 March 2023 |work=Times Higher Education}}</ref>

The results of the 2021 REF took the form of profiles spread across four grade levels. Hence, there are different ways to present them and to rank the departments. According to published tables by ''[[Times Higher Education]]'', SOAS is ranked 4th by GPA in the UK for Anthropology (an improvement from 16th in the previous exercise in 2014) and 25th in the UK for Development Studies.<ref>{{cite news |title=REF 2021: Anthropology and development studies |url=https://www.timeshighereducation.com/news/ref-2021-anthropology-and-development-studies |access-date=12 May 2022 |work=Times Higher Education}}</ref>

===Scholarships, bursaries, and awards===
A range of scholarships and awards support SOAS degree programmes, with an application process based either on academic merit or with a focus on supporting students from specific countries or connected with particular areas of study, as well as some bursaries addressing students' financial needs.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.soas.ac.uk/registry/scholarships/|title=Registry – scholarships|publisher=SOAS University of London}}</ref>

===Publications===
SOAS publishes [[academic journal]]s such as ''[[The China Quarterly]],''<ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-07-06 |title=London's stronghold of Taiwan studies |url=https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/feat/archives/2021/07/06/2003760362 |access-date=2022-07-12 |website=[[Taipei Times]]}}</ref>''[[Bulletin of the School of Oriental & African Studies]], [[Journal of African Law]],''<ref>{{Cite web |title=Journal of African Law |url=https://www.soas.ac.uk/research/publications/soas-journals-and-books/journal-african-law |access-date=2023-01-11 |website=SOAS |language=en}}</ref> ''[[South East Asia Research]]''<ref>{{Cite web |title=South East Asia Research |url=https://www.soas.ac.uk/research/publications/soas-journals-and-books/south-east-asia-research |access-date=2023-01-11 |website=SOAS |language=en}}</ref> and ''[[SOAS Bulletin of Burma Research]].''

==Student life==
{| class="floatright"
| 
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size:85%; text-align:center; margin-bottom: 5px"
|+UCAS Admission Statistics
!
!2024
!2023
!2022
!2021
!2020
|-
| '''Applications'''{{efn-lg|name=mainscheme}}<ref name=UCASEoC>{{cite web |title=UCAS Undergraduate Sector-Level End of Cycle Data Resources 2024 |url=https://www.ucas.com/data-and-analysis/undergraduate-statistics-and-reports/ucas-undergraduate-end-cycle-data-resources-2024 |at=Show me... Domicile by Provider |website=ucas.com |date=December 2024 |publisher=UCAS |access-date=7 February 2025}}</ref>
| 6,410
| 5,950
| 5,715
| 5,300
| 5,790
|-
| '''Accepted'''{{efn-lg|name=mainscheme}}<ref name=UCASEoC/>
| 1,675
| 1,650
| 1,465
| 1,395
| 1,370
|-
| '''Applications/Accepted Ratio'''{{efn-lg|name=mainscheme}}
| 3.8
| 3.6
| 3.9
| 3.8
| 4.2
|-
| '''Offer Rate (%)'''{{efn-lg|name=ukjune}}<ref name="UCAS Offer Rate">{{cite web|title=2024 entry UCAS Undergraduate reports by sex, area background, and ethnic group|date=7 February 2025|url=https://www.ucas.com/data-and-analysis/undergraduate-statistics-and-reports/ucas-undergraduate-end-cycle-data-resources-2024/2024-entry-ucas-undergraduate-reports-sex-area-background-and-ethnic-group|publisher=[[UCAS]]|access-date=7 February 2025}}</ref>
| 92.6
| 91.2
| 90.0
| 89.1
| 78.0
|-
| '''[[UCAS Tariff|Average Entry Tariff]]'''<ref name="CUG Entry">{{Cite web | url=https://www.thecompleteuniversityguide.co.uk/league-tables/rankings?tabletype=full-table&sortby=entry-standards | title=University League Tables entry standards 2024 |work=The Complete University Guide}}</ref>
| {{n/a}}
| {{n/a}}
| {{n/a}}
| 140
| 140
|}
{| style="font-size:80%;float:left"
|{{notelist-lg|refs=
{{efn-lg|name=mainscheme|Main scheme applications, International and UK}}
{{efn-lg|name=ukjune|UK domiciled applicants}}
}}
|}
|}
{| class="wikitable floatright sortable collapsible mw-collapsible"; style="font-size:85%; text-align:right;"
|+ class="nowrap" |HESA Student Body Composition (2023/24)
|-
!Domicile<ref name="Table 1">{{cite web|url=https://www.hesa.ac.uk/data-and-analysis/students/table-1|title=HE student enrolments by HE provider, permanent address, level of study, mode of study, entrant marker, sex and academic year|publisher=[[Higher Education Statistics Agency|HESA]]|access-date=3 April 2025}}</ref> and Ethnicity<ref name="HESA ethnicity">{{cite web|url=https://www.hesa.ac.uk/data-and-analysis/students/whos-in-he/characteristics|title=Who's studying in HE?: Personal characteristics|date=3 April 2025|publisher=[[Higher Education Statistics Agency|HESA]]|access-date=3 April 2025}}</ref>
! colspan="2" data-sort-type=number |Total
|-
|[[White people in the United Kingdom|British White]]{{efn|Not be confused solely with [[White British]]}}
|align=right| {{bartable|20|%|2||background:red}}
|-
|[[Classification of ethnicity in the United Kingdom#Collective terms for minority ethnic groups|British Ethnic Minorities]]{{efn|Includes those who indicate that they identify as [[British Asian|Asian]], [[Black British people|Black]], [[Mixed (United Kingdom ethnicity category)|Mixed Heritage]], [[British Arabs|Arab]] or any other ethnicity except White.}}
|align=right| {{bartable|52|%|2||background:green}}
|-
|[[European Union|International EU]]
|align=right| {{bartable|5|%|2||background:blue}}
|-
|[[International students in the United Kingdom|International Non-EU]]
|align=right| {{bartable|24|%|2||background:gray}}
|-
! colspan="4" data-sort-type=number |Undergraduate [[Widening participation|Widening Participation]] Indicators<ref name="Table 1"/><ref name="Times25">{{cite web |date=24 September 2024 |title=Good University Guide: Social Inclusion Ranking |url=https://www.thetimes.com/uk-university-rankings/league-table |work=[[The Times]]}}</ref>
|-
|[[Feminism in the United Kingdom#Education|Female]]
|align=right| {{bartable|62|%|2||background:purple}}
|-
|[[Private schools in the United Kingdom|Independent School]]
|align=right| {{bartable|9|%|2||background:orange}}
|-
|Low Participation Areas{{efn|Calculated from the Polar4 measure, using Quintile1, in England and Wales. Calculated from the [[Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation]] (SIMD) measure, using SIMD20, in Scotland.}}
|align=right| {{bartable|4|%|2||background:black}}
|}

In {{HESA year}}, there were {{HESA undergraduate population|INSTID=10007780}} undergraduate students.<ref name="HESA citation">{{HESA citation}}</ref> In 2012, 41% of students were over 21 and 60% were female.<ref name="university.which.co.uk">{{cite web |url=http://university.which.co.uk/institutions/school-of-oriental-and-african-studies-university-of-london-s09 |title=School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London (S09) – Which? University |publisher=University.which.co.uk |access-date=8 December 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120923200910/http://university.which.co.uk/institutions/school-of-oriental-and-african-studies-university-of-london-s09 |archive-date=23 September 2012 |url-status=live }}</ref> According to the QS World University Rankings, SOAS hosts international students from 140 countries.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.topuniversities.com/universities/soas-university-london |title=QS World University Rankings |publisher=topuniversities.co.uk |access-date=23 May 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160510132205/http://www.topuniversities.com/universities/soas-university-london |archive-date=10 May 2016 |url-status=live }}</ref>

SOAS is renowned for its political scene and radical socialist politics and was voted the most politically active university in the [[United Kingdom|UK]] in the Which? University 2012. Recent campaigns include students for social change, women's liberty and justice for cleaners.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://university.which.co.uk/advice/top-political-unis-as-voted-by-students |title=Top political unis... as voted by students – Which? University |publisher=University.which.co.uk |date=10 September 2012 |access-date=8 December 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121222145642/http://university.which.co.uk/advice/top-political-unis-as-voted-by-students |archive-date=22 December 2012 |url-status=live }}</ref> The SOAS Student Union was established in 1927, and has a long history of activism: campaigning against the introduction of both student loans and later student fees; raising funds for the Algerian victims of the [[Algerian War|Algerian War of Independence]] against France in 1959; and successfully campaigning for the school to divest from fossil fuels. The SU bar became an established live music venue by the 1970s and was where [[Nirvana (band)|Nirvana]] played their first UK gig in 1989.<ref>John Hollingworth, [https://blogs.soas.ac.uk/archives/2016/12/21/academics-agents-and-activists-a-history-of-the-school-of-oriental-and-african-studies-1916-2016-4/ Academics, Agents and Activists: A history of the School of Oriental and African Studies, 1916-2016], SOAS University of London, 21 December 2016.</ref> The SOAS Marxist Society holds frequent events and encourages student voter registration.

Located in the heart of Bloomsbury, many University of London schools and institutes are close by, including [[Birkbeck, University of London|Birkbeck]], the [[Institute of Education]], [[London Business School]], the [[London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine]], the [[Royal Veterinary College]], the [[School of Advanced Study]], [[Senate House (University of London)|Senate House Library]] and [[University College London]].

===Sports===
[[File:SOAS Rugby Team Pic.jpg|thumb|SOAS Men's Rugby Union Team following a victory against the [[London School of Economics]] at [[Regent's Park]]]]
SOAS has multiple smaller sports teams competing in a variety of local and national leagues, as well as occasional international tournaments. SOAS clubs compete in inter-university fixtures in the [[British Universities and Colleges Sport]] (BUCS) competition in a range of sports, including basketball, football, hockey, netball, rugby union and tennis.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://soasunion.org/activities/sports/|title=Sports Clubs|website=soasunion.org|access-date=2020-03-05}}</ref> SOAS also participates in an annual North London Varsity tournament against [[London Metropolitan University]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://soasunion.org/activities/sports/varsity2018/|title=Varsity 2018|website=soasunion.org|access-date=2020-03-05}}</ref>

===On-campus jobs===
Some programs help students to work part-time on campus alongside their full-time study. 
* Education Co-Creator Internship: This is a 64-hour scheme for SOAS undergraduates interested in the education sector. Students work on an innovative project in collaboration with SOAS staff to improve services at their own university.
* Santander [[Micro-internship]]: This is a remote 60-hour Santander Universities initiative, targeted towards SOAS students looking to develop an entrepreneurial career. As part of this program, students are typically assigned to a start-up or NGO.
* Student Ambassador: In this job, SOAS students promote their university to high school students.
* Campus Brand Ambassador roles: Depending on availability, students may also take up a job to represent employers such as [[CMS (law firm)|CMS]], [[Clyde & Co]], [[BDO Global|BDO]], Vantage, [[Dentons]], [[PwC]], [[Barbri]], [[Linklaters]], [[Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer|Freshfields]], and [[Bryan Cave|BCLP]] on campus. SOAS is not responsible for recruiting for this role – it is the respective external employer or a recruitment agency.
The School of Finance and Management has also partnered with learning platform Practera to offer a Virtual Industry Project, a two-week remote work-based learning experience to give students a taste of consulting roles.

===Student housing===
[[File:DinwiddyHouse.jpg|thumb|The courtyard of Dinwiddy House]]
SOAS operates two halls of residence in central London, both owned by Sanctuary Student Housing.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.sanctuary-students.com/student-accommodation/london |title=Sanctuary Students London – Information for SOAS Students |publisher=sanctuary-students.com |date=10 May 2016 |access-date=10 May 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170325201847/https://sanctuary-students.com/student-accommodation/london |archive-date=25 March 2017 |url-status=live }}</ref>
The primary accommodation for undergraduates is Dinwiddy House, which is located on [[Pentonville Road]]. This contains 510 single en-suite rooms arranged in small cluster flats of around six rooms each. The halls are located within minutes of [[King's Cross St Pancras tube station]] and the Vernon Square campus.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.smsstudent.co.uk/dinwiddyhouse.asp |title=Sanctuary Management Services London – Dinwiddy House |publisher=Smsstudent.co.uk |date=1 July 2007 |access-date=16 April 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120419025941/http://www.smsstudent.co.uk/dinwiddyhouse.asp |archive-date=19 April 2012 |url-status=live }}</ref>

A few minutes walk from Dinwiddy House and also on the Pentonville Road is Paul Robeson House, the second hall of residence. This was opened in 1998, and is named after the African-American musician [[Paul Robeson]] who studied at SOAS in the 1930s.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.soas.ac.uk/centenary/alumni-profiles/1930s/paul-robeson.html|title=About SOAS – Alumni profiles: !930s|publisher=SOAS University of London|access-date=19 February 2021|archive-date=9 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210409143030/https://www.soas.ac.uk/centenary/alumni-profiles/1930s/paul-robeson.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> This accommodation is occupied by postgraduate students, and those attending the international SOAS Summer schools.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.smsstudent.co.uk/paulrobesonhouse.asp |title=Sanctuary Management Services London – Paul Robeson House for SOAS Students |publisher=Smsstudent.co.uk |date=1 July 2007 |access-date=16 April 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120416025856/http://www.smsstudent.co.uk/paulrobesonhouse.asp |archive-date=16 April 2012 |url-status=live }}</ref>

SOAS students are eligible to apply for places in the University of London intercollegiate halls of residence.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.lon.ac.uk/halls.html |title=University of London – Intercollegiate Halls |publisher=Lon.ac.uk |date=26 March 2010 |access-date=26 April 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100503014525/http://www.lon.ac.uk/halls.html |archive-date=3 May 2010 |url-status=live }}</ref> The majority of these are based in Bloomsbury such as Canterbury Hall, Commonwealth Hall, College Hall, [[Connaught Hall, London|Connaught Hall]], [[Hughes Parry Hall, London|Hughes Parry Hall]], [[International Hall, London|International Hall]] and [[International Students House, London|International Students House]], while further afield are [[Nutford House, London|Nutford House]] in [[Marble Arch]] and Lillian Penson Hall in [[Paddington]]. A number of SOAS postgraduate students also apply for student accommodation at Goodenough College. Wood Green Hall is another accommodation in North London that reserves places for SOAS students annually.

==Notable people==
{{main|List of School of Oriental and African Studies people}}

===Notable alumni===
{{See also|Category:Alumni of SOAS University of London}}

<gallery class="center">
File:Encontro com relatora especial da ONU, Francesca Albanese - Out.24 (54303679102) (cropped).jpg|[[Francesca Albanese]], human rights lawyer and [[UN Special Rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories]]
File:Achim Steiner-IMG 0837.jpg|[[Achim Steiner]], Administrator of the [[United Nations Development Programme|UNDP]]
File:Inger Andersen (environmentalist, 2010, cropped).jpg|[[Inger Andersen (environmentalist)|Inger Andersen]], executive director of the [[United Nations Environment Programme|UNEP]]
File:Martin Griffiths.jpg|[[Martin Griffiths]], former [[Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator|Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs]]<ref>[https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/sg/personnel-appointments/2021-05-12/mr-martin-griffiths-of-the-united-kingdom-under-secretary-general-for-humanitarian-affairs-and-emergency-relief-coordinator "Mr. Martin Griffiths of the United Kingdom – Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator"], United Nations, 12 May 2021. Retrieved 13 April 2022.</ref>
File:Mette-Marit av Norge.jpg|[[Mette-Marit, Crown Princess of Norway]]
File:Aung San Suu Kyi 2016.jpg|[[Aung San Suu Kyi]], 1st [[State Counsellor of Myanmar]]
File:Paul Robeson by Karsh, 1941.jpg|[[Paul Robeson]], American singer
File:Official portrait of Rt Hon David Lammy MP crop 5.jpg|[[David Lammy]], [[Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom]]
File:Zeinab Badawi crop UNISDR.jpg|[[Zeinab Badawi]], TV presenter
File:John Atta Mills.jpg|[[John Atta Mills]], former President of Ghana
File:Bülent Ecevit-Davos 2000.jpg|[[Bülent Ecevit]], former Prime Minister of Turkey
File:Luisa Dias Diogo - World Economic Forum Annual Meeting Davos 2009 crop.jpg|[[Luisa Dias Diogo]], former Prime Minister of Mozambique
File:Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse Rinpoche.jpg|[[Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse Rinpoche]], Bhutanese lama and filmmaker
File:Grafica pc 3.jpg|[[Guillaume Long]], former Foreign Minister of Ecuador
File:Bisher Al-Khasawneh (cropped).jpg|[[Bisher Al-Khasawneh]], former [[Prime Minister of Jordan]]
</gallery>

Around the world, several national leaders and political figures are alumni: [[Aung San Suu Kyi]], Nobel Peace Prize laureate and First and incumbent State Counsellor of Myanmar, [[Zairil Khir Johari]], Member of the Malaysian Parliament<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.parlimen.gov.my/profile-ahli.html?&uweb=dr&id=3262&lang=en|title=Official Portal of The Parliament of Malaysia – Representatives Members|website=Parlimen.gov.my|access-date=16 July 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150721160857/http://www.parlimen.gov.my/profile-ahli.html?&uweb=dr&id=3262&lang=en|archive-date=21 July 2015|url-status=live}}</ref>

* In government, alumni include [[Dharma Vira]], who served as 8th [[Cabinet Secretary of India]], [[Johnnie Carson]], former US Ambassador to Kenya, Zimbabwe and Uganda, [[Hassan Taqizadeh]], Iranian Ambassador to the UK, [[Shridath Ramphal|Sir Shridath Ramphal]], Secretary-General of the Commonwealth, [[Leslie Fielding|Sir Leslie Fielding]], British diplomat and former European Commission Ambassador to Tokyo, [[David Warren (diplomat)|Sir David Warren]], former UK Ambassador to Japan, [[Quinton Quayle]], UK Ambassador to Thailand and Lao, [[Robin McLaren|Sir Robin McLaren]], UK Ambassador to China and the Philippines,<ref>[https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/politics-obituaries/7917433/Sir-Robin-McLaren.html "Sir Robin McLaren"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171122072114/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/politics-obituaries/7917433/Sir-Robin-McLaren.html |date=22 November 2017 }} (obituary), ''The Telegraph'', 29 July 2010. Retrieved 17 July 2013.</ref> [[Michael Scott Weir|Sir Michael Weir]], UK Ambassador to Egypt, [[Jemima Khan]], UK Ambassador to [[UNICEF]], [[Hugh Carless]], UK Ambassador to Venezuela,<ref>[https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/8971440/Hugh-Carless.html "Hugh Carless"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180929021502/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/8971440/Hugh-Carless.html |date=29 September 2018 }} (obituary). ''The Telegraph'', 21 December 2011. Retrieved 17 July 2013.</ref>
* Prominent journalists and broadcasters such as, [[Abdel Bari Atwan]], editor-in-chief of [[Al-Quds Al-Arabi]] newspaper in London, [[Zeinab Badawi]], presenter of [[BBC]] ''[[World News Today]]'', [[Peter Barakan]], longtime radio DJ and TV presenter for [[NHK FM]] and [[NHK World]], [[Martin Bright]], political editor of the ''[[Jewish Chronicle]]'', [[Jung Chang]], who is best known for her family autobiography ''[[Wild Swans]]'', [[Hossein Derakhshan]], Iranian blogger credited with starting the blogging revolution in Iran,<ref>{{cite news |author=Jane Perrone |url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2003/dec/18/weblogs |title=Weblog heaven &#124; Media &#124; guardian.co.uk |work=The Guardian |location=London |date=18 December 2003 |access-date=29 April 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131019074039/http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2003/dec/18/weblogs |archive-date=19 October 2013 |url-status=live }}</ref>
* In business, alumni include: [[Fred Eychaner]], American businessman and philanthropist<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-24778886 | work=BBC News | title=SOAS given £20m donation from Alphawood foundation | date=2 November 2013 | access-date=21 June 2018 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181002072004/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-24778886 | archive-date=2 October 2018 | url-status=live }}</ref>

===Notable faculty and staff===
{{See also|Category:Academics of SOAS University of London}}

==See also==
* [[Armorial of UK universities]]
* [[List of universities in the UK]]

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
*{{cite book|editor1-last = Arnold |editor1-first = David |editor2-last = Shackle |editor2-first = Christopher |title=SOAS since the sixties |publisher = SOAS, University of London |place = London |year = 2003 |isbn = 0728603535 }}
*{{cite book|editor1-last = Brown|editor1-first = Ian |title=The School of Oriental and African Studies: Imperial Training and the Expansion of Learning |publisher = Cambridge University Press |place = London |year = 2016 |isbn = 9781107164420 }}

==External links==
{{Commons category|School of Oriental and African Studies}}
*{{Official website}}
*Game, John [https://web.archive.org/web/20061003090043/http://www.bisa.ac.uk/bisanews/0302/p.7.pdf "The origins of SOAS as a colonial institution, training district"]
*[http://www.soasunion.org/ SOAS Student Union website]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20100914105055/http://www.shl.lon.ac.uk/specialcollections/archives/studentrecords.shtml SOAS graduates list]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20230801171415/https://www.soas.ac.uk/sites/default/files/2023-07/SOAS-Constitutional-Documents-2023.pdf SOAS Constitutional Documents 2022/23]

{{University of London}}
{{Universities and colleges in London}}
{{Universities in the United Kingdom}}
{{Consortium for Asian and African Studies}}

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