SOAS University of London

Who we are

SOAS University of London is the leading Higher Education institution in Europe specialising in the study of Asia, Africa and the Near and Middle East.

SOAS is a remarkable institution. With our vast repository of knowledge and expertise on our specialist regions, we are uniquely placed to inform and shape current thinking about the economic, political, cultural, security and religious challenges of our world. Our programmes are taught by respected academics engaged in fieldwork and research which influences government policy and the lives of individuals across the globe. SOAS scholars grapple with the pressing issues confronting two-thirds of humankind today: democracy, development, economy, finance, public and corporate policy, human rights, migration, identity, legal systems, poverty, religion, and social change.

SOAS University of London at a glance:

• 5,200 undergraduate and postgraduate students studying on campus
   
• 3,000+ students registered on distance and online programmes
   
• 300+ academics provide the largest concentration of specialist staff engaged in the study of Africa, Asia and the Middle East
   
• 350+ undergraduate degree combinations
   
• 115 postgraduate programmes
   
• 1.5 million items in the SOAS Library
   
• 55:45 ratio of undergraduates to postgraduates
   
• 24% mature students
   
• 90% satisfaction with teaching, the highest in London
   
• 40% of students spend a year abroad as part of their degree
   
• 11.3:1, our student-staff ratio is one of the best in the UK