SOAS Masters Scholarships: Home

Candidates will be assessed based on their academic merit, work experience and personal statement by a selection panel.

The assessment of your application will be based on the information provided in your scholarship application and in your online application for admission. The panel will review details such as degree results, your personal statement and other relevant information.

You must submit a complete application of your programme as soon as possible and then submit an application for this scholarship in order to be considered. Please note that complete applications for admissions can take up to 4 weeks to be considered by the department, although this duration can vary depending on the time of the year. You should be prepared to wait up to 6 weeks in busy periods.

You will need to have an unconditional offer for your programme by the time the Scholarship Panel meet. Late or incomplete applications will not be considered.

The SOAS Masters Scholarships are designed to recognise applicants with outstanding academic achievements.

There are up to 30 scholarships available for 2026/27. Each award covers £7,000 towards tuition fees. The scholarship is for 1 year only and will be applied in the first year of study. For 2-year courses, the award will be split across both academic years and provide £3,500 towards tuition fees in both 2026/27 and 2027/28.

Eligible programmes

Any full-time taught masters degree programme (on-campus). Part-time programmes are not eligible.

Candidate criteria

This scholarship is open to applicants with Home fee status and new admissions (programmes starting in 2026/27) only. Applicants must:

• Possess or expect to be awarded a first class honours degree from a UK university or international equivalent. Applicants with a non-UK degree must be in the top rank as evidenced by references and transcripts. Applicants with a 2.1 may also apply but will not be given preference.
• Have applied to SOAS but are not required to have received an offer of admission by the scholarship deadline. You must receive an unconditional offer by the time the relevant panel meets to discuss scholarship applications.
• Meet the English language condition of their offer of admission to study at SOAS, if applicable. If your offer is conditional on English, please arrange your English test and ensure you meet the English requirements as soon as possible.

Please note that this scholarship does not cover funding for pre-sessional courses.