SOAS, University of London

London, United Kingdom

4

Closed now

4 reviews

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Telephone:
+44 20 7637 2388
Website:
www.soas.ac.uk
Address:
Thornhaugh Street Russell Square, London, United Kingdom, WC1H 0XG
Bloomsbury
Nearby public transportation stops & stations:
600 ftChenies Street
810 ftWoburn Place Bedford Way
820 ftRussell Square
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Today

Today 10:30 am – 11:30 pm
Closed now
Local time (London) 01:57 Sunday, 1 June 2025

Business hours

Monday 9:00 am – 11:30 pm
Tuesday 9:00 am – 11:30 pm
Wednesday 9:00 am – 11:30 pm
Thursday 9:00 am – 11:30 pm
Friday 9:00 am – 11:30 pm
Saturday 10:30 am – 11:30 pm
Sunday 10:30 am – 11:30 pm

Description

Specialties

SOAS, University of London is the world’s leading institution for the study of Asia, Africa and the Middle East.

History

Established in 1916.

The School was founded in 1916 as the School of Oriental Studies. It took its present title in 1938, by which time it had also established itself as a centre for African Studies. It moved to its present site in 1941.

The Scarbrough Report of 1946 recommended that the whole field of Asian and African studies should be developed in London in contrast to a restricted range of programmes in other universities, and there was a considerable expansion of the School’s activities. In addition, after the Hayter Report of 1961, increased attention was given to the development of the social sciences.

Its expanded library, designed by the architect Sir Denys Lasdun, was opened in 1973. This national resource houses more than 1.5 million items.

SOAS continues to maintain its position as the major national centre for the study of programmes concerned with Asia, Africa and the Middle East. New teaching posts have been established, student numbers have increased and the School’s status as a leading

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Nearby

Near this location:
10
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SOAS Library
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Faber Building
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4 reviews of SOAS, University of London

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Place rating: 5
San Francisco, CA
I love SOAS. I started my academic career at Trinity College in Hartford, CT and the location just wasn’t for me. I’ve reconciled this by doing a year and a half at SOAS, and what a time I’ve had! SOAS offers courses that wouldn’t be available anywhere else in the world. The student body is enlighteningly diverse, and people are open minded and excited to debate and discuss their beliefs and opinions. I would recommend studying at SOAS to anyone who is interested in expanding their understanding of the world. Plus free Hare Krishna every day at lunch often saves a broke student (and it is delicious!)
Place rating: 2
London, United Kingdom
SOAS comes with a reputation as one of London’s better universities. It was certainly one of only two I would have been able to name confidently before I lived here. Going by that reputation, I eagerly booked myself in for a refresher language course last spring, only to be disappointed by what I received. My main problem with the class was that it was book-​based. Our teacher, lovely as she was as a person, seemed obsessed with getting through an allotted amount of exercises, whether the class understood what was happening, or not. Perhaps this was due to pressure from whoever was administrating the course. Anyway, let’s just say I wasn’t entirely happy to have parted with nearly £300 for ten lessons. Now I turn to Gumtree and language exchange to keep on top of things. By the by, the language I studied was Japanese, so perhaps course in other tongues give better results — I know not.
Place rating: 5
London, United Kingdom
SOAS is known for being a little bit more alternative than the other London universities. People generally come here to study either culture, language or international relations, but there is also a business department, whose members often complain about feeling out of place. The atmosphere is laid back, there are headscarves and dreadlocks aplenty, and at lunchtimes you can often catch a Hare Krishna food cart doling out vegan food to a long line of students. For a more alternative experience without attending art school, SOAS is perfect.
Place rating: 4
London, United Kingdom
A great, smaller university that is part of the University of London. Courses focus on the Middle East, Far East and Africa; and many students study languages, law or development at SOAS; there is also a great music department.
Specialisation is sometimes a liability when you cannot afford to run certain courses due to lack of specialist staff or lack of student uptake — this usually happends to students in their later years at the university. In thic case you can usually take courses at other University of London institutions such as kings College on the Strand or Goldsmiths to make sure you have enough modules.
Language study is rigorous and comprehensive; this is one of the best places in the UK to study Arabic, Chinese or Japanese as well as a range of African languages. Most language students must take a compulsory year abroad organised by the university as part of their 4 year course.