Scholarships at SOAS University of London

There are a number of Anthony Dicks Memorial Scholarship available for 2025/26. Each award provides £6,000 towards tuition fees.

Eligible programmes

• LLM (Master of Laws)

• LLM Environmental Law and Sustainable Development

• LLM Human Rights, Conflict and Justice

• LLM International Commercial and Economic Law 

• LLM International Law

• LLM Islamic Law

• LLM Law and Gender

• Part-time programmes are not eligible

Candidate criteria

• This scholarship is open to new admissions only (programmes starting in 2025/26).

• Applicants must be domiciled in a low or middle-income country. Please refer to the Low & middle income data  provided by the World Bank Group.

• Applicants for the scholarship must hold a minimum 2:1 bachelor’s from a UK university or international equivalent.

• Scholarship applicants must have applied to SOAS but are not required to have received an offer of admission by the scholarship deadline. An unconditional offer will need to have been received by the time the relevant panel meets to discuss scholarship applications.

• Applicants must 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.

Candidate assessment

• Candidates will be assessed based on their academic merit, financial need, 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, 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.

Deadline date: 21 March 2025.

The Centre for Anthropology and Mental Health Research in Action (CAMHRA) is excited to announce its 2025/2026 Master’s Scholarship Programme (MA and MRes). CAMHRA invites applications from those seeking to pursue postgraduate study to develop anthropological approaches to mental health and mental healthcare.

Newly established within the SOAS Department of Anthropology and Sociology, CAMHRA is a globally oriented and locally connected hub for cutting-edge anthropological research, education, and public engagement on mental health. Working with partners across academia, statutory healthcare, and policy, and alongside services users, CAMHRA contributes distinctly anthropological perspectives to a growing global understanding of how societies can understand and respond to mental distress and build effective systems of care.

Postgraduate study at CAMHRA is open to people from a wide range of professional and academic backgrounds. Our cutting-edge MA in Medical Anthropology and Mental Health incorporates diverse perspectives from social, cultural, medical, and psychological anthropology and enables students to conduct their own original research. The CAMHRA Master’s scholarship is also open to applicants to the MRes Social Anthropology. This programme is for those who already hold a degree in BA and/or master's in social/cultural anthropology and wish to pursue postgraduate research on a topic in the field of anthropology and mental health. The MRes is often undertaken in preparation for PhD research.

• Further information about the MA in Medical Anthropology and Mental Health, including how to apply

• Further information about the MRes in Social Anthropology

CAMHRA Scholarships are designed to offer opportunities for people who would not otherwise study anthropology or ethnographic methods due to existing time, financial, and social constraints. Specifically, we seek applications from candidates who are currently working in or have lived experience of mental health services; and those from underrepresented groups. 

We hope to support such candidates in building distinctive anthropological research skills, and in applying them to their lives or professional contexts. In your scholarship application, please specify the experiences that you bring to the programme, and the research project that you hope to conduct.

Each full-time scholarship covers 2025/26 tuition fees in full. For part-time students studying over two years, the award will provide funding for 2025/26 and 2026/27 tuition fees. The scholarship does not include a stipend for accommodation and living costs.

Webinar: Introduction to the MA Medical Anthropology and Mental Health

Members of the CAMHRA team will share information about the MA Medical Anthropology and Mental Health and how to build a strong application to the CAMHRA Master’s Scholarships. Join us on Thursday, 3 April 2025 at 1:00pm GMT (London time).

Eligible programmes 

• Full-time (1 year) or part-time (2 years) MA Medical Anthropology and Mental Health beginning in 2025/26.

• Full-time (1 year) or part-time (2 years) MRes Social Anthropology starting in 2025/26.

Candidate criteria 

• The scholarship is open to UK and Overseas applicants.

• Applicants for the scholarship for MA Medical Anthropology and Mental Health must hold a minimum 2:1 bachelor’s degree in a social science or humanities subject; OR in health sciences including medicine, psychology, nursing, social work.

• Applicants for MRes Social Anthropology must hold a minimum 2:1 bachelor’s or master’s degree in Anthropology.

• All candidates must have a strong idea for a research project that uses ethnographic methods to understand an issue related to mental health.

• Scholarship applicants must have submitted their application to the MA or MRes programme to SOAS but are not required to have received an offer of admission by the scholarship deadline. 

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

Apply for the scholarship by 11:59pm UK local time on 30 April 2025.

The Centre for the Study of Japanese Religions offers a CSJR Postgraduate Student Bursary in Japanese Religions to be held at SOAS, University of London.

The total value of the scholarship is £5,000 for one year for full-time or part-time programmes, providing a contribution towards tuition fees. If the successful candidate receives a grant to cover fees from another funding body, the bursary can be used towards maintenance.

Eligible programmes

• Full-time or part-time Research Degree: Religions in Japanese Religions.

• Full-time or part-time MA Buddhist Studies focusing on Japanese Religions and/or Japanese Buddhism.

• Full-time or part-time MA Buddhist Studies and Intensive Language (Japanese) focusing on Japanese Buddhism.

Candidate criteria

• This scholarship is open to Home and Overseas fee status applicants.

• Open to new admissions only (programmes starting in September 2025).

• Taught Master's (MA) applicants must focus on Japanese Religions and/or Japanese Buddhism. Evidence of this should be included in the statement of their application and reflected in their choice of modules.

• Applicants should give evidence in the statement of their application of their ability to use sources in Japanese.

• Applicants for the MA scholarship must possess or expect to be awarded a First-Class Honours degree from a UK university or international equivalent. Applicants with a non-UK master’s 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.

• Applicants for the MPhil/PhD scholarship must possess or expect to be awarded a First-Class Honours master’s degree from a UK university or equivalent. Applicants with a non-UK master’s 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.

• Applicants must 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.

• Applicants must have applied to SOAS but are not required to have received an offer of admission by the scholarship deadline. An offer will need to have been received by the time the relevant panel meets to discuss scholarship applications.

Candidate assessment

• Candidates will be assessed on their academic merit and personal statements by a Selection Panel. The Centre reserves the right not to make an award in the event that no suitable application is received.

• Candidates will be assessed on evidence that the primary focus of their study is Japanese Buddhism and that they have sufficient knowledge of Japanese to use sources in Japanese.

• The assessment of your application will be based on the information in your application for admission. Selectors will be looking at academic references, degree results, statement, CV, research proposal (MPhil/PhD applications only) 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.

Deadline date: 21 March 2025.

There are four DS-CeCEP Online Learning Bursaries of £3,000 each available for 2025/26. Each award will act as a fee waiver towards tuition fees.

Eligible Programmes

This bursary is available to students studying the following Online Learning programmes beginning in April 2025:

• MSc Climate Change and Development.

• MSc Humanitarian Action.

• MSc International Development.

• MSc Sustainable Development.

 Candidate Criteria

• This scholarship is open to UK/EU and Overseas applicants.

• Applicants will need to demonstrate financial need in their application.

• Scholarship applicants must have applied to SOAS but are not required to have received an offer of admissions by the scholarship deadline. An unconditional offer will need to have been received by the time the relevant panel meets to discuss scholarship applications.

• Applicants must 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.

• Applicants for the scholarship must hold a minimum 2:1 bachelor’s degree in a relevant subject

Candidate Assessment

• Candidates will be assessed based on their academic merit, financial need, 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, personal statement and other relevant information.

Scholarship applications must be received no later than 12:00pm (midday) UK local time on 21 March 2025.

SOAS University of London is offering five Global Excellence Scholarships to students from selected countries with excellent academic performance applying for postgraduate-taught courses. 

The Global Excellence Scholarships are designed to recognise and support applicants, of selected countries, who have achieved excellence across a variety of different platforms – ranging from academia to extra-curricular activities and volunteering. 

Each scholarship is valued at £8,000 and acts as a fee waiver.

Eligibility Criteria

• Must hold an offer for a full-time Postgraduate Taught (on campus) programme.

• Must be a passport holder of one of the following countries: Turkey, Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, Mexico, Brazil, Colombia, Indonesia.

• Must be an overseas fee-paying student.

• Minimum UK upper second-class (2:1) or international equivalent.

• The NLUD-SOAS Joint LLM/MA in Environmental Justice in South Asia and the Shiv Nadar IoE-SOAS Joint MA Global Urban Sociology programmes are not eligible for this scholarship.

Please note, if you have applied for a 2-year Master’s, the scholarship will be eligible towards the first year of tuition fees.

Application deadline 

• The deadline for the first round of scholarships is the 30 April 2025 BST+23:59.

• The deadline for the second round of scholarships is the 30 June 2025 BST+ 23:59.

GREAT Scholarships 2025, launched by the British Council's Study UK campaign together with a number of other UK universities, supports students from 18 countries to access world-class UK higher education opportunities.

The Study UK campaign is offering scholarships from 71 UK universities to students across 18 countries around the world. It offers an exciting opportunity for students from these countries to get financial support to pursue postgraduate study in the UK. The scholarship programme offers awards of a minimum of £10,000 to students pursuing one-year postgraduate study in the UK.

Number of Awards

• 2 Awards for Turkey.

• 1 Award for Indonesia.

• 1 Award for Kenya.

Eligibility Criteria

To be considered for an award, applicants must:

• Be a passport holder for one of the following countries: Indonesia, Kenya or Turkey.

• Hold an offer for a one-year postgraduate taught course at SOAS University of London.

Deadline date: 11 May 2025.

Thanks to the generosity of the Fereydoun Djam Charitable Trust there are a number of Kamran Djam scholarships available for UK/EU and Overseas fee-paying SOAS students, covering the cost of tuition fees.

The MPhil/PhD scholarship is paid for 3-years. The MA Iranian Studies is paid for one year (or 2-years if part-time). The MA Iranian Studies and Intensive Persian for 2-years (or 4-years if part-time). 

Eligible programmes

• Full-time or part-time MA Iranian Studies starting in 2025/26.

• Full-time or part-time MA Iranian Studies and Intensive Language (Persian) starting in 2025/26.

• Full-time MPhil/PhD (new admissions only, starting in September 2025) in the following subject areas: Persian Language, Persian Literature, Iranian History starting in 2025/26.

Candidate criteria

• This scholarship is open to Home and Overseas applicants.

• Applicants for the MA Scholarships must possess or expect to be awarded a First Class Honours Degree or equivalent. Applicants with a non-UK master’s 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.

• Applicants for the MPhil/PhD scholarships must possess or expect to be awarded a master’s degree with a mark of Distinction from a UK university. Applicants with a non-UK master’s degree must be in the top rank as evidenced by references and transcripts. Applicants with a mark of merit may also apply but will not be given preference.

• Applicants for the MPhil/PhD scholarships must have demonstrated in the research proposal of their application for admission that their research is in one of the following subject areas: Persian Language, Persian Literature, Iranian History.

• In order to be considered for the scholarship, applicants must have an offer of admission to one of the listed eligible degree programmes at SOAS by the scholarship application deadline.

• Applicants must meet the English language condition of their offer of admission to study at SOAS as soon as possible. If your offer is conditional on English, please arrange your English test and ensure you meet the English requirements as soon as possible.

• Scholarship applicants must have applied to SOAS but are not required to have received an offer of admissions by the scholarship deadline. An unconditional offer will need to have been received by the time the relevant panel meets to discuss scholarship applications.

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

Candidate assessment

• Candidates will be assessed based on their academic merit, financial need, work experience and personal statement by a Selection Panel of at least three academic members.

• The assessment of your application will be based on the information provided in your scholarship application and in your online application for admission. Selectors will review degree results, academic references (if submitted with application to study), statement of intent and full research proposal (for MPhil/PhD applicants), and other relevant information.

Scholarship applications must be received no later than 12:00pm (midday) UK local time on 28 March 2025.

In the 2025/26 academic year, the School of Finance and Management is offering five scholarships of £5,000 each. This award will act as a fee waiver towards tuition fees.

Eligible programmes

• Full-time (1 year) MSc Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Strategy beginning in 2025/26.

Candidate criteria 

• Applicants must have an unconditional or conditional offer to study full-time MSc Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Strategy at SOAS by the time of the scholarship panel stage. Part-time study is not eligible for this award.

• This scholarship is open to Overseas/International applicants only.

• The scholarships are assigned on the base of merit. Candidates will be assessed on academic performance and work or voluntary experience. They should write a 1000-word supporting statement detailing this.

• Applications should also include a CV not exceeding two pages in length.

• This scholarship cannot be held in conjunction with other fully-funded awards (such as the Chevening, Commonwealth Shared Scholarships, or other SOAS internal scholarships).

Candidate assessment

• Candidates will be assessed based on their academic merit, financial need, personal statements and CV 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, personal statement and other relevant information. 

Scholarship applications must be received no later than 12:00pm (midday UK local time) on 16 May 2025.

Thanks to the generosity of the Shapoorji Pallonji endowment for scholarships in Zoroastrian studies at SOAS there are a number of awards available for UK/EU and Overseas fee-paying students.

The Shapoorji Pallonji Scholarships will provide a contribution to fees and living costs calibrated according to merit and availability of funds. The MPhil/PhD scholarship is offered for 3 years. Master’s scholarships are available for one year only (or over two years if part-time).

The SOAS Shapoorji Pallonji Institute of Zoroastrian Studies would like to spread the net widely and invites students who approach Zoroastrianism from different disciplinary backgrounds, for example, historical, linguistic, anthropological or from within the study of religions to apply.

Eligible programmes

New admissions (beginning in 2025/26) for full-time (1 year) or part-time (2 years) taught master’s degrees in the following subjects:

• MA Iranian Studies

• MA Religion, Politics and Society

• MA South Asian Area Studies

• MA Middle Eastern Studies

Full-time MPhil/PhD (new admissions, beginning in 2025/26) in the following subject areas:

• Zoroastrianism, both ancient and modern

• Zoroastrianism with Avestan, Pahlavi, Persian or Gujarati languages.

Candidate criteria

• This scholarship is open to Home and Overseas fee status applicants.

• Applicants for the MA scholarship must possess or expect to be awarded a First-Class Honours degree from a UK university or international equivalent. Applicants with a non-UK master’s 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.

• Applicants for the MPhil/PhD scholarship must possess or expect to be awarded a First-Class Honours master’s degree from a UK university or equivalent. Applicants with a non-UK master’s 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.

• Scholarship applicants must have applied to SOAS but are not required to have received an offer of admission by the scholarship deadline. An unconditional offer will need to have been received by the time the relevant panel meets to discuss scholarship applications.

• Applicants must 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.

• Applicants for the MPhil/PhD scholarships must have demonstrated in the research proposal of their application for admission that their research is in one of the following subject areas: i) Zoroastrianism, both ancient and modern ii) Zoroastrianism with Avestan, Pahlavi, Persian or Gujarati languages.

• Applicants for the MA scholarship must complete the compulsory 60-credit dissertation in Zoroastrianism and the 30-credit module: Zoroastrianism, Historical and Contemporary Perspectives. In addition to this, applicants may wish to take one further 30-credit language module (e.g., Avestan language module).

 Apply for the scholarship by 12:00pm (midday) UK local time on 21 March 2025

The SOAS Master’s Scholarships (International) are designed to recognise and award overseas applicants with outstanding academic performance.

SOAS awards over 60 International Master’s Scholarships each year to students from over 30 countries. Each scholarship is valued at £5,000 and acts as a fee waiver. 

Eligibility criteria

• Must hold an offer for a full-time Postgraduate Taught (on campus) programme.

• Must be an overseas fee-paying student.

• Minimum UK upper second-class (2:1) or international equivalent.

• The NLUD-SOAS Joint LLM/MA in Environmental Justice in South Asia and the Shiv Nadar IoE-SOAS Joint MA Global Urban Sociology programmes are not eligible for this scholarship.

Application deadline

This scholarship is now open for 2025/2026.

• The deadline for the first round of scholarships is the 28 February 2025 GMT+00:00.

• The deadline for the second round of scholarships is the 30 April 2025 BST+23:59.

• The deadline for the third round of scholarships is the 30 June 2025 BST+23:59.

The Sochon Foundation has generously provided SOAS with scholarships for students undertaking a full-time post-graduate programmes in Korean Studies. 

Each award covers up to £6,000 towards tuition fees for Overseas students and up to £3,000 towards tuition fees for Home students. There are up to four scholarships available for 2025/26. The scholarship is for one year only and will be applied in the first year of study if the programme is longer than 1 year. The Sochon Foundation Scholarship may be held in conjunction with other scholarships. However, please be aware that all secured financial support must be declared in your application. 

Eligible programmes

• MA Korean Studies 

• MA Korean Studies and Intensive Language

• MA History of Art and Archaeology of East Asia and Intensive Language (Korean)* MA History of Art and Archaeology (Korean)** 

• MA History and Intensive Language (Korean)***

• MPhil/PhD in Japanese and Korean Studies  

• Part-time courses are not eligible

* 90 credits (including 60 credit dissertation and 30 non-language credits) should be in Korea-related subjects. 

** 75 credits (including 60 credit dissertation) should be in Korean art history. 

*** 90 credits (including 60 credit dissertation and 30 non-language credits) should be in Korea-related subjects. 

Candidate criteria

• This scholarship is open to Home and Overseas fee status applicants. Priority may be given to Overseas applicants. 

• New admissions only (programmes starting in 2025/26).  

• Applicants will need to demonstrate financial need in their application.  

• Applicants for the MA scholarship 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.  

• Applicants for the MPhil/PhD scholarship must possess or expect to be awarded a First-Class Honours master’s degree from a UK university or equivalent. Applicants with a non-UK master’s 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.  

• Scholarship applicants must have applied to SOAS but are not required to have received an offer of admission by the scholarship deadline. An unconditional offer will need to have been received by the time the relevant panel meets to discuss scholarship applications.  

• Applicants must 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.  

Apply for the scholarship by 12:00pm (midday) UK local time on 21 March 2025.

The Centre of Jaina Studies is offering one 3-year PhD Scholarship in Jaina Studies for entry in September 2025. 

Applicants from a broad range of disciplines and approaches to Jaina Studies are encouraged to apply, e.g. historical, philosophical, anthropological, from within the study of religions. For the first year of this award in 2025-26, the total scholarship provided will be £41,652. This amount will cover tuition fees, with the remaining funds to be paid directly to the scholar as a stipend. Funding in subsequent years will have an uplift to support increased tuition fee charges.

The Bhagavan Mahavira PhD Scholarship is generously supported by Drs. Jasvant N. Modi and Meera Modi and family. 

Eligible programmes

• Full-time PhD programme focused on Jaina Studies (new admissions only, starting in September 2025).

• Part-time programmes are not eligible.

Candidate criteria

• Applicants must possess or expect to be awarded a master’s degree with distinction mark or equivalent. Applicants with a non-UK master’s degree must be in the top rank of their cohort as evidenced by references and transcripts.

• Applicants must have demonstrated in the research proposal of their application for admission that their research is focused on Jaina studies.

• The scholarship is open to UK/EU and overseas applicants.

• Candidates must have submitted a complete application for admission by the scholarship application deadline of 12:00 PM (midday, UK local time) on 30th May 2025.

• Candidates must have an offer of admission by the time the SOAS Scholarship Panel meets.

• If your offer is conditional on English, please arrange your English test and ensure you meet the English requirements as soon as possible.

Applications must be submitted no later than 12:00 PM (midday, UK local time) on 30th May 2025.

SOAS will be awarding 10 International Academic Excellence Scholarships worth £5,000 to students from around the world. 

Eligibility criteria

• You must have applied for an undergraduate degree for September 2025 (the scholarship selection panel will only be able to award a scholarship to those applicants who have received an offer by 31 May 2025).

• You must be an overseas fee-paying student.

• Have achieved or be predicted to achieve AAB in UK A Levels or the international equivalent.