Studying an intercollegiate course

This is for undergraduate and postgraduate students on a degree programme taught jointly with another University of London college.

Examples of jointly taught degrees include:

Enrolment

We will send you all the enrolment information before you start your degree.

Make sure you complete enrolment before you begin your programme at SOAS – and at the latest by the first Wednesday of term – to make sure we can assign you to your tutorial group by Week 2.

If you are an undergraduate or Master's degree student registered at a participating University of London College, you may be able to take a module at SOAS as part of your degree. 

You must have been accepted onto a module and enrolled by the 4th October 2024 for Term 1, it is not possible to enrol and commence studies for Term 1 beyond this date. 

You must have been accepted onto a module by the 1st of December 2024 for Term 2, it will not be possible to enrol and commence studies for Term 2 if you do not have an offer by this date. 

Participating colleges

• Birkbeck
• Goldsmiths
• King’s College London
• London School of Economics and Political Science
• Queen Mary
• University College London 
• School of Advanced Study

Eligibility

To be eligible, you must:

• be currently registered for an undergraduate or master’s degree at a participating University of London College.
• get academic permission from your home college to study a module at SOAS. And it must form part of your degree programme.
• get administrative permission from your home college authorising the payment of relevant tuition fees to SOAS.
• get academic permission from the SOAS Department or Centre where you will be studying a module. Email the appropriate Department Office for more information.

Application process for incoming students

Please complete the application to study an intercollegiate module (PDF) at SOAS and send it to the Admissions Department:

• Associate Admissions: associatestudent@soas.ac.uk

Our Admissions team will email you to confirm when your application is complete. Once enrolled, you will be issued with a SOAS library card authorisation so that you can access the library facilities. 

Tuition fees

Fees are charged to your college pro rata at the relevant standard SOAS undergraduate or Master’s fees rate. 

Undergraduate: for a 30 credit module at SOAS your home college will be charged 25% of the standard SOAS Home/EU or Overseas undergraduate tuition fee, a 15 credit module would be charged at 12.5%. 

Taught Master's: for a 30 credit module at SOAS your college will be charged 17% of the standard SOAS Home/EU or Overseas Master's tuition fee, a 15 credit module will be charged at 8.5%.
For tuition fees schedules, please go to tuition fees

Disability and Student Advice and Wellbeing

If you have a disability or Specific Learning Difference (SpLD), please contact our Student Advice and Wellbeing Team. Please note that any adjustments you have agreed with your home college for learning support or submission of coursework may not apply at SOAS.

If the module you are taking at SOAS include an exam in the main summer exam period, you will normally sit this at your home college.

Outgoing SOAS intercollegiate students

This is for SOAS undergraduates who want to take a module at another University of London College.

SOAS has in place arrangements to permit undergraduate students, on most programmes, to enroll on a module at another University of London college that is not available at the School and would complement their programme of study.  Please be aware that not all SOAS undergraduate programmes permit intercollegiate study and in some cases additional restrictions on intercollegiate study may apply.

Please note that SOAS postgraduate students are not permitted to take intercollegiate modules at other colleges unless it explicitly forms part of the published programme specification.

Participating colleges

• Birkbeck
• Goldsmiths
• King’s College London
• London School of Economics and Political Science
• Queen Mary
• University College London 

Restrictions

Departments/Schools have discretion about approving intercollegiate modules. When applying for intercollegiate study you will need to provide a rationale as to why you wish to take this module and how it will complement your programme of study.

You cannot take an intercollegiate module if:

• your programme specification does not permit intercollegiate modules;
• your undergraduate tutor does not consider that a proposed module fits with the curriculum of your programme;
• there is a suitable equivalent offered at SOAS
• you are in Year 1 of your undergraduate degree programme.
• it is not listed in your degree title (eg, if your degree is BA Politics, you can only take intercollegiate modules from the politics subject area at the other College). You cannot take an open option module at another College.
• it is a language module, unless it has been approved under very exceptional circumstances by the Academic Registrar.

You are limited to two full intercollegiate modules (60 credits) during your whole undergraduate degree. And no more than one full module (30 credits) in a year.

There are special requirements for the LLB degree - please ask the Law School for more details

Application process for outgoing students

If you want to take an intercollegiate module at another University of London college and your programme structure permits it, you need to:

• complete SOAS outgoing intercollegiate form (PDF) and have it authorised by the undergraduate tutor, (and Academic Registrar for the relevant teaching college (for a language module) and submit it to your Department Office.
• visit the appropriate University of London College as soon as possible to fill in their intercollegiate form, to make sure you’re enrolled on the module
• Once the form has been completed by your SOAS tutor and the appropriate University of London College, you must email it to your Department Office. This should normally be done before teaching begins.
• The Department will record your study plans and forward the form to the Assessments team at the Registry.

You will then be sent an email to your SOAS account confirming approval

Make sure you apply sooner rather than later. Some colleges have an earlier module sign-up deadline than SOAS so the module may fill up quickly.

Please include the module and college name in the Module Sign-up information you submit to your Department Office.

Tuition fees

Your tuition fee covers your study at both SOAS and the partner college. SOAS will pay the partner college directly.

Regulations and procedures

Intercollegiate modules are governed by the regulations of the home college where the module is being taken. If you are a SOAS student, you will need to familiarise yourself with the Regulations and procedures of the college where you will be studying.  Students joining us from another college of the University of London, you will need to familiarise yourself with SOAS' Degree Regulations, Policies and Procedures and make sure you understand our rules for submitting coursework and sitting exams.

Disability and student advice and wellbeing

If you are a SOAS student taking an intercollegiate module at another college, you should contact the disability service at that college if you need any learning support or reasonable adjustments for coursework. Please note that any adjustments you have agreed with SOAS for learning support or submission of coursework may not apply at the intercollegiate college. 

If the module includes an exam in the main summer exam period, you will normally sit this at SOAS. The same special exam arrangements will be put in place that have been agreed for exams for SOAS modules.