How to apply for undergraduate study

Here's everything you need to know to apply for an undergraduate degree at SOAS. Find out how to make your application via UCAS, the deadlines to remember, and what our admissions team is looking for.

How to apply

All applications for undergraduate courses are made through UCAS - this includes international students. If at any point you need help applying, contact us at study@soas.ac.uk or call +44 (0)20 3510 6974.

To submit your application, you'll need:

• UCAS codes for the courses you're applying for (these will be listed on individual course pages)
• UCAS institution code for SOAS - S09
• Evidence of existing qualifications and predicted results
• A reference and application fee
• A personal statement

A step-by-step guide on how to fill out your application can be found on the UCAS website. 

When to apply 

Our undergraduate courses start in September and UCAS opens for applications in September for entry the following year —  so you can apply 12 months prior to the start of the course.

Please refer to UCAS for a comprehensive list of application deadlines.

What happens after you apply

After you've completed and submitted your UCAS application, you can track your application on UCAS Track.

Submit offer conditions

Verification by UCAS

For some qualifications we will receive your results through UCAS from the exam boards if you sit the exams in the current year, which include:

• A-level
• BTEC
• Cambridge Pre-U Certificate
• International Baccalaureate 
• Access to Higher Education Diploma
• Scottish Highers/Advanced Highers

If we don't receive your results through UCAS, we will contact you. View for a full list of exam results that UCAS receive from the exam boards. 

Results you must send

If you are studying a qualification for which the exam results are not verified by UCAS, you must submit your results to us by email as soon as you receive them. Please send colour scans of your official certificate and/or transcript to undergraddocs@soas.ac.uk quoting your full name and UCAS ID in the subject line. If the documentation is not in English, a formal certified translation into English issued by a recognised translator should also be provided along with the original. 

Please note that we are unable to accept any unofficial documents provided by the applicants. We may accept unofficial documents (e.g., statement of results) sent to us directly from your school. You will need to contact your school and ask that they email confirmation of your results on school letter headed paper from an official school email address. They will need to include your full name and UCAS ID in the subject line of the email. 

Please do not send us any documents by post. 

Our entry requirements are different for every course, so please check individual course pages for the grades you'll need to study with us.

If your qualifications are not listed, please contact our course enquiries team at study@soas.ac.uk. Additionally, if you do not meet the standard requirements of the programme, please get in touch with course enquiries, as we may still be able to consider your application.

English language 

All international applicants must be able to show that their English is of a high enough standard to successfully engage with and complete their course at SOAS. Explore our course requirements on the English language requirements page.

Students with disabilities

We encourage applications from students with disabilities and consider all applications on academic grounds. If you have a disability that might affect your studies, please indicate this clearly on your application form. We make every effort to accommodate students with additional needs.  

The procedure for admission of disabled applicants is in accordance with the legislative requirements of the Disability Discrimination Act, and you may be invited for an interview to discuss whether any special arrangements or equipment you need can be provided. 

For more information, please visit our Disability Learning Support pages.

Widening participation

We understand that not all routes to university are equal. We are committed to ensuring students from a variety of underrepresented backgrounds can access the transformative nature of a SOAS education. 

All applications are considered holistically by our admissions team, who consider a wide variety of factors, including information provided in your UCAS application. If you have any questions or would like further information, please get in touch with our course enquiries team at study@soas.ac.uk. 

If you are considering transferring to SOAS, you can apply for a transfer via UCAS and include Year 2 as the year of entry. Please note that it is not possible to transfer to Year 3 or beyond.

In order to be considered for Year 2 entry, you will need to satisfy the following criteria:
1. Meet the Year 1 entry requirements for the degree you wish to transfer to, and
2. be on track to achieve/have achieved a 2:1 in your first year of studies, and 
3. must be covering/have covered the equivalent of the SOAS core modules of the degree you wish to transfer to.

You can explain the reasons for requesting a transfer in your personal statement. Decisions are made on a case-by-case basis by the academic department, and places are not guaranteed.

Please read the UCAS guidelines for information on how to proceed.