SOAS University of London Teaching Scholarships 2026
There’s a particular kind of scholarship that exists because a university looked honestly at who actually makes it to a PhD and decided the pipeline itself needed fixing, not just individual students’ bank balances. SOAS University of London’s Teaching Scholarship is exactly that, built specifically to address the well-documented underrepresentation of Black British students and researchers based in Africa, Asia, and the Middle East in UK doctoral education, funding a genuinely comprehensive three-year PhD package that comes with real teaching experience built in, not just a stipend.
One important update before you read further: the 21 March 2026 deadline has passed, and SOAS announced that it expected to release results by the end of June, which means most applicants should already know their outcome. This guide explains who qualifies under the scholarship’s various eligibility routes, shows how the selection panel reduces bias during the assessment process, outlines what the widening participation statement needs to accomplish, and highlights other funding opportunities at SOAS if you missed this year’s deadline.
What the SOAS Teaching Scholarship Involves
SOAS, the School of Oriental and African Studies and part of the University of London, specialises in the study of Africa, Asia, and the Near and Middle East. This scholarship reflects that institutional identity directly. Rather than offering a general doctoral funding scheme, SOAS created it to widen access to doctoral education for the communities and regions at the centre of its academic mission.
Every recipient gets full tuition coverage and a maintenance stipend for a three-year full-time PhD, and, distinctively, a fixed number of teaching hours built into the award itself, giving scholars genuine classroom experience alongside their doctoral research rather than treating teaching as something to pick up later. The scholarship is subject-agnostic; it covers any full-time MPhil/PhD programme SOAS offers, so your specific research area doesn’t limit your eligibility.
SOAS University of London Teaching Scholarships Summary
| Scholarship Name ⇒ | SOAS University of London Teaching |
| Host Country ⇒ | United Kingdom |
| Study Level ⇒ | Master’s and PhD |
| Benefits ⇒ | Full tuition fees, plus a maintenance stipend of at least £20,622 for 2026/27 |
| Funded by ⇒ | SOAS University of London |
| Eligible Countries ⇒ | Black British students (Home fee status), or students ordinarily resident in Africa, Asia, or the Middle East |
| Application Deadline ⇒ | 12 noon UK time, 21 March 2026, now closed. Results were expected by the end of June 2026 |
What Makes You Eligible for This Scholarship
You need to fall into one of the following categories:
- Permanent UK residents with Home fee status, from Black ethnic backgrounds, specifically Black African, Black Caribbean, Black British, or Mixed Black backgrounds
- Applicants ordinarily resident in Africa, Asia, or the Middle East, regardless of nationality
- Members of the SOAS Ebony Initiative, who may also apply for related studentships, need to clearly indicate this in their application
- SOAS reserves one place specifically for a Palestinian national who is ordinarily resident in historic Palestine, including the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, East Jerusalem, or for a Palestinian citizen residing within Israel.
Alongside whichever category applies to you, every applicant needs to:
- Already hold an offer of admission for an eligible full-time MPhil/PhD programme at SOAS for 2026/27, before the scholarship selection process begins
- Meet the English language condition of that offer, if applicable, no later than 10 May 2026
- Not hold another major scholarship or studentship at the same time as this one
- Submit a widening participation statement, capped at 800 words
How Selection Actually Works
This is worth understanding in detail, since it shapes how you should approach your application. The Advisory Panel assesses candidates on academic merit. SOAS requires all panel members to complete diversity training and includes at least three academics from Black and Minority Ethnic backgrounds on the panel. Selectors weigh your prior academic results, references, publications, and research proposal alongside your widening participation statement, meaning your academic case and your personal statement carry genuinely comparable weight, rather than the statement functioning as a formality attached to a purely academic decision.
What Your Widening Participation Statement Needs to Do
Within the 800-word limit, SOAS is looking for two distinct things done well: a clear explanation of how your background genuinely aligns with the scholarship’s eligibility criteria, and a case for why you want to study at SOAS specifically and how this scholarship and your programme will shape your career and community impact.
Worth including, where relevant to your own story: obstacles you’ve navigated, such as disability, growing up in a lower-income family, or being the first in your family to attend university. A statement that only explains eligibility without a genuine account of your academic motivation and intended impact reads as incomplete against strong competing applications.
What The SOAS University of London Teaching Scholarships Cover
- Full tuition fees, covered entirely for the three-year programme
- A maintenance stipend of at least £20,622 for 2026/27 — SOAS confirms the exact final figure closer to September 2026, but guarantees this as a floor, not an estimate that could come in lower
- A fixed number of teaching hours, built directly into the scholarship, giving you structured, genuine teaching experience during your PhD rather than requiring you to separately seek this out
What Documents You Need to Prepare
- A completed PhD admission application through SOAS’s Doctoral School
- A research proposal
- Academic transcripts and prior academic results
- References
- Evidence of publications, where available
- Your widening participation statement, capped at 800 words
- Proof of English language proficiency, where your offer requires it
What the Application Process Requires
- Apply for admission to an eligible full-time MPhil/PhD programme through the SOAS Doctoral School. SOAS notes that this stage alone can take four to six weeks to process, so starting early genuinely matters
- Ensure your programme application is fully complete, with every required document submitted
- Once you’ve applied for a programme, you’ll receive login credentials for the admissions portal
- Log into the portal and complete the separate SOAS Teaching Scholarship application
- Submit your scholarship application before 12 noon UK time on the deadline date
- Wait for the scholarship selection process to conclude — successful candidates are contacted first, with unsuccessful candidates notified only once every award has been allocated
Application Timeline
- Application deadline: 12 noon UK time, 21 March 2026 — now closed
- Results: SOAS’s own updated guidance states the shortlisting and awarding period was expected to be completed by the end of June 2026 — if you applied, you should already have your outcome, or be among the very last to hear
- Next expected cycle: Based on SOAS’s consistent annual pattern, expect the 2027/28 cycle to open with a similar deadline around March 2027
What Else Is Worth Checking at SOAS
If this specific scholarship’s eligibility categories don’t fit you, or you’re pursuing a taught Master’s rather than a PhD, SOAS runs other funding worth knowing about, though check current status directly since timelines vary:
- SOAS Master’s Scholarships (International), over 150 awards worth £8,000 as tuition fee waivers, for postgraduate taught Master’s students, run across three application rounds tied to course application deadlines of 28 February, 30 April, and 30 June
- GREAT Scholarships at SOAS, worth £10,000, are available for postgraduate taught Master’s students from a specific list of eligible countries
Both run on entirely separate timelines from the Teaching Scholarship, so it’s worth checking their current status directly on SOAS’s official scholarships page rather than assuming they follow the same March deadline.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the SOAS Teaching Scholarship still accepting applications for 2026/27?
No. The deadline was 12 noon UK time on 21 March 2026. SOAS’s own guidance indicates results were expected by the end of June 2026, so most applicants should already have their outcome.
Do I need a course offer before applying for the scholarship?
Yes. You need to already hold an offer of admission for an eligible full-time MPhil/PhD programme before the scholarship selection process begins.
Can international students outside Africa, Asia, and the Middle East apply?
No. Eligibility is restricted to Black British students with UK Home fee status, or students ordinarily resident in Africa, Asia, or the Middle East, alongside the specific SOAS Ebony Initiative and Palestinian national provisions.
Does this scholarship cover any subject area?
Yes. It’s open to any full-time MPhil/PhD programme at SOAS, with no restriction on your specific research field.
Is there a fixed teaching workload attached to this scholarship?
Yes. Recipients are involved in a fixed number of teaching hours during their PhD, though the exact hours aren’t published as a single universal figure and may vary by department.
Disclaimer: All scholarship details and figures in this post are verified from official SOAS University of London sources as of July 2026. Information is subject to change without notice. Always confirm the latest details directly on the official SOAS Teaching Scholarships page. ScholarWaka is not affiliated with SOAS University of London.
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