Bernard Buckman Scholarship at School of Oriental and African Studies 2026

The Bernard Buckman Scholarship was established in 1992 with generous support by Mrs Buckman in memory of her late husband who was a governor of the school. There is one Bernard Buckman Scholarship available for 2026/27 which will contribute towards the cost of tuition fees, valued at £6,000.

Table of Content

• Summary
• Benefits
• Requirements
• Interview Process
• Application Deadline
• How To Apply

Summary

• Application DeadlineMarch 2, 2026
• Value£6,000
• Study LevelMasters
• SponsorSchool of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS)
• City to studyLondon
• School to studySchool of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS)
• Course to studyChinese Studies
• Eligible CountryUnited Kingdom

Benefits

£6,000

Requirements

This scholarship is open to Home fee status applicants only. Applicants for the scholarship must:

• Hold a minimum 2:1 bachelor’s degree from a UK university or international equivalent.
• Have applied to SOAS but are not required to have received an offer of admission by the scholarship deadline. You must have received an offer by the time the relevant panel meets to discuss scholarship applications.
• 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.

There are two eligible programmes:

• Full time (1 year) MA Chinese Studies programme beginning in the 2026/27 academic year.
• Full time (2 years) MA Chinese Studies and Intensive Language beginning in 2026/27 academic year (students who study this programme will need to apply for the scholarship each academic year).

Part-time programmes are not eligible.

Selection Process

• 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, your 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. We will not consider late or incomplete applications.

Check also:
Free Ongoing Fully Funded Scholarships Guide 2026 (Download Now)

Application Deadline

How To Apply

Step one: apply for your programme 

You can find further information about the MA Chinese Studies degree, including information on how to apply, on the course webpage.

Step two: apply for the scholarship 

Apply for the scholarship by 12 noon (UK local time) on 2 March 2026. You must apply for this scholarship via the admissions portal; you will get login credentials for this once you apply for a course.

If you do not see the scholarship you are hoping to apply for within your admissions portal, please double-check you meet the eligibility criteria. Should you have any queries, please contact [email protected]

For more details, visit SOAS Scholarship webpage