A kinetic study of the transesterification of soybean oil was conducted using microwaves under various temperatures, power densities, and reaction times. Results show that power density affects the kinetics and yield. The biodiesel yield increased with increasing microwave power density. The non-thermal effects of microwave irradiation on transesterification reactions were evaluated at a constant reaction temperature ($65^{circ}C$) and power density (0.204 $Wg^{-1}$). Microwave irradiation was found to increase the reaction rates by 3.52-7.06 fold.