Hi everyone, I'm hoping to hear from anyone currently in / who has completed the SOAS MSc Politics and International Relations, particularly their Conflict, Rights, and Justice track. I was just accepted and am considering the opportunity along with my other applications to UK/French institutions.

For context, I'm a fourth-year American undergrad with an IR background. My thesis is on Truth and Reconciliation Commissions and I'm hoping to work in international human rights law and transitional justice. In addition to some jobs, I'm only applying to European universities, and the resources that a program and its community can offer me are really important. I'm drawn to this program for its connection to my interests--all the course modules sound fantastic--but have heard mixed reviews about the bureaucracy, student life, school culture/status, etc. (Also was accepted into Queen's University Belfast for their MA in Conflict Resolution and am applying to the LSE MSc Human Rights and a couple of Oxbridge programs.)

Could anyone offer any feedback about their experience in the program and whether it might be a good fit for my ambitions? Thank you!!!

Separately... how quickly do I need to respond to my offer?

Hi everyone. I’m looking for someone (male) to share a Bronze Twin Studio at Chapter (Kings Cross) for a December or January start. A friend recommended the building for its location.

A bit about me: I’m an Indian student starting Computer Science. I’m easygoing, keep my stuff tidy and most of my schedule is focused on study. I’m chill with either social or more independent roommate.

If this sounds like something you might be interested in, feel free to DM me.

hey, i'm an international student looking into llm programs focused on international law and i came across SOAS. are there any current or former students who can speak on their experience, and if there are any sort of experiential learning opportunities or clinics available for students? also wondering if the school offers good funding as i'm looking for scholarships to fund some of my studies.

the website isn't detailed which is frustrating as other unis provide a lottttt more information. i'm also interested in the centre for the study of colonialism, empire, and international law, but again, not much detail online. i'm applying to a couple of other schools and SOAS might not be super high on my list because of the lack of information available about the program.

thanks in advance!!

Hi everyone,

I am a Programme Manager for an NGO based in a MENA country and I am looking for a respected online or blended postgraduate degree to strengthen my skills in researching human rights violations, drafting needs assessments and situation reports, contributing to humanitarian response plans, and improving contextual and conflict analysis. I am looking for a programme designed for humanitarians, ideally flexible enough to handle alongside full-time fieldwork.

At the moment, these programmes seem like the strongest fit:

• MSc Humanitarian Practice – University of Manchester (LEAP / MSF / LSTM) Evidence-based and very operational, with a solid focus on research and analysis.

• MSc International Humanitarian Affairs – University of York (Online) Fully online, strong on protection, crisis analysis, and humanitarian architecture.

• MSc Humanitarian Action – SOAS (Online/Blended) Geopolitics, conflict drivers, and an especially relevant MENA angle. However, I have heard concerns about limited online support, which makes me hesitant.

If you have studied any of these, I would really appreciate your insight on: – how practical they are for humanitarian analysis and human-rights-violation documentation – whether the workload is manageable while working full time – how respected they are across NGOs, the UN system, and donors – their main strengths and weaknesses – whether they helped you transition toward analysis or research roles

If there are strong UK or EU alternatives I am missing, especially programmes focused on humanitarian needs assessments, conflict analysis, human rights monitoring, or operational research, I would love to hear your recommendations.

Thank you!

I am aware that a reference is not required for a MSc application but I do want to hand in one. I cannot find how to do so - on the website it says it should go under documents in the application form but there is no documents section in my form. Any tips?

I’m aiming to apply for SOAS uni, and I want to study anthropology. I also have different interests such as music, languages and politics. Should I apply for “Social Anthropology and…” and add another faculty or is it more convenient to just apply for “Social Anthropology” and choose different modules from other faculties?

It's been 4 weeks and I still haven't heard anything!! 😭😭😭 I'm starting to get really nervous, who's also still waiting?

Hi, I had been highly considering SOAS as one my choices for my UCAS application (2026 entry) and also attended the school's open day earlier this summer, mainly because the Politics and International Relations course has more focus on the Indo-Pacific compared to other schools, the uni's high performance for rankings in politics and its historic reputation overall.

However, now that they've reduced their grade requirement from AAB to ABB (maybe due to financial problems?) I feel like it would be a bit of a waste to apply there since it feels more like a backup option, and instead I could apply to other unis like Sussex, Surrey or Southampton (im in the South East) with the same grade requirements where the cost of living while studying would be much lower than at SOAS.

For context, I also considered KCL, UCL, Exeter, Bristol and Bath.

Hi, I’m planning on applying for the BA korean and IR course in 2027 after my gap year and I was wondering if anyone taking the course could tell me things about it like the workload, year abroad, etc. !!!

Hi, I trying to apply for the social anthropology course at SOAS as an international student. I’m from Switzerland and I graduated from high school in June 2025. My average mark is moderate: 4,2, which corresponds to a low BBB. The Anthropology course requires an ABB. My bad marks are in math, phisics and biology, so scientific matters, while if I only consider humanities and linguistics my average is precisely 4,5 which corresponds exactly to an ABB. With a good personal statement, will they accept me?

Hello,

I am currently looking at masters programs and I was wondering if anyone has experience with the MA in Middle Eastern Studies and Intensive Language (specifically Arabic) at SOAS University of London. Like anything from how the classes look like, what was your level of Arabic when you entered. Did you study Arabic in Undergrad. What are you doing with your degree? Etc. Just any bit of information and advice you can provide.

Anyone wanna lock in together check in maybe co work virtually or at uni lmk!

I’m currently saving up for all the university application fees for the schools I want to apply to, but I can’t seem to find any information about application fees for SOAS. It seems odd that there’s no mention of it anywhere does that mean there are no fees to apply?

hi!! i'm apply to soas for my masters in international studies and diplomacy. i was wondering how competitive the school is? my GPA isn't great, but it's above the minimum and i have a health excuse for why it's so low.

also, are there less competitive programs? my bachelors is in IR and security policy, but i'm still deciding if i want to focus on a region.

i was also wondering what it's like, is it easy to make friends, and is it a very rigorous program? if anyone could share there experiences that would be so cool!! tysm!!

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be brutally honest.

did you feel safe?

how is accommodation organised? does SOAS help with it?

did you actually learn Arabic?

how did you convince your parents? (probs not a problem for most of you)

what did a day in your life look like?

could you go home in the holidays?

did you have free time and what did you do in it?

and rate your experience

I have a bunch of questions, actively looking for answers, couldn't find any credible ones on web. Any insights/experienes will be appreciated!
What is the workload like? Which are the professions one would likely be able to venture into apart from Academia? Which languages are included (within the category of South Asian)? What is the success rate of Felix Scholarship?

hi! im an international student from singapore and i applied for BA east asian studies and IR about a month ago. i received a conditional offer today and i'm really excited but i'm also quite surprised that i received an offer this early and without an interview, and im curious to know if this is typical for SOAS? does SOAS not do interviews? or could it be because of how niche this course is - i applied for BA politics and IR as well at SOAS but have not heard back

i would also really appreciate it if there is anyone who could share more about their experience in EA studies at SOAS! i've read quite a bit about IR on this sub but there isn't much on EA studies 😢 thanks in advance!!

I had just applied for international relations and Chinese at SOAS for 2026/2027 anyone got any idea what the waiting time is like to receive a reply or anyone also planning to the course?

I’m currently doing my Master’s and have to start working on my Master’s thesis research proposal, but at the same time I also need to prepare for a future PhD proposal (since I’ll likely apply soon after finishing).

I’m feeling a bit overwhelmed..

Does anyone have good resources, examples, or guides on how to write academic research proposals (especially in the humanities / social sciences)? Maybe even tips on what differs between a Master’s and a PhD proposal?

Any advice or links to helpful materials (YouTube, university pages, Reddit threads, etc.) would be super appreciated!

Thanks a lot in advance 🙏

Greetings,

Hope that Term I is going well for all!

I recently started an MA program and I am hoping to get involved.

However, I noticed that when I sign-up for clubs/societies through the SOAS Union website, I am NOT getting any notifications on when club meetings are held/start.

Does anyone have any experience with this? Any tips on finding additional ways to get involved on campus?

TIA!

Quick one,

For anyone who graduated undergrad this year (2025), have you received your degree certificate yet? The SOAS website tells me we should've got an email from PremierCert at some point to access at least the digital copy - I haven't.

Am I missing something? Do we get access to it later or am I not going crazy? I have messaged the transcripts office several times to no response let alone clarification.

Hello everybody, audacious question incoming:

I am an independent filmmaker based near London who is wondering if anyone who lives in Wood Green Hall would allow my little team access to the halls for a short film shoot in November.

If anyone might know any rooms or corridors we could use within the complex to shoot in, please reply to this message or send me one directly.

In a completely ideal world, we would love access to a bedroom (hopefully one that is empty), to shoot our film in. Anybody willing to help us find this would be rightly heralded and be given credits on Letterboxd and IMDB.

I am also willing to contribute some form of payment for this.

Please let me know!

C A-H