Do not go to SOAS.
I write this after having completed my studies during the academic year 2024-2025 at SOAS in which I got my MA in International Studies and Diplomacy. As a prerequisite, I had done a PG Diploma at SOAS as well the year before in Politics and International Relations. This university is a disaster, the admin issues alone are enough for you to not join. Please note, I graduated with a distinction, met great people and most of the faculty are beautiful people. But that is all foreshadowed by the administration, the incompetence and the effect they can have on your mental health and university experience. This is my story. There is so much here to tell, please read.
After completing my prerequisite PGDiploma, I was supposed to provide the transcripts, that are from SOAS itself, to complete my conditional offer for the MA and have my place in the program reserved. A mistake through the transcript department at SOAS showed me failing a course in the PGDiploma. I requested a correction with absolutely no response for an entire summer. I did everything, emailed and called everyone, and the deadline for me to provide the transcripts (within the same school!!) was approaching. On a call with student support, one woman said "if you don't have the corrected ones by the deadline you should do your masters next year"- she did not offer to help my situation. I am an international student and had taken a sabbatical to do this. She decided my life can just wait. After finally reaching out to the student union, I recieved the support and they chased things internally, literally a day before the deadline I was able to submit the trancsripts. The incompetence of the person correcting my transcripts is indescribable, as the person made two mistakes again until they sent me the final one. I have no idea how this is possible.
After having recieved the offer, and some conversation with previous students, I decided to transfer form the MA program to the MSC, within the same department. A very easy thing to do. I enquired with the politics department about doing so and the advisor that spoke to me said I can transfer the first week of the term. Once I got there, i went to transfer and i was informed that in fact the deadline had passed, as the policy had changed the year before. They said the person who informed me of this was burning out and gave the wrong advice.
Fine, the International Studies program is good and the courses overlap. Come registration week. One of the main courses that attracted me to the program was an international Political Economy course, advertised as part of the program. We first recieve the course registartion list, it was chaos. Nothing was correct, courses and schedules had changed and were not updated, and courses were cancelled (including the IPE course) that were not updated. It took two weeks for everyone to figure out their courses and schedules.
The first time grades came out after the first term, not one grade was correct. The transcript had errors with grades deducted and late penalties applied that were not valid. These were not corrected up until mid second term. Every time grades were posted, it was the same thing, leading up to today.
I submitted my dissertation this past September 2025.
Up until today, I still have not recieved my official transcripts and diploma. Both the physical and digital versions. I have been chasing the issue for two months, with job applications and now a possible employer, waiting for my documents to prove that I completed my studies and my grades. Last week, the department finally sent me a PDF of my transcripts. It had multiple errors in it and they have now disappeared on me again. This is literally affecting my chances at employment. I was supposed to recieve all my documents two months ago.
SOAS is a mess, and while sure there are great faculty and students, this is also true for so many schools in London and the UK. My story is one amongst many and honestly there are so many more details that I am too tired to go through. Do not go to SOAS. That is my honest advice. It is not worth your money. And to be honest, unless you are really serious about your studies and want to dive deep out of your own effort, the school is not that great nor an inspiring place. Go to a school that respects its students and has the competence to at least do the very basic task, of giving you your correct transcripts. And sending you your diploma!
Apply to other schools, good luck. Do not go to SOAS.