Why Choose SOAS? What Are Its Main Strengths?

SOAS is worth considering if you want a London-based university with a strong international and area-studies identity, small-subject depth in fields such as development, politics, anthropology and history, and a highly international teaching staff. Its own homepage makes four concrete claims: a shortlisting for Times Higher Education University of the Year 2026, five subjects in the global top 40 (QS World University Rankings by Subject 2026), joint 1st in the UK for international faculty (QS World University Rankings 2027), and a central London campus with an international student community. These are the strengths to weigh against your course choice and study level.

The evidence behind the reputation claims

The pattern matters: SOAS's strongest evidence is concentrated in social sciences and humanities subjects, especially development and politics. If your intended course sits outside that cluster, the ranking claims above do not tell you much.

Who SOAS fits — and who should look elsewhere

SOAS fits you if:

• You want to study development, politics, anthropology, history or history of art, where the site reports top-40 global positions.
• You want a degree framed around international and regional perspectives rather than a purely UK-centred curriculum.
• You want to study in London and value a visibly international faculty and student body.

Look more carefully elsewhere if:

• Your subject is not among the five ranked areas and you are relying on rankings to choose.
• You need published fee, funding or entry-requirement data before deciding — the homepage excerpt does not include it, so check the course pages directly.
• You want a large, broad campus university; SOAS presents itself as a specialist institution.

What the site shows about studying there

The homepage points to course search split into undergraduate and postgraduate taught routes, plus an undergraduate open day on campus on 17 October (registration required). It also links to student life content, events, blogs and news. For prospective postgraduates, the site references an "Upgrade from MPhil to PhD" page, which indicates research degrees are part of the offer — but the homepage does not detail research entry requirements, so verify on the doctoral school pages.

A practical way to test fit: pick two or three courses from the course search, then compare their module lists against the five ranked subjects. If your shortlist lands in development, politics, anthropology, history or history of art, the ranking evidence supports your choice. If not, base the decision on the course content and staff expertise instead.

Common pitfalls when evaluating SOAS

• Treating a shortlisting as a ranking win. The site says "shortlisted," not "won."
• Assuming the five top-40 subjects define the whole university. They are subject-level results from one rankings provider.
• Reading "joint 1st for international faculty" as a measure of teaching quality; it describes staff internationality.
• Skipping the open day. The 17 October campus event is the most direct way to check the London location and student community claims for yourself.

Next steps

1. Open the course search and shortlist undergraduate or postgraduate taught programmes that match your background.
2. Check whether your shortlisted subject appears in the five ranked areas; if yes, the reputation claims are relevant to you.
3. Register for the undergraduate open day if you are applying at that level, or contact the relevant department for postgraduate and research routes.
4. Confirm fees, entry requirements and deadlines on the individual course pages, since the homepage does not publish them.