SOAS University of London

SOAS University of London SOAS is a remarkable institution, uniquely combining language, disciplinary expertise and regional focus.

We are distinctively positioned to analyse some of the most challenging issues facing the world today. Celebrating 100 years of research and teaching excellence SOAS’s world class scholars are well-placed to provide the analysis and understanding of our rapidly changing world. Our programmes are taught by respected specialists engaged in fieldwork and research which influence government policy and

the lives of individuals across the globe. SOAS scholars grapple with the pressing issues confronting two-thirds of humankind today: democracy, development, economy, finance and public policy, human rights, migration, identity, legal systems, poverty, religion, and social change.From day one at our central London campus, our students are encouraged to challenge conventional views and think globally – and that’s one of the reasons why they develop careers that make a real difference. A SOAS student is typically passionate about their subject; opts to learn a second language; loves to learn, to travel, to be surprised; and is interested and engaged with the world around them.

10/09/2026

One of diplomacy’s hardest lessons: you can’t take relationships for granted and expect them to hold when a crisis arrives.

For Baroness Catherine Ashton, diplomacy remains one of the most important tools we have for bringing people together not only to end crises, but to stop tensions becoming impossible to resolve in the first place.

That also requires a rethink of how Western countries engage with the global majority. Countries are increasingly asserting their own interests and questioning why some of the challenges they have faced have received far less attention.

At SOAS Graduation 2026, Baroness Ashton received an Honorary Doctorate from the College of Law, recognising her substantial contribution to international diplomacy and years of work across government and public policy.

10/09/2026

Art does more than reflect a culture. It can influence which stories become visible, which perspectives are taken seriously and how a place is understood by people who may never experience it firsthand.

That is why representation matters.

For Sultan Sooud Al-Qassemi, founder of the Barjeel Art Foundation, art can help open up a more complex picture of the Arab world - beyond the narrow narratives through which regions and communities are often viewed.

As he puts it, art can be “one of the great equalisers of the world.”

There is a useful challenge there for all of us: when we encounter a place we don’t know well, what has shaped our picture of it? News headlines? Politics? Or have we also listened to its artists, writers, filmmakers and cultural voices?

SOAS recognised Sultan with an Honorary Fellowship in our 2026 Graduation Ceremonies for his contribution to the social, political and cultural affairs of the Arab Gulf States.

Sometimes changing how the world sees a place begins by changing whose work we choose to see.

09/09/2026

“If you create wealth, that’s fine and dandy, but that’s not the end result.”

Fadi Ghandour spent decades building Aramex, one of the Arab world’s best-known companies. At SOAS Graduation 2026, where he received an Honorary Doctorate, Fadi reflected on a question that has shaped much of his work: what is entrepreneurship actually for?

His answer does not dismiss growth, investment or wealth creation. But it asks entrepreneurs to look beyond them.

What is happening in the society around you? What problems remain unresolved? And what responsibility comes with having the resources, networks and influence to act?

There is another part of his argument that matters just as much. Social change cannot be designed at a distance. Communities, he says, understand their own challenges better than anyone else. The work begins by listening to them and building solutions with them, rather than arriving with answers.

It is a more demanding definition of entrepreneurship: not simply what you build, but what changes because you built it.

09/09/2026

Class of 2026: Who would you like to thank?

09/09/2026

Graduation marks the end of your degree. Not the end of your learning.

During graduation week, SOAS President Zeinab Badawi shared her advice for our graduates: create a life of meaning and purpose. Do what you do with compassion and passion. Guard your good name. Keep learning. Keep listening.

She also highlighted the heart of a SOAS education: seeing the world from more than one perspective. A world that is multiethnic, multilateral, multipolar and multifaith, where who gets to tell the story matters just as much as the story itself.

So, to our graduating Class of 2026: take your curiosity with you. Keep listening to people whose experiences differ from your own. Keep questioning whose voices are missing. And never stop learning.

Congratulations, SOAS graduates. 🎓

You did it 🎓🥹A huge congratulations to the Class of 2026. We’re on campus all week celebrating with you and the loved on...
08/09/2026

You did it 🎓🥹

A huge congratulations to the Class of 2026. We’re on campus all week celebrating with you and the loved ones who cheered you on every step of the way.

While one chapter ends, another begins. But you will always be part of the SOAS community. Join the SOAS alumni network and follow SOAS alumni to stay in touch.

08/09/2026

Postcards from SOAS Graduation 💛

04/09/2026

Get ready, Class of 2026 🎓



We can’t wait for next week’s graduation celebrations! Here’s what to expect.

03/09/2026

🏆 We’re shortlisted for University of the Year at the Times Higher Education Awards 2026.

Out of 500+ applications, SOAS has been recognised for excellence in research, teaching, access and leadership, shaped by our distinctive focus on Asia, Africa and the Middle East.

Here’s what we’re proud of:
▪️4 subjects in the global top 25, with 13 in the world’s top 100 (QS Rankings 2026)
▪️Joint 1st in the UK for international faculty (QS Rankings 2027)
▪️The highest research funding in SOAS’s history
▪️300+ scholarships awarded over the past three years

As Vice-Chancellor Professor Adam Habib puts it: “We know our mission and we're clear about who we are, and that clarity keeps resonating with prospective students. The next generation want to understand and change the world, not just study it, and they're choosing SOAS to do that.”

We’re not trying to be like everyone else. And that’s what makes SOAS different.

Read the full story in the comments.

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