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Lakshmi Balakrishnan said that she already holds two master’s degrees and had invested nearly £100,000 (around Rs 1.09 crore) in her education and living expenses at Oxford
An Indian PhD student from Tamil Nadu has alleged that the University of Oxford “forcibly transferred” her to a master’s course without her consent.
“They forcibly removed me from the PhD program and moved me to a masters level course without my consent,” Lakshmi Balakrishnan told the BBC.
Expressing her feelings of betrayal and disappointment towards the prestigious institution, she added, “I feel a sense of betrayal and I feel like I have been let down by an institution that I held in high regard.”
Balakrishnan further noted that she already holds two master’s degrees and had invested nearly £100,000 (around Rs 1.09 crore) in her education and living expenses at Oxford.
“I already have two masters degrees from India and I paid £100,000 at Oxford to get my PhD, not another masters course,” she added.
‘Made immense sacrifices’
Balakrishnan’s journey has been challenging, she lost her mother at a young age and was raised by her father in South India. Determined to succeed before becoming the first person in her family to study abroad.
“I am the first person in my family to come abroad for studies and I hail from an underprivileged background, I made immense sacrifices to come and study at Oxford,” she said.
She alleges that the university’s English faculty did not act in “good faith”, noting that her thesis idea was initially accepted during her application process and in her first year, only to be rejected in her fourth year. During this year, she faced an assessment where two different assessors failed her, claiming her research on Shakespeare did not meet PhD standards.
Despite disputing the faculty’s decision and going through the appeals process, Balakrishnan has been unsuccessful. “I believe that the university’s strategy is to force me to wade through endless appeals and complaints procedures in the hope that I will eventually give up and go,” she explained.
The university confirmed that the appeals process has concluded. The Queen’s College, where Balakrishnan studied, expressed concern over her treatment, highlighting that no serious issues were raised about her work in her term reports, despite her failing the two assessments. The college also pointed out possible errors in the appeal process, questioning how she was transferred to a master’s course.
Two professors specialising in Shakespeare have stated that her research holds potential and deserves a PhD. However, the Office of the Independent Adjudicator (OIA) supported the university’s stance.
In response, the University of Oxford said, “To achieve Confirmation of Status, progress must sufficiently demonstrate a strong likelihood of successful completion of a doctoral thesis. Unfortunately, not all students achieve this.” They added that students have the right to appeal assessments and that the process ensures fairness and transparency.
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United Kingdom (UK)