An Indian PhD student transferred to a Master’s degree at Oxford

New Delhi:

An Indian PhD student has accused the University of Oxford of transferring her to a master’s degree program against her will, describing the experience as a “betrayal”.

Lakshmi Balakrishnan, who hails from Tamil Nadu, had invested nearly £100,000 (approximately Rs 1.09 crore) in her education and living expenses in the institution where she intended to pursue her PhD in English Literature, she reported BBC.

Ms. Balakrishnan stated that the English department “did not act in good faith” after initially accepting her thesis offer both at the application stage and during her first year. Later, in her fourth year, the faculty rejected her research idea, she claimed.

“They forcibly removed me from the PhD program and transferred me to the Master’s program without my consent. I feel a sense of betrayal and feel as if I have been let down by an institution that I have great respect for. I already have two master’s degrees from India and I paid £100,000 at Oxford to do a PhD, not another master’s course,” the BBC quoted Balakrishnan as saying.

Raised in southern India by her father after losing her mother at a young age, Lakshmi Balakrishnan said she was the first member of her family to study abroad, overcoming significant difficulties to enroll at Oxford. “I come from a poor background. I made huge sacrifices to come and study at Oxford,” she said.

In her fourth year, Ms. Balakrishnan underwent an assessment whereby two different assessors deemed her Shakespeare research insufficient for entry into doctoral studies. She challenged the department’s decision and entered the appeals process, but reported that her efforts were unsuccessful. “I believe the university’s strategy is to force me to wade through endless appeals and grievance procedures in the hopes that I will eventually give up and leave,” she said.

The appeals process has now concluded, with the University of Oxford stating that “to obtain confirmation of status, progress must sufficiently demonstrate a high likelihood of successful completion of the PhD thesis.”

Queen’s College, where Ms Balakrishnan attended, raised concerns about her treatment. The college noted that although she failed two exams, it found no serious concerns in her semester reports. Additionally, two Shakespeare scholars supported her research, stating that it had PhD potential, as stated in the BBC report.

Despite these confirmations, the Office of the Independent Adjudicator (OIA) supported the university’s position.