'Deep Bias Against Indians': Tamil Nadu PhD Student 'Forcibly' Moved To Master's Course At Oxford University, Alleges 'Racism'

An Indian PhD student, Lakshmi Balakrishnan, has accused the University of Oxford of reassigning her to a master’s program without her consent, an experience she describes as a ‘betrayal’. Originally from Tamil Nadu, Balakrishnan had invested close to Euro 100,000 (around Rs 1.09 crore) in her education and living expenses, intending to pursue a doctoral degree in English literature at the prestigious institution, according to a report by the BBC.

“They forcibly removed me from the PhD program and moved me to a masters level course without my consent,” Lakshmi Balakrishnan told the BBC.

To provide further context to my @BBCNews piece and @QueensCollegeOx letter, I am sharing below the supporting statements I received for my DPhil. I also taught at @UniOxford, including about my research topic on Shakespeare. I am sharing the references I received for that below.

— Lakshmi Balakrishnan (@lakshmipriyab07) October 26, 2024

"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," added further. 

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The Queen's College, where Balakrishnan studied, expressed concerns to the University about her treatment. They highlighted that, despite her failing two assessments, her term reports did not raise serious issues regarding her work. The college also questioned potential errors in the appeal process, the application of rules, and the decision to transfer her to a Master’s course.

Lakshmi Balakrishnan’s Academic Battle at Oxford

Raised in South India by her father after losing her mother, Lakshmi Balakrishnan pursued two master’s degrees before coming to Oxford as the first in her family to study abroad. Coming from an underprivileged background, she made significant sacrifices for her studies. However, during her fourth year, two assessors failed her Shakespeare research, deeming it unsuitable for a PhD. Despite appealing the English Faculty’s decision, her efforts have so far been unsuccessful.

Oxford Issues Statement 

Oxford University stated that doctoral students must show strong potential for successfully completing their thesis to achieve Confirmation of Status, which not all students meet. The university outlined that students can appeal assessment outcomes through a fair and transparent process, with an additional internal appeal option and the right to further complain to the Office of the Independent Adjudicator (OIA).

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"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. Where a student disagrees with the outcome of an assessment they have the right to appeal under the university’s appeal procedure, which ensures fairness and transparency,” the University of Oxford said.