Oxford student 'betrayed' over rejection of his Shakespeare PhD.

An Indian doctoral student says she was “forcibly transferred” to a master’s course by Oxford University without her consent.

Lakshmi Balakrishnan, from Tamil Nadu in southern India, has two master's degrees and spent almost £100,000 to study and live at the world's leading university.

Ms Balakrishnan said the university's English department “did not act in good faith” after her thesis idea was accepted at the application stage and in her first year, but then rejected in her fourth year.

The University of Oxford said all students were aware that “successful completion depends on their academic progress”.

“They forcibly removed me from the PhD program and transferred me to a master’s program without my consent,” Ms. Balakrishnan said.

“I feel a sense of betrayal and a sense of being let down by an institution that I valued greatly.”

“I already have two masters degrees from India and I paid £100,000 at Oxford for my PhD, not another masters degree.”

After losing her mother at a young age, she was raised by her father in southern India before earning two master's degrees in her home country.

“I am the first in my family to come abroad to study and I come from a disadvantaged background. I made great sacrifices to come to Oxford and study.”

During her fourth year of study, she had to take an exam in which two different assessors failed her on the grounds that her Shakespeare research had no scope for a doctorate.

She challenged the English department's decision and launched an appeal, but was unsuccessful.

“I believe the university’s strategy is to force me through endless appeals and grievance processes in the hope that I will eventually give up and leave.”

The university confirmed that the appeal process had been completed.

Queen's College, where Ms Balakrishnan studied, wrote to the university to express concern about her treatment.

It was noted that despite failing both of her assessments, no serious concerns about her work were raised in her reports each semester.

The college also believed there were errors in the appeals process and the way the rules were applied, and questioned the process that led to Ms Balakrishnan being placed on a master's course.

Two professors who specialize in this area of ​​Shakespeare also said their research had potential and merited doctorates.

But the OIA, the independent arbiter of higher education, supported the university's view.

In a statement, the University of Oxford said: “To receive confirmation of status, progress must sufficiently demonstrate a high probability of successful completion of a doctoral thesis. Unfortunately, not all students achieve this.”

“If a student disagrees with the outcome of an assessment, they have the right to appeal through the University’s appeals process, which ensures fairness and transparency.”

“There is a further internal avenue to appeal this decision and a subsequent right to appeal to the OIA.”