'They forcibly moved me to...': Indian student alleges forced removal from Oxford PhD Program despite paying Rs 1 cr, calls it 'sense of betrayal'

Lakshmi Balakrishnan, an Indian PhD student from Tamil Nadu, has reported that she was "forcibly transferred" to a master’s program at the University of Oxford without her consent. Lakshmi, who already holds two master’s degrees, says she spent nearly £100,000 (around Rs 1 crore) to study and live at the prestigious university.

As reported by the BBC, Lakshmi shared that Oxford University’s English faculty initially approved her thesis idea at the application stage and throughout her first year. However, in her fourth year, her thesis was rejected after two different assessors from the faculty determined her Shakespeare research was not suitable for a PhD.

Lakshmi has challenged the faculty's decision and pursued an appeals process but has not succeeded in overturning the decision. She claims the faculty did not act in good faith.

"They forcibly removed me from the PhD programme and moved me to a masters level course without my consent," she told the publication. "I feel a sense of betrayal and I feel like I have been let down by an institution that I held in high regard. I already have two masters degrees from India and I paid £100,000 at Oxford to get my PhD, not another masters course."

The University of Oxford stated that students are informed that their "successful outcome depends on academic progress." In a statement, it confirmed that the appeals process for Lakshmi has now concluded.

"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," Lakshmi said. "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."