Oxford’s ‘Unfair’ Exams? Student Says: “It’s Not Me, It’s You!”

In a twist that could make Shakespeare raise an eyebrow, an Indian PhD student at Oxford University, Lakshmi Balakrishnan, is up in arms after being “forcibly demoted” to a master’s course. Balakrishnan insists that the school is to blame for her PhD dreams going poof after she, quote, “just couldn’t make them see my genius.” The ambitious student, who is now petitioning for a return to PhD status, says, “I spent £100,000! All I wanted was a PhD—how hard is that, Oxford?”

The university, however, seems unfazed. “Our Confirmation of Status process is clear: show you’re on the path to PhD or… well, you’re not,” an Oxford rep explained, adding, “It’s not about money; it’s about progress, and unfortunately, not everyone can make the cut.” The university maintains that its assessment process is rigorous to ensure students aren’t “winging it,” as they put it, all the way to graduation day.

Balakrishnan, however, won’t be swayed, arguing that “two professors” endorsed her work and that she “just wasn’t understood.” “It’s not my fault they don’t get my brilliance,” she reportedly said. Meanwhile, Oxford’s appeal board notes they’re sticking with the decision.

But the plot thickens: Shakespeare himself could hardly have crafted a better act. Balakrishnan insists that this “demotion drama” could have been avoided if only Oxford had “just given her a break” and understood that “PhDs are hard!”