Nanjing Tech University Dismisses 35 Graduate Students, Sparks Controversy

Recently, Nanjing University of Technology issued a notice: 35 graduate students failed to complete their studies within the maximum period allowed by the school and have been expelled.

This news has sparked heated discussions, with some netizens believing that part of the issue lies with the graduate students themselves, while others attribute it to bad supervisors.

According to the latest announcement on the official website of Nanjing University of Technology, 6 doctoral students, including a student surnamed Chen, enrolled before September 2015, and 29 master’s students, including a student surnamed Shen, enrolled before September 2018. As of June 30, 2024, these 35 students did not meet the graduation requirements within the prescribed timeframe.

On July 11, after a decision by the President’s Office, the 35 students were expelled.

The announcement period is from July 20 to September 17, after which it will be considered that the opinions on expulsion have been delivered.

The announcement did not specify the exact reasons for the expulsion of the 35 graduate students.

On July 27, this topic trended on Weibo, sparking discussions among netizens:

“Most of these students were admitted through exams. Few are unwilling to graduate without effort. There have been frequent incidents of exploitation by supervisors, especially instances of sexual exploitation. The excessive power of supervisors is a major factor contributing to these problems, so it’s hard to pinpoint the exact reasons.”

“It’s quite common. Many schools face similar situations every year. While part of the issue lies with the students themselves, more is related to bad supervisors. Some have not met the graduation requirement even after a decade. Some choose to drop out, but it’s also necessary to investigate the misleading supervisors.”

“Such actions by the school make it the easiest way out, showing a lack of responsibility by admitting and then expelling students. Was the intermediate nurturing process adequately handled by the school? The burden has been placed entirely on the students, making it hard for these learners.”

Some netizens believe that, “As long as the research tasks are diligently completed, no failures occur, and there is no habitual absenteeism, even those performing poorly can obtain their graduation certificates and degrees. Only those significantly exceeding the time limit or repeatedly failing courses are advised to withdraw.”

On July 22, Wuhan University also announced the intention to expel 3 graduate students. The announcement mentioned that due to prolonged difficulty in contacting the students directly, the proposed expulsion notices were delivered in the form of a public announcement.

In recent years, the dismissal of students by Chinese universities is not uncommon. In mid-June, a doctoral student from a medical university in China posted a plea online, stating that out of 1800 doctoral students admitted through rigorous entrance exams, after completing all prescribed courses in 5 to 6 years, they were informed near graduation that they could not be awarded degrees and were asked to sign withdrawal agreements.

The plea mentioned that the school did not provide clear reasons, and formal complaints did not yield any responses, leaving them feeling helpless and desperate. They hoped that the relevant national authorities would investigate the truth and protect the legitimate rights of these hardworking students.

The plea also mentioned that as a doctoral student, they had devoted significant time and effort to this challenging path. It was not just their personal endeavor but also the support and expectations of their supervisors and family over the years. Now, all their efforts and dreams could be in vain.

On June 16, when interviewed by Benliu News, a staff member of the Education Department of Liaoning Province stated that a special task force had been set up to verify and handle the matter while providing policy interpretations to the students.

The staff member further mentioned that the State Council’s Academic Degrees Committee has strict regulations regarding the qualification review for awarding master’s and doctoral degrees to equivalent graduate students.

On June 26, a staff member from the Degree Management Office of the Graduate School of China Medical University stated that due to a misinterpretation of the Ministry of Education’s documents during the admission of equivalent doctoral students, a re-qualification review was needed for all students about to graduate. Graduation required meeting two basic criteria – equivalent doctorate graduates needed to publish high-level papers or monographs and also receive science and technology awards at the provincial or ministerial level.

In December of last year, a document titled “Decision on Expelling 2263 Students” was released by Xiangtan University in Hunan Province, mentioning that 2263 students who enrolled before March 2013 had not met the graduation requirements by October 2023. After deliberation by the school, it was decided to expel these students.

At the beginning of 2020, around 30 Chinese universities published expulsion lists for over 1300 master’s and doctoral students, including prestigious institutions like Tsinghua University and Fudan University. The main reason for expulsion was cited as “failure to complete their studies within the maximum period allowed by the school.”