Why Many Postgraduate Students Drop Out, and Nobody Talks About It
Imagine gaining admission into a postgraduate programme after years of hard work, only to find yourself sitting in meetings where you struggle to explain your ideas, feel ignored, and slowly begin to wonder if you truly belong there. This is the reality for many postgraduate students, yet it is a problem people rarely discuss openly. […]
Imagine gaining admission into a postgraduate programme after years of hard work, only to find yourself sitting in meetings where you struggle to explain your ideas, feel ignored, and slowly begin to wonder if you truly belong there. This is the reality for many postgraduate students, yet it is a problem people rarely discuss openly.
Although more students from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds are entering postgraduate studies than ever before, getting in is only the beginning of the journey. The real struggle often starts after enrolment. At the centre of this experience is supervision. A good supervisor can guide, support, and unlock a student’s potential. But when supervision goes wrong, the consequences can be severe. Some students lose confidence in themselves and their research, some withdraw from discussions about their dissertations, while some eventually drop out, because they feel unseen and unheard.
For many students, the experience of being misunderstood builds over time. They leave meetings feeling that their ideas were brushed aside or not taken seriously. They begin to speak less, write less, and participate less in academic activities. Eventually, they start questioning whether they are really capable of postgraduate study. This is not just an individual issue, it is also an institutional problem.
Supervisors play a powerful role in shaping a student’s postgraduate journey. They influence research direction, methods, and even what is considered valid knowledge. Without awareness of cultural and linguistic differences, this power can unintentionally silence students or push them to conform to dominant ways of thinking.
- Yobe ADC adopts Kassim Gana Gaidam as consensus guber candidate
- Salihu Lukman: ADC has solutions to subsidy removal, other challenges
Many postgraduate students work in English as a second or third language. Their writing may not always reflect the depth of their thinking. When supervisors focus mainly on grammar and expression instead of the meaning behind the work, valuable ideas can be ignored. The result is frustration on both sides and, in many cases, lost potential. The real concern is not a lack of academic ability but that many universities do not provide enough support for handling cultural and language differences in postgraduate education. Supervising students from diverse backgrounds requires more than subject expertise. It requires the ability to listen carefully, to ask the right questions, and to recognise that there are different ways of expressing knowledge. These are skills that can be learned, but they are not always taught.
Universities often celebrate transformation and increased access to higher education. And some universities have started conversations about supervision bias and inclusive supervision. But these efforts are often optional and inconsistent. If they are to make a real difference, they need to become a priority. New supervisors should be trained to work in diverse academic environments before they take on students. Existing supervisors should be supported through ongoing professional development and peer learning. Inclusive supervision should be seen as part of what it means to be an effective academic.
Postgraduate education is not just about degrees, it is also about creating knowledge, developing future leaders, and opening pathways for individuals and families. When students drop out, the loss is not only personal. It affects communities and limits whose voices are heard in research and decision-making. Universities cannot afford to lose talented students because they feel misunderstood. If universities are serious about transformation, they must look beyond access and focus on the everyday experiences of students once they arrive. For many postgraduate students, the biggest challenge is not getting into university but being understood once they are there.
Eseadi sent this piece from the University of Johannesburg, South Africa