3 minSociety
Study finds bullying rates reach 68 percent at some colleges, with students pressuring faculty over grades
A study of 189 faculty and staff in Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom finds that bullying is widespread in academia, with rates reaching 68 percent at some institutions and student pressure over grades among the most common sources of mistreatment.
Bullying is far more common in university settings than many people assume, according to a new study that puts rates at up to 68 percent at some institutions. The research, which surveyed 189 faculty and staff in Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom, found that students pressuring instructors over grades were among the most frequent sources of mistreatment, with nearly 30 percent of respondents reporting such pressure.
The study was led by Jason Walker, working with Zahra Moradi and Deborah Circo, and was published in October 2026 in the Journal of Multidisciplinary Research and Practice. The researchers used an anonymous survey covering 22 forms of mistreatment from colleagues and supervisors, and added separate questions about pressure from students. Workplace bullying was defined as intentional, harmful mistreatment that goes beyond incivility.
The findings place academic workplaces alongside other sectors where mistreatment is common. The researchers note that more than 30 percent of adult workers in the United States and Canada face bullying, harassment or abuse, and that academic bullying rates reach 68 percent at some institutions, a level comparable to that reported in emergency services.
Students' tactics, as described by respondents, ranged from threats to appeal grades and malicious complaints to negative reviews and intimidation. The researchers characterize grade-related bullying as «contrapower» harassment, meaning it flows upward through the power structure, from people with less formal authority toward those who grade and evaluate them.
The survey also found that the pattern of harm differed by career stage and background. Junior faculty and staff reported more peer bullying, while senior faculty were more likely to face grade-related pressure from students. Black, Indigenous and people of color were targeted more often, and women and minority faculty were described as particularly affected.
Colleague-related problems were more often reported in the form of heavy workloads, withheld information and impossible deadlines. Grade pressure, however, was reported more often than bullying by colleagues. The study links these experiences to anxiety, depression, lower job satisfaction and reduced productivity among those affected.
The researchers acknowledge significant gaps in what is known. The study does not establish the root causes of the behavior, nor does it measure long-term effects on faculty turnover or on trust within institutions. They call for multi-year studies that track the same faculty over time, and say it remains unclear which interventions work across different types of institutions.
Source: fortune.com
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