Interdisciplinary Studies in the Humanities

Abstract This study employs a grounded theory approach to explain academic neglect among graduate students. The participants consisted of master’s and doctoral students at the University of Kurdistan, selected through purposive sampling, with 15 individuals ultimately included in the study. Data were collected through in-depth semi-structured interviews and analyzed via open, axial, and selective coding. The findings indicate that academic neglect is a multidimensional and institutional phenomenon shaped through the interaction of causal factors—such as a sense of educational meaninglessness, weak student–supervisor interaction, limited research resources, and economic pressures—with contextual conditions including suspended academic identity, uncertainty in academic trajectories, and weakened institutional belonging. Moreover, dysfunctional educational structures, the absence of psychological support, and cultural discontinuities act as intervening conditions that intensify this phenomenon. Accordingly, strategies such as restructuring the institutional culture of universities, empowering faculty members as facilitators of academic growth, strengthening psychological and social support systems, and reforming motivational and reward structures are recommended. The consequences of academic neglect manifest at both positive (enhanced self-awareness and reflective capacity) and negative (academic isolation and reduced professional engagement) levels. Overall, the results suggest that academic neglect is not an individual deficit but a reflection of deeper structural and cultural gaps within higher education, underscoring the need to redefine the university’s role and its connection to students’ lifeworlds.