r/academia is a subreddit with 108k members. The most common kinds of discussions are advice requests and pain & anger, and the community frequently discusses academia, struggling, research, job, and hate, and they frequently recommend/review pen, statistics book, and tablet.
An online community for discussing issues related to academia, faculty life, research, and institutional structures. This is NOT the place to ask questions about your homework, your particular school or professors, or to get admission advice!
Survey posts must be approved by mods in advance, must include contact/IRB info, and must be specific to academia.
Popular Themes in r/academia
#1
Advice Requests
: "Teaching university students is becoming increasingly challenging. Help!"
17 posts
#2
Pain & Anger
: "Vent: Can’t afford lunch for my grad students"
10 posts
#3
Money Talk
: "Is a PhD really a negative ROI, and other personal reflections"
1 post
Popular Topics in r/academia
#1
Academia
: "Leaving higher ed for high school"
18 posts
#2
Struggling
14 posts
#3
Research
: "I want to teach at a university, but I absolutely do not want to do Research. Is this a realistic career path?"
13 posts
#4
Job
9 posts
#5
Hate
8 posts
#6
Phd
: "Unstable 3rd year of Phd - need fresh eyes"
7 posts
#7
University
: "I want to teach at a University, but I absolutely do not want to do research. Is this a realistic career path?"
7 posts
#8
Ai
: "My Paper Was Reviewed by an Ai. It Was Soul-Crushing"
6 posts
#9
Academic
: "Ever Realize Academic Research Isn't for You?"
5 posts
#10
Writing
: "I can't write my thesis no matter what."
4 posts
Products Discussed in r/academia
Pen
9 reviews
#1
Caran d’Ache Ballpoint
5.0★ from 2 reviews
#2
Pilot G2
5.0★ from 1 review
#3
Pilot Heritage
5.0★ from 1 review
Statistics Book
4 reviews
#1
Calvin Dytham
4.0★ from 1 review
#2
Wackerly
4.0★ from 1 review
#3
Sheldon Ross
4.0★ from 1 review
Tablet
3 reviews
#1
reMarkable
4.5★ from 2 reviews
#2
Apple
5.0★ from 1 review
Flair Used in r/academia
#1
Venting & griping
: "High schoolers publishing in academic journals has gone too far"
27 posts
#2
Publishing
: "AI detection for conference paper wants me to prove I'm not an elephant"
20 posts
#3
Research issues
: "(Rant) I'm so f*cking tired of my supervisor using chatgpt to revise the papers he's coauthoring with me"
14 posts
#4
Job market
: "Requesting suggestion on salary as an Assistant Professor"
12 posts
#5
Institutional structure/budgets/etc.
: "Decline of Ph.D. Admissions Could Imperil a ‘Generation of New Talent’ - NYT"
9 posts
#6
Students & teaching
: "Teaching university students is becoming increasingly challenging. Help!"
8 posts
#7
Academic politics
: "I just stumbled across this hidden gem: University Professors in the Neoliberal Academic Ecosystem"
7 posts
#8
Mentoring
: "Dealing with a grad student incapable of finishing their degree? UPDATE"
4 posts
Member Growth in r/academia
Yearly
+17k members(18.2%)
Similar Subreddits to r/academia
r/AskAcademia
2.1M members
2.2% / yr
r/AskProfessors
36k members
12.9% / yr
r/biotech
244k members
29.0% / yr
r/PhD
274k members
31.8% / yr
r/PhdProductivity
27k members
180.8% / yr
r/psychologystudents
199k members
18.4% / yr
r/research
62k members
56.1% / yr
r/Student
42k members
28.9% / yr
r/Students
46k members
119.5% / yr
r/UniUK
325k members
27.4% / yr
About
GummySearch helps people research Reddit communities by organizing activity, growth, themes, and post-level signals into one place.
This page gives a focused view of r/academia, including current member size, discussion patterns, product reviews, and related communities to explore.
This data is synced periodically so insights stay current and useful for ongoing research.
Last updated: July 20, 2026