“This is a disgrace to real PhD students” — Internet reacts as PinkPantheress receives an honorary doctorate of music degree from Kent University

English musician PinkPantheress received an honorary degree from the University of Kent on Tuesday, July 22, 2025, at one of its graduation ceremonies held at the Canterbury Cathedral.

In a news release posted on the university's website last month, the institution announced awarding her an honorary doctorate of music for her "contribution to, and achievements in music in the digital age." Pantheress, whose real name is Victoria Beverley Walker, was among eight individuals who received similar honorary doctorates.

Dr. PinkPantheress stuns receiving honorary university degree. pic.twitter.com/6VvtTm6Zip

— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) July 23, 2025

As clips from the ceremony went viral, internet users were quick to react. One commented:

"This is a disgrace to real PhD students (like myself)…"

Many criticized the idea of giving honorary degrees, some even calling it "fake."

"Fake degrees are wild lmao," one commented.

"Unless they’re getting money from this….this should stop," another chimed in.

"Immediately dropping the value of any degree from whatever this place is," a user noted.

​

Others praised PinkPantheress for the achievement.

"Deserved.. she single handedly got us through the pandemic," one wrote.

"CONGRATS DR. PANTHERESS," another added.

"The first time I’ve ever agreed with a celebrity earning a honorary degree," a fan stated.

PinkPantheress performed at her first-ever Glastonbury music festival this June

While conferring PinkPantheress with an honorary doctorate might seem to come out of the blue for some, the musician has ties with the university. Walker grew up in Kent and her father was a statistics professor at the institute. The singer reportedly was a student at the University of Kent before dropping out after her music career blew up, reported Stereogum. This, however, remains unconfirmed.

The songstress also name-dropped the university during her Glastonbury appearance last month.

 

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A post shared by The University of Kent (@unikentlive)

Walker rose to fame during the COVID-19 pandemic after her songs became popular on TikTok. According to the BBC, she shared a Michael Jackson-sampling, Just A Waste on the platform on Christmas Day that went viral.

PinkPantheress soon signed to Parlophone and Elektra Records, releasing her debut mixtape To Hell with It in 2021. The project opened at the No. 20 spot on the UK Albums chart, propelling Walker to mainstream fame. Some of her hits include Just for Me, Pain, and Nice to Meet You. Walker won BBC's Sound of 2022 poll and even boasts three Brit Awards nominations. In 2024, Billboard's Women in Music named her Producer of the Year.

Notably, PinkPantheress dropped her first full-length studio project, Heaven Knows, in 2023. She followed it up with her second mixtape, Fancy That, this May. It was met with critical and commercial success, with Billboard naming it under its The 50 Best Albums of 2025 So Far list.

 

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A post shared by 🫀 (@pinkpantheress)

In addition to the success of the project, PinkPantheress also performed at her first-ever Glastonbury music festival last month. She is also set to headline two sold-out shows at London's O2 Academy in September.

This comes as a surprise for fans, as Walker previously has been criticized for performance skills. PinkPantheress opened for Olivia Rodrigo's Guts World Tour in 2024 but abruptly announced dropping out after a few shows, citing health concerns. In a May 2025 interview with Billboard, she revealed she was feeling "incapable" as an arena artist. In a later interview on the Capital Buzz podcast, Walker elaborated she had "stage fright" but noted she would "figure it out."