How Faculty Impostor Syndrome Shapes Student Perceptions in Higher Education
New research from Colorado State University (CSU) takes a close look at how impostor syndrome among college instructors affects the way students perceive them—and the results show a surprisingly strong connection between confidence, competence, and the delicate balance between authenticity and professionalism in the classroom. This study, led by Ph.D. candidate Alexa Jayne, digs into a phenomenon many educators silently struggle with: feeling like a fraud even when their achievements and evaluations clearly say otherwise.
Jayne, who conducted the research within CSU’s Department of Psychology, became interested in the topic after noticing her own internal self-doubt while working as a teaching assistant. Despite receiving positive feedback from students and faculty, she still felt she wasn’t good enough—an experience that mirrors what thousands of teachers quietly face. Her observation turned into a structured investigation aimed at understanding how students react when professors openly acknowledge such feelings.
The study used two short, nearly identical descriptions of a hypothetical tenured professor. Both versions highlighted a well-accomplished faculty member who consistently received strong evaluations from students and peers. The only major difference: in one scenario, the professor openly acknowledged struggling with impostor feelings, attributing success to external factors and fearing being exposed as undeserving. Student participants then rated each version of the professor on several measurable criteria: perceived level of experience, estimated salary, likability, whether they would take the professor’s class, and whether the professor seemed hirable.
The outcome was clearer than expected. Students rated the professor with impostor feelings as significantly less experienced and estimated this professor’s salary to be $10,000 lower than the one who expressed no such self-doubt. Despite this, the impostor-feeling professor was viewed as equally likable, and students were just as willing to enroll in their course. This mix of impressions highlights how students may remain comfortable with approachable teachers but still devalue their competence when those teachers acknowledge vulnerability.
The results raise an important point: even though being honest about internal struggles can make instructors appear more human, students still equate confidence with competence. For instructors who want to build trust through transparency, this presents a real challenge. The findings suggest that while vulnerability can foster connection, it has to be handled carefully to avoid unintentionally undermining authority or expertise.
Jayne’s work also highlights the broader relevance of this topic. Certain groups—such as women in STEM fields, early-career educators, and those from historically marginalized backgrounds—often experience impostor feelings at higher rates. These internal struggles can influence their mentorship styles, career decisions, and sense of belonging in the academic world. Because of this, the study points to the importance of supporting these groups in structured, intentional ways rather than expecting individuals to silently push through feelings of inadequacy.
This research also intersects with work conducted by Jayne’s advisor, Professor Bryan Dik, whose studies focus on meaning and purpose in the workplace. Dik notes that people often pursue teaching because they feel “called” to the profession, which can bring fulfillment but also create pressure. That pressure can fuel the so-called “dark side of calling”—the idea that meaningful work can also create stress, self-doubt, and unrealistic expectations. The current study contributes to this conversation by showing how deeply these internal dynamics ripple outward into student perceptions.
Understanding Impostor Syndrome More Broadly
Because the news article ends up touching on a much wider conversation, it’s helpful to look at what impostor syndrome actually is and why it’s so prominent in higher education. Impostor syndrome—or impostor phenomenon, which is the preferred research term—refers to a pattern in which successful people doubt their accomplishments and fear being exposed as unqualified. These feelings persist even when evidence strongly contradicts them.
Higher education is an environment where impostor feelings naturally thrive. Academic professionals constantly face:
- competitive publishing expectations
- performance-based tenure evaluations
- frequent critical review
- high achievers as peers
- public speaking and authority-driven roles
- the pressure to appear knowledgeable at all times
Even small moments—like receiving critical feedback on a manuscript—can trigger a cascade of self-doubt. Because teaching is so visible and evaluative, professors often feel pressure to maintain an image of complete confidence. That pressure can make it even harder for them to admit internal insecurities.
Why This Study Matters for Students and Institutions
The CSU research matters not only for individual faculty but also for institutions thinking about retention, support, and equity. If instructors from certain backgrounds are more likely to struggle with impostor feelings, and if publicly sharing these feelings influences how students judge their competence, then that adds another layer to systemic inequities in academia.
Departments may need to rethink:
- how they train new faculty
- how they encourage vulnerability
- how they create mentorship systems
- how they handle conversations around confidence and competence
- how they evaluate teaching effectiveness without bias
The study shows that students don’t appear to penalize professors in terms of likability or course choice, which is a positive sign. But the reduced perception of hireability and experience suggests that confidence signaling plays a larger role in perceived competence than many educators realize. In practice, this means institutions may want to help instructors learn ways of sharing personal struggles without inadvertently diminishing how students perceive their expertise.
Impostor Syndrome Outside Academia
Though the research focused on university teaching, the findings can apply to many fields where leadership, credibility, and interpersonal trust matter. Workplace leaders in corporate settings, nonprofit organizations, or public service may also grapple with how much vulnerability is appropriate. Too much openness about self-doubt can create questions about competence, while too little may make leaders seem distant or unapproachable.
Striking that balance is something many industries are still trying to understand, and this study contributes real data to that conversation.
Future Research Directions
Jayne and Professor Dik note that future work may explore how demographic factors—such as gender, race, or early-career status—interact with the way students interpret confidence or impostor disclosures. Since marginalized groups already face biases in hiring, evaluations, and promotion, understanding these dynamics could have concrete benefits for equity in academic career progression.
Their team also hopes to explore how impostor feelings relate to student engagement, promotion decisions, faculty development, and mentorship practices, especially for early-career academics navigating environments where confidence is often equated with expertise.
Research Paper Link:
Conflating competence with confidence: Student perceptions of a professor with imposter phenomenon
