I don't think “it's complex just like everything” cuts it as an answer. Of course, there is some cooperation as well, differences between countries, difference between institutions, etc. but by and large academia is ruthlessly competitive, more so than many other workplaces or human group (although you can obviously find other competitive groups elsewhere). When it's not about grades, then it's about publications, research grants, positions, etc.

You might nuance the picture a bit, feel comfortable with it or hate it, think it's good for the advancement of knowledge or wish it would be different but it's just a basic fact that's often overlooked by people who are not familiar with academia.

Academia is a big place, and your little corner of it is almost surely not representative of the whole. Maybe you are at a top school that by its nature draws and selects the most ambitious, hardworking and fiercely competitive people? You can be sure that some schools are not like that. In fact I know of very successful professors who moved from a top school to a less prestigious one for precisely that reason. So sure, academia is competitive, but you can easily find a grad school that has the atmosphere you like. In any case, advancing knowledge is still a primary motivation for most people.

@ChrisWhite I think it's useful to point out that in many European MSc. (graduate) degrees, grades still play a role because one will still have to apply for a PhD position later.

"There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self." Ernest Hemingway

other than committing academic offenses – I remember stories from law students in Germany who at times found the relevant page for some assignment to be torn out from the university library’s copy of the book.

Life is really just a huge competition

This is especially true for closed access courses. For example I know medicine in Italy has such hostile environments. The reason is simple: there are X open positions to start studying medicine. After 6 years you take your degree and you basically must take a specialization in order to actually work. Open positions for specializations are about X/2. I.e. half of the people studying medicine will have to wait one year before startin specialization. This highly increases competition and hostility towards other students.

@PlasmaHH: No, it really isn't, and the people who see it as one are generally the very worst members of society, the ones who do the most to screw things up for everyone else.

At least in my field (neuroscience) and university, it is extremely competitive, to the point that where I am so disgusted with academia that I am leaving for industry after my PhD. I doubt it's the same everywhere and it probably varies by area of study. But I will say that money (grants) and ego play a very big role in the way I've seen many professors act, respected in the field or not.

You probably shouldn't base your opinion of Academia on the behavior of undergrads.

In a terse nutshell your expectation is similar to saying Are sports really just a huge competition? I always thought that playing sports is about advancing physical fitness and teamwork. Basically, once you get outside the "average Joe" league of whatever you are doing then competition is unavoidable. The basic takeaway is to ALWAYS keep fighting for what you do and do it to your best abilities. If you happen to be better than someone else then don't be a d*ck :-)

The egocentricity of our modern American society, seen in academia with the extensive citations and draconian plagiarism culture indicate that yes, academia is a setting of fierce competition. Whether people act hostile during competition or not is a different matter.

alas all systems in "strong capitalism" (also related to "scarcity") tend to veer toward competition/ survival of the fittest but in "social/ hierarchical terms". see also social darwinism

FYI: 1) Reference on availability of source code used in computer science research articles?; 2) How much effort do researchers take to publish their source code?; 3) What are the biggest things that are slowing down scientific research?

@MasonWheeler: The people who screw things up for everyone else are losers. People like you and me are winners.

@MasonWheeler: Life literally is a competition, almost by definition. You can play a competition, and play it well, without being "the very worst members of society" or "doing the most to screw things up for everyone else".

@Dave: "Our"? I see no evidence in the question that the OP must be an American. Certainly plenty of other contributors here are not. Do not assume an American audience just because people are writing English!! Indeed, the use of the word "behaviour" in the question suggests that the OP is writing actual English and is therefore not one of your countrymen.

@LightnessRacesinOrbit: What definition? The law of the jungle? ISTM the most concise definition of "civilization" is cooperation and suppressing the vicious, competitive instinct, working together for mutual benefit.

@MasonWheeler: We're not talking about what civilisation is. We're talking about what life is. Life relates to the individual. And if you don't compete you don't survive (or, at least, you don't reproduce).

It probably has to do with the culture of grading students in a class on a curve or not. It is a big difference in American vs. Swedish university cultures, especially if your funding depends on your grades...

Life is just a really huge competition. that is ultimately what Darwin meant by "survival of the fittest"

@Polyergic base it on the appalling behaviour of those who've graduated instead! :)