Academic dishonesty is any type of cheating that involves a student in a formal academic setting. Students can commit academic misconduct by plagiarizing, using dishonest means in examinations, misrepresenting themselves as other people or opposing viewpoints during debates, and more.
This blog post discusses the potential penalties for committing academic dishonesty, what they are and how they may be dealt with. The penalties, however, can vary based on the type of academic misconduct, the magnitude of the misconduct, and other factors in addition to the academic dishonesty itself.
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Academic probation
Students who are caught cheating in an academic setting may find themselves on academic probation if their college or university has this provision. Academic probation is a period of time where the student is allowed to continue their studies, however, they are closely monitored by a member of the faculty or staff.
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Loss of scholarships
Some scholarships have academic requirements attached to them. If a student receives such a scholarship and is caught cheating, the college or university will remove the scholarship from their account.
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Ineligibility for student housing
Students who commit academic dishonesty may find that they cannot qualify for student housing. Sometimes, students will often be banned from all housing on campus if found accused of academic dishonesty.
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Failing the class
If students are found guilty of plagiarism or any other type of academic dishonesty, then the institution may fail them. That is why most colleges and universities set a specific academic dishonesty policy to prevent such consequences from occurring.
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Suspension
If students are caught cheating on a repeated basis, they may find that they are suspended from their school. This often occurs with students who commit academic dishonesty in more than one setting, such as plagiarism and cheating on exams.
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Expulsion or dismissal
If students commit violations of the academic dishonesty policy, then they may be expelled from their college or university. This can occur in very serious cases of academic dishonesty, where students try to evade detection through increasingly sophisticated means, including impersonating others or misrepresenting the work of others as their own work.
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Ineligibility to participate in various programs
Students who are caught cheating in an academic setting may find that they are ineligible to participate in various student programs they wish to be a part of. This includes sports, clubs, and other activities.
