When an instructor believes that a student has cheated, they have two options:

  • Refer the violation allegation directly to the Honor Council.
  • Handle it autonomously by meeting with the student and then reporting the violation and assigned sanction to the Aggie Honor System Office.
If a student has a prior report of an academic misconduct violation, it is automatically referred through the Honor Council when the instructor submits the report in the online system. Most cases of academic misconduct are addressed autonomously by faculty members.

Autonomous Case

If a faculty member chooses to handle a case autonomously, they shall make an effort to allow the students an opportunity to respond to the allegations. The allegations may be communicated in person or through email. After the instructor attempts to make contact with the student, even if they do not receive a response from the student, the instructor will then file a report with the Aggie Honor System Office. An Aggie Honor System Office staff member will contact the student to discuss their options to respond to the allegations.

Honor Council Proceedings

If the allegation has been referred to the Honor Council, the accused student will be contacted by an Academic Integrity Administrator from the Aggie Honor System Office to set up a meeting to explain the details of the process. This will be followed by an Honor Council hearing or conference.

Q-Drops and Withdrawals

Accused students may not Q-drop or withdraw from a course with a pending allegation or finding of academic misconduct. If the Q-drop or withdrawal has already gone through for a class before an academic misconduct violation is reported, the course will be reinstated on the student’s transcript and designated grade sanctions applied.

Notification from the AHSO Academic Integrity Administrator

The Academic Integrity Administrator will initiate contact with the accused student through e-mail and inform them of their rights and responsibilities in the process as well as next steps. This e-mail will be sent to the student’s Texas A&M University e-mail account only, and the AHSO will not communicate with any non-University e-mail. Students are able to meet with their AIA if they need additional information.

When to Contact Us

Some instructors, especially those with experience at other institutions, may be unfamiliar with Texas A&M University’s procedures for addressing academic misconduct. Instructors are required to report all violations of the Aggie Code of Honor to the Aggie Honor System Office to ensure that the process is properly followed. This requirement is intended to protect the rights of the student and the faculty member. If your instructor has discussed academic misconduct allegations with you and you have not been contacted by the Aggie Honor System Office, please contact us directly for next steps.