/Division of Undergraduate Education
Academic Integrity

Frequently Asked Questions: Students

Students who have been found guilty of academic dishonesty and, as a consequence, have been assigned a Q grade may not graduate with University honors. Requests for exceptions to this policy for students with majors in the College of Arts and Sciences, School of Journalism, the School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences and Stony Brook Southampton are reviewed by the University's Academic Integrity Officer.  No exceptions will be made for students graduating with majors in the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences and College of Business.

Once an instructor files an accusation against a student, a notification will be emailed telling him/her an accusation has been made and to call the Division of Undergraduate Education to setup an appointment to speak with the Academic Integrity Officer, about his/her accusation and the academic judiciary's policies and procedures to address and resolve his/her academic judiciary matter. The student will also be given a copy of the accusation report and any supporting documentation submitted, if any, by the accuser. The student has two weeks from the date of notification to decide whether or not to appeal the accusation. The instructor is under no obligation to discuss the accusation with the student before reporting or even after reporting the student. A student should direct all questions to the appropriate judiciary office.

 Yes. An appeal means you are pleading not responsible for the accusation and a hearing will be scheduled. By appealing the accusation, the student asserts that he or she did not violate university policy concerning academic dishonesty Integrity. Students may not appeal the instructor's penalty. Students may not appeal/request exceptions for having a Q grade on their record or taking the Q course. An appeal can be filed from this website to the relevant judiciary office. While the case is pending, the student will receive a grade of "I" in the course and a notation that reads "Academic Judiciary Action Pending" will appear on the student's transcript.

 If a student does not appeal an accusation, the student is found responsible for violating academic integrity. A remark of "Found Guilty Academic Dishonesty" will be placed on the student's transcript and a grade of Q, denoting a violation of academic integrity, will be recorded for the course. The Q is factored into the student's GPA as an F as long as it is on the transcript.

 The accusation is dismissed and the earned grade is restored without penalty. The grade of "I" in the course in which a student was accused and a notation that reads "Academic Judiciary Action Pending" will be removed from the student's transcript following a hearing when a student is found not responsible for the accusation.

 When a student is found responsible for an accusation at a hearing, the hearing board sets the penalty, which may differ from the instructor's recommendation, based on the severity of the action and the penalties received by students found guilty of similar offenses.  When a student accepts responsibility he/she typically receives the grade penalty recommended by the instructor.

 Unless the student has committed an egregious act, such as forging documents or using a "ringer" to take an exam for him/her,  an F for the course is considered to be an appropriate penalty grade for an act of violating academic integrity.  More serious acts may warrant suspension or permanent expulsion from the University. The student will be required to take the Q course.  The student must register and complete the Q course no later than the academic semester immediately following the finding of an academic integrity violation.   

The Q course is the University's mandatory required course for students found responsible for violating academic integrity and includes topics to develop a student's academic skills and promote academic success without violating academic integrity. The ten-week course is held twice a year, once in the fall and once in the spring semester. It meets on Wednesdays during Campus Lifetime:1:00 - 2:00pm. A student must attend all sessions during the semester and complete the assignments to have the Q removed from his/her transcript.  Students must successfully complete the Q course no later than the academic semester immediately following the finding of an academic integrity violation. If the Q grade is not resolved by the end of the following term, it can convert to a permanent Q/F.   Students sign up for the Q course at "Register for Q-Course".    

 For a first-time offender, the "Found Guilty – Academic Dishonesty" remark on the transcript will be removed and the Q for the course will be replaced by the earned grade with any assigned penalty factored in final grade.

A student found guilty of more than one infraction ("multiple offenses") will be suspended or permanently expelled from the University, based on the nature of the offense. The Q for course of the most recent offense will be permanent, and a Q for the course of each previous offense will be placed back on the transcript and will also be permanent. Finally, there will be a permanent notation of academic dishonesty on the student's transcript. 

Students accused of academic dishonesty cannot withdraw or G/P/NC from the course in question. If you have withdrawn from this course, you will be reinstated into the course until this matter is resolved. If you are found not responsible for violating academic integrity by the academic judiciary committee, then your withdrawal or G/P/NC will be processed; otherwise, you will receive a letter grade in the course as mentioned in the Policies and Procedures Governing Undergraduate Student Academic Dishonesty. If you are found guilty of academic dishonesty, this decision will nullify any previous withdrawals and Pass/No Credit options. 

If accusations come in close together but are for different types of offenses, for example plagiarism and copying off another student; they will be treated 2 separate offenses and are penalized more severely. The rationale for this is that unlike a student who commits plagiarism in 2 classes, and thus has the second accusation made before he can learn from the first, 2 different types of cheating indicate a deeper problem than simply not understanding the rules.