• Incident report: When an Honor Code incident report is received, a staff member or graduate assistant from Student Accountability is appointed as an impartial investigator. The investigator interviews the accusing party and gathers any documentation that supports their claim.
• Notice: The accused student then receives a letter from Student Accountability notifying them that an incident report has been filed. The letter requests they call to schedule a meeting with the investigator. Once an initial meeting has been scheduled, the accused student is assigned a student adviser who attends the meeting with them. During the initial meeting, the investigator presents the accused student with a written statement of charges and provides an overview of the Honor Council process.
• Investigation: At an agreed upon time prior to any hearing, the accused student is interviewed by the investigator. The investigator composes an investigative report, which is reviewed by the Honor Council president.
• Hearing: If the President determines there is sufficient evidence to warrant a hearing, a hearing is scheduled. During the hearing, the accuser and accused are given the opportunity to speak directly with the panel. The panel then deliberates privately. They use the preponderance of evidence standard to determine guilt. If a student is found Guilty, the panel assigns a penalty pursuant with the flagrancy and premeditation involved in the violation, as well as the student’s truthfulness throughout the Honor Council process.
• Outcome: During a scheduled meeting with Student Accountability, the accused student receives notice of the Honor Council's decision around guilt and, if applicable, penalty.
• More information is available in the Student Handbook under Honor Council Procedures: Procedures of the Undergraduate Honor Council.

A case may proceed to a small panel hearing under the following conditions: all involved students enter a preliminary plea of Guilty during the investigation, no facts surrounding the violation are in dispute, and the Honor Council president determines that the likely penalty involves no more than one semester suspension. A small panel hearing consists of a faculty adviser, a presiding officer of the Honor Council, and one additional Undergraduate Honor Council member. At the hearing, the three panel members will be present, along with the investigator, the accused student, and their adviser.

If the conditions for a small panel are not met, the Honor Council president will call for a full panel hearing. At a full panel hearing, a six-member hearing panel (consisting of a presiding officer and five members appointed by the president) will hear the evidence in the case. A faculty adviser will also be present.

More information is available in the Student Handbook under Undergraduate Honor Council Procedures: Hearings.

If a student has reason to suspect that a breach of the Honor Code has been committed, they must:

1. Issue a personal warning to the suspected student, or

2. Report the incident online to the Honor Council for action by the president, or

3. Inform the instructor in the course of the suspicions and identify, if possible, the person(s) suspected.

More information is available in the Student Handbook under Honor Council Procedures: Responsibility of the Individual Student.

Any student uncertain about the application of the pledge to a particular course requirement should always consult the instructor.

More information is available in the Student Handbook under Behavior in the Academic Environment: Honor Code Violations.

By accepting admission to Vanderbilt University, you agree to abide by Vanderbilt’s community standards. The Student Handbook is designed to acquaint you with the specifics of our community standards. It is your responsibility as a student to become aware of its contents. Ignorance of a policy is not a valid excuse for violating it.

Possible penalties include a Reprimand with a Recommended Failure on the Assignment, Failure in the Course, Suspension of One or More Semesters, and Expulsion from the university.

More information is available in the Student Handbook under Honor Council Procedures: Penalties.

Honor Council outcomes of Failure in the Course, Suspension and Expulsion are considered disciplinary sanctions for purposes of reporting to agencies outside the university. Therefore, these sanctions may be reported to graduate/professional schools or employers as part of the student’s disciplinary record.

An outcome of Reprimand with a Recommended Failure on the Assignment is not considered a disciplinary sanction for purposes of reporting to agencies outside the university. This means that Student Accountability, Community Standards and Academic Integrity does not report the existence of Honor Council cases resulting in a Reprimand to graduate and professional schools, prospective employers, or external entities, unless requested to do so by the student.

For more information, contact studentaccountability@vanderbilt.edu.

Upon graduation or withdrawal from the university, student records in Housing and Residential Experience and Student Accountability, Community Standards and Academic Integrity are confidentially maintained for a period of seven years, after which time they are destroyed. Records of students who are suspended or expelled from the University may be maintained indefinitely.

More information on educational records is available through the University Registrar.

If you receive a penalty of Failure in the Course, your official transcript will show an F for the final course grade during the semester in which the course was taken. If you receive a penalty of Suspenson, your transcript will show an F as described above; a temporary notation is also placed on the student's internal recrod in YES for the period of the suspension. No notation of an Honor Council case will appear on your official transcript, except in the event of an Expulsion. Expulsion results in a permanent notation on the official transcript.

More information on educational records is available through the University Registrar.

A petition for appeal must be submitted by the petitioning student or appropriate officer of a petitioning organization using the online Petition for Appeal form by no later than 5pm on the tenth (10th) calendar day following the date that the student or organization is formally notified of the determination of the administrative officer or hearing body.

More information is available in the Student Handbook under Appeals and Appellate Review Board: Petition for Appeal.

Students, faculty and staff members—including teaching assistants—are able to submit an incident report.

More information is available in the Student Handbook under Honor Council Procedures: Responsibility of the Individual Student.

The Undergraduate Honor Council is composed of approximately 90 undergraduate students representing all academic classifications and all four undergraduate schools.

More information is available on the Membership page.

Applications to join the Honor Council are accepted each fall. Following the review of applications, the Undergraduate Honor Council executive board will determine which candidates will move forward to an interview. Following interviews, select individuals will move forward to a campuswide ratification vote, which affirms the ballot presented by the executive board.

More information is available our New Member Recruitment page.