Can I Get Expelled for Academic Misconduct Like Cheating or Plagiarism?
Understand academic misconduct penalties, expulsion risks, and how to defend yourself in college misconduct cases.
What Counts as Academic Misconduct?
Academic misconduct includes plagiarism, cheating on exams, falsifying research, or even helping someone else cheat. Universities treat these cases seriously because they believe academic integrity is central to the value of a degree.
Possible Consequences
Yes, you can be expelled for academic misconduct. Sanctions vary by school and severity of the case. First offenses, or offenses that involve mitigating circumstances, may result in more lenient sanctions, such as a written warning or disciplinary probation. Repeated and serious offenses usually result in more severe sanctions, such as suspension or expulsion. Your professor may also separately impose a failing grade on an exam or in the class if you are found responsible for academic misconduct. For faculty or graduate students, academic misconduct could also mean loss of funding, research privileges, or termination.
The Process You’ll Face
Notice of Allegation – The school tells you what you’re accused of doing.
Investigation – An investigator gathers documents, reviews exams/papers, and interviews witnesses.
Hearing or Meeting – You present your cases to a panel or hearing officer.
Decision & Sanctions – Based on the evidence, the panel or officer decides guilt and penalties.
Can You Defend Yourself?
Absolutely. Many students think there’s no way to fight back if a professor accuses them, but there are defenses, such as:
Presenting evidence to show that similarities in two papers are from properly cited sources.
Showing unclear instructions led to confusion, not dishonesty.
Demonstrating the evidence (like plagiarism software or AI detectors) was unreliable or misapplied.
We’ve seen a steep rise in AI-related academic misconduct cases. We’ve successfully defeated allegations of improper AI use by systematically challenging the reliability of AI detection tools and providing clear, documented evidence of the student’s own writing or problem solving process. In the past, we’ve used expert witnesses, including the creators of AI detectors like GPTZero, to verify that the technology is prone to false positives and inconsistent results. Running work through multiple detectors and showing varied outcomes also highlights the lack of certainty in such technology. It is also helpful to point out the student’s unique writing or problem-solving characteristics that AI would not produce, such as incomplete sentences and references to specific group discussions. All of this helps show that AI detectors are not reliable enough to support serious accusations that can help life-altering impacts, and the student’s work clearly stands on its own.
Why Work With an Academic Misconduct Attorney?
Universities may move quickly and impose harsh penalties. Having an academic misconduct attorney can help you:
Prepare your defense and evidence
Represent you in hearings
Appeal an unfair decision
Protect your academic record and career goals
If you’ve been accused of plagiarism, cheating, or academic misconduct, contact Hathaway Parker for confidential legal support.
