Process and Procedures

What happens if I’m suspected of an offence under the Code of Behaviour on Academic Matters?

In this section, we’ll provide a general overview of what can happen when you are suspected of having committed an offence under the Code. The steps outlined below track the detailed process set out in the Code.

We recognize that the academic integrity process may cause students stress and concern, and therefore encourage students to meet with a registrar or academic advisor if they are suspected of an academic offence.

If your well-being is impacted, please visit U of T’s Mental Health website to see the range of supports available to you as a student.  Or for immediate support, contact U of T Telus Health Student Support  (with free counselling available in over 140 languages, 24 hours a day).  Reach out if you need help or are struggling– there is lots of support available.

Step I – The Instructor

If your instructor has reasonable grounds to believe that you have committed an academic offence, the instructor should inform you immediately and provide you with an opportunity to discuss the matter. Nothing that you say in the discussion with your instructor may later be used as evidence against you.

If after this discussion, your instructor is satisfied that you did not commit an academic offence, you’ll be informed and no further action will be taken.

However, if after the meeting, your instructor believes that you have committed an academic offence, your instructor will make a report to the Department Chair or Dean.

Note that if you do not attend the meeting with your instructor, or do not respond to your instructor’s invitation to meet, the case will be sent to the Department Chair or Dean.  In short: ignoring these messages will not make the issue go away.

Step 2 – The Department (in multi-department Faculties)

If you are registered in a multi-department Faculty where there are Chairs of departments, your Chair will notify you in writing that the offence has been reported to the Department and send you a copy of the Code. You will be provided with another opportunity to discuss the matter with the Chair or their designate.

If you are registered in a single-department Faculty that does not have Chairs of departments (e.g., Law, Music, KPE), you will not have a Chair’s meeting and will proceed directly to the Dean’s meeting.

Note that students registered in graduate programs will not meet with the Chair of their department, but will proceed directly to a meeting with the Dean’s Office in the School of Graduate Studies following the instructor meeting.

If the Chair decides that no academic offence has been committed and no further action is required, you’ll be informed in writing and your work will be accepted for normal evaluation, or you will be allowed to withdraw from the course if it is before the withdrawal date.

If during the discussion with the Chair you admit to the offence, the Chair can impose a sanction as listed here or refer the matter to the Dean. You will be informed in writing of the sanction, or that the matter has been referred to the Dean.

If you are dissatisfied with a sanction that has been imposed by your Chair, you may refer the matter to the Provost’s Office for a further review.  The Provost has delegated authority over the sanction reconsideration process to the Vice-Provost, Faculty and Academic Life.  All requests for reconsideration of a sanction imposed by a Chair should be sent in an email providing details of the specific request and of the situation, to vpfal.academicdiscipline@utoronto.ca.

Step 3 – The Faculty or Division

If you do not admit to the alleged offence, or the offence is more serious, the Chair may refer the matter to the Dean. You will be informed in writing and offered the opportunity to meet with the Dean or the Dean’s designate. Students in single-department Faculties (e.g. Law, Music, KPE) will proceed directly to the Dean’s meeting following the meeting with the instructor.

Students registered in graduate programs will have their Dean’s meeting with a Dean’s designate from the School of Graduate Studies, and will have no Chair’s meeting.

The Dean or their designate will lead the discussion. You are able to bring a support person with you to the meeting, which can include a lawyer, although this is certainly not necessary; most students do not have a lawyer join them for the Dean’s meeting.  If you do wish to seek legal advice, students may consult Downtown Legal Services (DLS), the University’s legal clinic, for free, student-centred advice at any point in the academic integrity process.  DLS has expertise in advising students on academic integrity cases, and welcomes inquiries from U of T students.

You are not obliged to make any statement or admission in the Dean’s meeting, but if you do, it can be used as evidence if the offence is later referred to the University Tribunal.

The Dean or their designate may decide that no academic offence has been committed and that no further action is required. You’ll be informed of this in writing, and your work will be accepted for normal evaluation or you will be allowed to withdraw from the course if it is before the withdrawal date.

If you admit to the alleged offence at this point, the Dean or their designate may impose the sanctions listed here, or may refer the matter to the Provost and request that charges be laid against you.

If you do not admit to the alleged offence, the Dean or their designate may request that the Provost lay a charge against you. If the Provost agrees to lay the charge, the case will proceed to the Trial Division of the University Tribunal.

If you are dissatisfied with a sanction that has been imposed by your Dean or their designate, you may refer the matter to the Provost’s Office for reconsideration.  The Provost has delegated authority over the sanction reconsideration process to the Vice-Provost, Faculty and Academic Life.  All requests for reconsideration of a sanction imposed by a Dean should be sent in an email providing details of the specific request and of the situation, to vpfal.academicdiscipline@utoronto.ca

Step 4 – The Tribunal

Once a charge under the Code has been laid against you by the Provost, the matter is managed by the Office of Appeals, Discipline and Faculty Grievances, which is located within the Office of Governing Council. Their website provides a detailed explanation of the process for the University Tribunal.

More information about what to expect at the Tribunal can be found on this website, here.

See also:

• Process Chart (a visual representation of the process described on this page)