Honor Code and Discipline

Chicago Booth Honor Code Principles

The Chicago Booth community (faculty, students, alumni, deans, and staff ) shares a commitment to honesty and integrity. The Chicago Booth Honor Code embodies the standards of scholarship and professionalism that we value and that foster an environment of trust and respect.

Upon admission, each student commits to abide by the Chicago Booth Honor Code. Students who violate the Chicago Booth Honor Code renege on this agreement and must accept the sanctions imposed by the Chicago Booth community, which may include official Chicago Booth disciplinary action.

Each member of the Chicago Booth community, as a person of integrity, has a personal obligation to the Chicago Booth Honor Code and the Standards of Scholarship and Professionalism to report known violations to the appropriate program office.
No student shall misrepresent themselves, their experience, or their academic record during the admissions process. All offers of admission are contingent upon the applicant’s signature on the application document agreeing to adhere to the Chicago Booth Honor Code.
No student shall represent another’s work as their own. No person shall receive disallowed assistance of any sort, or provide disallowed assistance to another student, at any time before, during, or after an examination or with respect to other graded work for a course.
Each student shall sign the following pledge on each exam: “I pledge my honor that I have not violated the Chicago Booth Honor Code
during this examination.” At the discretion of the professor, this pledge may be required on any other graded work for a course.
Each professor, in the course syllabus, shall state that students are required to adhere to the standards of conduct in the Chicago Booth Honor Code and the Standards of Scholarship and Professionalism, and state any additional standards of conduct for the course.
The principles embodied in the Chicago Booth Honor Code apply to every part of the Booth community.
Violations of the Chicago Booth Honor Code that relate to academic issues will be handled according to the university and Chicago Booth disciplinary procedures (see below).
Nonacademic violations of administrative policies (i.e., the administrative policies of Career Services or Information Technology) will be handled procedurally in the forum (Admissions, Career Services, dean of students, etc.) in which the violation occurred, but may be referred to a disciplinary committee for further action. Decisions related to nonacademic violations of the Chicago Booth Honor Code or the Standards of Scholarship and Professionalism may be appealed to the deputy dean of the student’s program.
Materials posted on Canvas should not be shared on any other medium (for example, any social media or other collaborative platforms or via email) with anyone without explicit permission from the faculty. These materials are distributed to students registered for that class, for use in that class; other medium could have non-class participants. Students may download Canvas material for their own use on multiple personal devices.
Purposefully misleading the Chicago Booth Honor Code judicial process is a violation of the Chicago Booth Honor Code.

University Disciplinary Procedures

The intent of student disciplinary procedures is to ensure a fair and orderly process on questions of possible student misconduct. A disciplinary inquiry enjoys neither the advantages nor the limitations inherent in an adversarial proceeding of a court of law. A student may be held accountable for their misconduct to external civil, criminal, and administrative processes as well as to the university. The university’s disciplinary system normally will proceed regardless of those external processes. A disciplinary committee is not bound by external findings, adjudications, or processes.

Conduct involving possible violation of university policies and regulations and other breaches of standards of behavior expected of university students should be brought promptly to the attention of the dean of students of the academic area of the accused student. Such violations and breaches of standards include, but are not limited to: plagiarism, cheating on examinations, falsifications of documents or records, theft, vandalism, violation of computing policies, violation of the alcohol and other drug policy, physical or verbal abuse that threatens or endangers the health or safety of others, violation of an administrative department’s regulations, failure to comply with directives of university officials (including the University Police), and violation of the terms of imposed disciplinary sanctions.

For the complete text of the university’s disciplinary system by each academic unit, please refer to the Student Manual of University Policies and Regulations.

Disruptive conduct (as defined by University Statute 21) is addressed by the Disciplinary System for Disruptive Conduct. Chicago Booth follows the area disciplinary procedures described in the student manual except as modified below. The area disciplinary systems section of the Student Manual can be found here.

Chicago Booth Disciplinary Procedures

Any allegation against a student that is not a matter under the university’s policy on Policy on Title IX Sexual Harassment or Policy on Harassment, Discrimination, and Sexual Misconduct, whether brought by a faculty member, a member of the administration, a student, or other complainant, must be detailed in writing to the dean of students for the program. The student accused of the possible misconduct is contacted by the dean of students and informed of the accusations and relevant details.

The student is asked to prepare a written response to the accusation. The dean of students will present the written response and additional information/evidence to the deputy dean (or designee). The deputy dean (or designee), in consultation with the dean of students, has the authority to dismiss the complaint, informally resolve it, or recommend that the matter be brought to a disciplinary committee.

If a committee is to be convened, the deputy dean (or designee) will appoint a committee. The committee ordinarily consists of three faculty members, two students, the dean of students (or designee), and a representative from Campus and Student Life (CSL). The dean of students (or designee) and the CSL representative attend the meeting in a non-voting capacity. The dean of students acts as a liaison to the student and assembles any required documentation for the committee. No member of the committee may engage independent investigations or have contact with any of the parties outside of the scheduled committee meetings while the disciplinary process is pending. If an in-person appearance is not feasible, Chicago Booth will make the appropriate technical arrangements/accommodations for remote access.

The deputy dean or the dean of students will notify the student of the committee’s decision after the process and later in writing or email. If the decision involves a grading issue, the dean of students will inform the faculty member(s) involved of the grading recommendation of the disciplinary committee.

Sanctions ranging from a warning to disciplinary suspensions or expulsions, including the revocation of one’s degree, may be levied on a student that restrict or deny the rights and privileges accorded a student of the University of Chicago. Sanctions for misconduct of individual students can be found in the Student Manual of University Policies and Regulations. Rights and privileges appertaining to the status of a student include (but are not limited to) registration, participation in classes and other instructional activities of the university, taking of examinations and the satisfaction of any other requirement for a degree, application for and receipt of any degree, participation as a student in student activities and organizations and in university ceremonies or official bodies, and use of university facilities, such as libraries and graduate student housing.