Frequently Asked Questions

You can talk with a staff member in the Office of Academic Integrity. Schedule some time with a staff member by email. You can also speak to the Office of Ombuds Services, a school’s Academic Integrity Ambassador, or an advisor of your choice. You are encouraged to speak with staff members in USC Counseling and Mental Health Services should you begin to feel overwhelmed while going through the process.

The staff member assigned to your case will talk with you about the incident and any related allegation(s), as well as answer questions that you have about the Student Conduct Process. This meeting is an opportunity for you to share your perspective concerning the incident, and to provide any relevant information for consideration.

If after reviewing the allegations and discussing the incident with the OAI staff member, you accept responsibility for the alleged violation(s), the OAI staff will determine the appropriate University outcome(s) and action(s). The process may take several meetings to complete.

If after reviewing the allegations and discussing the incident with the OAI staff member, you do not believe that you have violated University policy with regard to the alleged violation(s), the OAI staff member will continue the administrative review to determine the next steps in the process. There are several resolution options available including a referral to a Review Panel. Learn more about the Administrative Review Process.

If, after reviewing the information, the OAI staff member assigned to the case concludes there is not enough information available to determine a violation occurred, and the student does not accept responsibility for violating the Student Conduct Code, OAI may close the case.

Your record in this case is your student conduct file which is maintained in the Office of Academic Integrity. A file/record in this instance contains information related to the incident and the administrative review. 

Many students believe that a student conduct “record” is the same as a transcript. This is not the case. A transcript is one type of student record and a student conduct file is another.

Yes. You have the right to review the information in your file related to the incident. Information will be shared with you during your meeting with the assigned staff member.

Student conduct records are private and the Office of Academic Integrity works to ensure that student’s privacy is maintained. Generally speaking, information will be shared with university officials who have demonstrated an educational need-to-know, and with others whom the student has explicitly requested that the Office of Academic Integrity share conduct case information with.

• Confidentiality Waiver
• Guidelines for Advisors

Students cannot withdraw from a course in which they have committed or have been accused of committing an academic integrity violation. Students found to have withdrawn from a course in which an academic integrity violation is alleged or determined will be re-enrolled in the course.

Additionally, students found responsible for an act of academic dishonesty in a course in which they have participated but have not enrolled (auditing), may be retroactively enrolled and assigned an appropriate outcome.

A faculty-student resolution is an opportunity for an instructor to resolve academic dishonesty directly with an undergraduate student if the student accepts responsibility for the allegation (and the instructor’s proposed resolution), and the alleged behavior is deemed appropriate by OAI for resolution between the instructor and undergraduate student.

Examples include incidents of minimal plagiarism; turning in an assignment with minimal unauthorized collaboration or unauthorized access to resources; submission of the same assignment to more than one instructor without instructor approval; or indicating attendance/participation in a course on behalf of an absent student.

Cases in which the alleged academic integrity violation occurred in a graduate level course (course number 500 or above) or by a student enrolled in a graduate degree program other than a progressive degree program are not eligible for the Faculty-Student Resolution process.

Incidents resolved by a Faculty-Student Resolution or when a student accepts responsibility and agrees to the outcomes issued by the OAI staff member are not eligible for appeal.

Students may submit an appeal if they disagree with the findings and/or outcomes issued. Appeals are submitted to the Appeal Manager who will collect the student’s documents on behalf of the Vice Provost for Academic Programs.

Appeals are determined solely on the merits of the documents submitted and do not include an in-person/virtual presentation. Written submissions should be as complete as possible and no longer than five single-spaced typed pages with a font no smaller than a size of 10 point.

Incidents resulting in suspension, expulsion, revocation, and dismissal from program will have a transcript notation.

Other outcomes are maintained by OAI for up to seven years from the most recent incident…

See Student Records for complete details. 

Please email the form to disciplinarycheck@usc.edu. Make sure to sign the waiver release and we will send the completed form to the organization unless otherwise requested. To ensure a complete disciplinary check, please also contact the Office for Civil Rights Compliance (ocrc@usc.edu), as we do not have access to their records. 

Internal offices at USC may ask for and be given student disciplinary history as part of evaluating student eligibility for study abroad, leadership opportunities, awards, admission to a USC program, etc. A student’s disciplinary history for purposes of internal sharing includes all incidents in which a student was found responsible for a violation of policy, and includes cases resolved through the Health and Safety Intervention Policy and Informal Resolution process. Release of these records is permitted without prior consent.

Law Certification, Bar Examiners forms, and Dean’s Letters can be requested by email at disciplinarycheck@usc.edu. Include the nature of the request and contact person, institution, and mailing information where the letter needs to be sent. Please also make sure to include your contact information, along with your USC identification number in your request.

Please email Pre-Health Advising at prehealth@dornsife.edu or call (213) 740-4844 for assistance with completing the form.

You may email your request to disciplinarycheck@usc.edu. Make sure to sign the waiver so we may conduct the disciplinary check. Please allow 2 weeks for processing and state if you would like the form to be sent directly or held for pick-up.

An Academic Integrity Ambassador is a designated faculty/ staff representative (typically in a USC school or college) who provides guidance to faculty within the school/ college about USC’s academic integrity standards and the procedures utilized by the university to respond to alleged academic integrity violations.

The Office of Academic Integrity will review the report you submitted and either follow-up with you for additional information or assign the report to a staff member for review. You will be included in the initial outreach to the student(s), but you do not need to respond or attend the initial meeting.

Staff will schedule a meeting with the student(s) involved to determine if a violation occurred and, if so, assign the appropriate educational interventions and university outcomes.

Grade outcomes are determined and assigned by the instructor of record.

Yes. Instructors are encouraged to discuss the situation with their students if they feel comfortable doing so. Though students are provided general information about the alleged incident, it is common for students to express anxiety and uncertainty about the incident leading up to their meeting with OAI staff. By speaking with the student, you may be able to alleviate their concerns and gain insight into the matter. For language guidance via email, please refer to this page on our website.

While you may relay possible grade penalties, please do not speak about university outcomes such as suspension, as that will be determined by the Office of Academic Integrity.

Yes. You are encouraged to grade the assignment, however if the incident is pending at the conclusion of the semester, you should issue the student a grade of MG (Missing Grade) pending the incident’s resolution.

OAI staff will inform you of the result of their review and you will be asked to issue them a grade based on the determination of responsibility. A grade penalty related to academic misconduct may not be issued if there is insufficient information to find the student responsible for an alleged violation. If the assignment is otherwise worthy of a failing grade, a penalty can still be applied.

USC empowers and expects its faculty to respond to suspected acts of academic dishonesty that occur in their courses.

The Office of Academic Integrity supports a culture of integrity by holding students accountable for their actions. University outcomes range from Warning to Expulsion. Most incidents do not result in a separation from the university (e.g., suspension) or a permanent notation on the student’s transcript. Separation from the university is usually the result of repeated or egregious violations. Learn more about the process on the Process page of our website.

By not reporting, you risk allowing students to engage in repeated, unreported misconduct.

A Faculty-Student Resolution is considered an informal review process and available only when:

• The student involved is an undergraduate enrolled in an undergraduate course;
• The instructor determines that the violation is minor;
  • The violation was not premeditated
  • The violation did not involve final exams, final projects, or other assignments in lieu of a final exam
• Student accepts responsibility for the violation;
• Student agrees to the outcomes determined by the instructor; and
• Student has not previously been found responsible for an academic violation (either via FSR or formal review)

Generally speaking, an incident is not considered minor if the violation, on its own merit, would result in a failing grade in the course.

FSRs are not typically reported as part of a student’s disciplinary history to entities external to USC.

Alternatively, a formal review is conducted by OAI staff who invite students to discuss the incident and provide their perspective of the incident. This review may take place over the course of multiple meetings and may require consultation with the instructor or any other relevant parties.

No. Instructors seeking guidance regarding the FSR process are invited to consult with the Office of Academic Integrity and/or their school’s Academic Integrity Ambassador. Consultation is not, however, a required element of the process.

Yes, you can (and are encouraged to). 

Students accused of academic dishonesty are expected to continue participation in the course while OAI resolves the matter. 

Students may not withdraw from a course in which they have committed or have been accused of committing an academic integrity violation.

Students found to have withdrawn from a course in which an academic integrity violation is alleged and reported to the Office of Academic Integrity (either via the FSR or Administrative Review Process) will be re-enrolled in the course.

To assign a final grade to the student, please contact your Grade Coordinator to complete the DocuSign MG form. Once the form is completed, you will receive a notification for your e-signature. Your signed form will route to the Grades Department and the grade change will be processed.

Please reach out to OAI for guidance regarding your particular case.

You will be notified of the outcomes of the case to issue final grades after the conclusion of the review process including possible appeals. OAI is committed to transparency throughout the process. Feel free to reach out for updates about a specific case.

If you observe potential academic misconduct during an exam, allow the student to complete the assessment without interruption. Document what you observe and submit a report to the Office of Academic Integrity. General reminders—such as “Please keep eyes on your own work”—can be given at the start or during the exam. Avoid interrupting students or removing them from the exam room.

The review process is identical for all students. As a university, we have higher expectations for students who are further along in their matriculation. Graduate students are expected to have a deeper understanding and level of commitment to integrity when it comes to their academic work, and the outcomes assigned may reflect this. Therefore, graduate students are not eligible for the FSR process, which is reserved for undergraduate students involved in minor, unintentional violations.

Please email a written request to disciplinarycheck@usc.edu stating the nature of the request, the name, and the USC ID of the student.  Your request will be processed, and you will receive an email response upon completion. To ensure a complete disciplinary check, please also check the student’s name with the Office of Civil Rights Compliance (ocrc@usc.edu), as we do not have access to their records.

Please email a written request to disciplinarycheck@usc.edu stating the nature of the request, the name, and the USC ID of the student.  Your request will be processed, and you will receive an email response upon completion. To ensure a complete disciplinary check, please also check the student’s name with the Office of Civil Rights Compliance (ocrc@usc.edu), as we do not have access to their records.

Please contact the Office of Academic Integrity

email: academicintegrity@usc.edu
phone: (213) 764-4163