Colleges take academic honesty very importantly. They expect their students to not engage in underhanded activities in order to get better marks so everyone can have a fair chance. If a student breaks the rules for academic honesty, the consequences can be dire. In this article we shall see Will I Get Kicked Out of College for Cheating?
The punishment for cheating can vary across colleges. You could simply be given a disciplinary warning, or you could be permanently expelled as well. The level of punishment you receive will depend on how serious the crime you committed was. Believe it or not, there are different kinds of cheating and each merits different treatment. The consequences of cheating won’t necessarily go away after you leave college and can stay on your transcript to haunt you. It’s very risky to cheat and it could completely derail your plans after college as well.
What Counts as Cheating?
Plagiarism
If you’re writing a paper and you use information that belongs to someone else without giving them credit, you may be charged with plagiarism. Most colleges have a margin of plagiarism that they allow, but if you exceed this then this can qualify as cheating. The way to avoid this is by always ensuring that you’ve cited correctly, even if you’re paraphrasing.
Providing Answers to Others
You cannot, under any circumstances, obtain information about the contents of a test and share it with your fellow students. Don’t try and sell this information and don’t do anything dangerous to try and find out what subjects a test might contain. This is one of the easiest ways to get caught for cheating as multiple people are involved and any one of the people you share the test with could rat you out.
Using Prohibited Resources
This is probably the most obvious way to cheat. If you’re having an exam or a quiz, don’t use any resources you’re not allowed to. If it’s a closed book test, don’t sneak your notes in with you. Make sure you leave your phone outside the classroom. Don’t write on your arm or your leg or try any other way to access information that you’re not supposed to use. College invigilators are very vigilant and you won’t be able to fool them with stuff like this.
Copying Someone Else
If you’re sitting in an exam hall, don’t try and copy your friend’s work. Even if it’s a take-home exam, don’t collaborate if you’re not supposed to. In the modern age, instructors have a multitude of tools that they can use to find out if there are similarities between different students’ work.
Impersonating Another Person
You cannot take someone else’s tests and exams for them. Don’t try to fool examiners by impersonating another person;it will not work. Moreover, again, this is one of those tricks that can get you caught very easily since there’ll be other people involved. Impersonating another person can also be a crime so this one is perhaps the most dangerous one you can do. Not only will you likely get kicked out of college, but you’ll probably also have to face charges.
Consequences of Cheating
Failing the Class
This is the most likely consequence of getting caught cheating. You will not be allowed to pass the course you were cheating in, and you’ll also probably be banned from that course and that instructor’s other classes. This can be terrible, especially if the course you failed was a core for your major. It will also negatively impact your GPA, and these kinds of losses can be almost impossible to recover from.
Getting Suspended
Suspension means that you’ll be temporarily removed from your college, and you won’t be able to attend any of your classes. The length of this suspension varies – it could mean just a few weeks or a semester or even an entire year. This will mean you’ll fall behind your peers and it could even result in you graduating later than your batchmates.
Getting Expelled
If an offence is considered serious enough, you will be expelled from your college. This is as awful as it sounds – you’ll have your transcripts cancelled, your degree will be left unfinished, and you’ll be dismissed in disgrace. While expulsion over minor cases of cheating is rare, if you’re doing something that negatively affects and involves other students, such as selling a test then you are more likely to be expelled.
Legal Fines and Funding Revoked
Some colleges may take legal recourse against more serious cases of cheating. You may have to pay the college a fine or face some sort of community service.
Additionally, your funding will most likely be revoked if you were on a scholarship. This can be devastating as it’ll mean that you won’t be able to fund the rest of your college experience.
Labelled as Academically Dishonest
This is perhaps one of the worst consequences of getting caught cheating. If you’re expelled, then any potential transfer college will ask you why this happened. And then, you’ll have to tell them that you got caught cheating. This will adversely affect your chances of getting into another college and this reputation of academic dishonesty can haunt you for way longer than the time you actually cheated. No future college or employer wants a person who has been accused of being a cheater.
Conclusion
If you get caught cheating in college, the consequences are way more severe than they would be in high school. Depending on what you did, you could even be kicked out from school.
College professors are very clever and after their years of experience in teaching they will probably catch you if you try to cheat so it’s better to avoid such dishonest practices. If you’re having trouble with your academics, reach out to professors, advisors, and fellow students. Believe it or not, your college wants to see you succeed and there will be many resources that can make sure you don’t have to resort to cheating.
FAQs
Will I lose my financial aid for cheating?
It depends on the policies of your aid provider. However, it is not unheard of for students to lose their financial aid because of cheating. Additionally, if you’re a scholarship student then the likelihood of you losing your funding for cheating is a lot higher.
Can I get arrested for cheating?
Yes, it is possible for you to get arrested for cheating. Depending on your college’s policies, you could possibly be looking at some jail time for cheating.
Does cheating in college stay on your permanent record?
This depends on your college. In some cases, colleges will just punish you in the moment and not put anything on your permanent record. However, in other cases they may include a note in your transcript that details that you were caught cheating. This can be catastrophic as it will harm your chances of getting into a good grad school and may even affect your employment opportunities.
