What happens if I am suspected of student misconduct?
All student misconduct correspondence will be sent to your UTS student email account.
It is your responsibility as a UTS student to check and maintain your UTS email account.
Plagiarism
If your case relates to plagiarism, the matter is generally handled by a Responsible Academic Officer within your faculty.
The Responsible Academic Officer will send you a letter of allegation, which will outline the allegation against you. You will be required to admit or deny the allegation.
Ultimately, the Responsible Academic Officer will decide whether the allegation is proven or not and determine any penalty.
You can appeal the decision of a Responsible Academic Officer.
Examinations
If your case relates to misconduct in an examination, the examination supervisor will complete a report on the alleged incident. Their report is given to the Director, Governance Support Unit and, if necessary, sent to the relevant academic to verify any unauthorised material.
The Director, Governance Support Unit can determine to dismiss the allegation due to lack of evidence or issue a formal warning or letter of allegation.
Other types of student misconduct
All other cases of student misconduct are sent to the Director, Governance Support Unit.
The Director, Governance Support Unit can determine to dismiss the allegation due to lack of evidence or issue a formal warning or letter of allegation.
What happens if I receive a letter of allegation from the Director, Governance Support Unit?
If an allegation of student misconduct is made, you will receive a letter from the Director, Governance Support Unit. The letter will outline the details of the alleged misconduct.
You will be requested to respond to the Director, Governance Support Unit by the due date and advise if you admit or deny the allegation. You should submit any relevant supporting documentation with your response.
What happens if I admit to the allegation?
Your matter will be referred to the Vice-Chancellor's nominee to determine the penalty. You will be advised of the penalty in writing and given information on how to appeal.
If the Vice-Chancellor's nominee believes the misconduct is serious enough to warrant an exclusion or suspension, the matter is referred to the University Student Conduct Committee for recommendation on penalty.
What happens if I deny the allegation or don't respond to the letter?
Your matter will be referred to the University Student Conduct Committee for an inquiry.
If the allegation is proven, the University Student Conduct Committee will make a recommendation on penalty. The University Student Conduct Committee's report including recommendations is sent to the Vice-Chancellor's nominee.
The Vice-Chancellor's nominee can accept or not accept the recommendations of the University Student Conduct Committee or consider a more severe penalty.
You will be advised of the outcome and the process of appeal.
See attending misconduct committees.
Can I appeal a decision?
Yes. A student has a right to appeal a misconduct decision of the Vice-Chancellor's nominee or Responsible Academic Officer, as outlined in the Rules. Rule 16.15 defines the five grounds on which you can appeal:
- that the decision was based on a serious misunderstanding of these Rules
- that the decision was based on a serious mistake as to the facts
- that a failure of procedural fairness occurred including failure to follow specified procedural requirements which would be likely to have had an impact on the decisions or outcomes of the proceedings
- that fresh relevant evidence has become available to the student, being evidence that was not available or known to the student at the time of the decision and which would be likely to have affected the outcome of the proceedings
- that the penalty or penalties imposed on the student were manifestly excessive or inappropriate.
If you appeal the decision, your matter will be referred to the Student Misconduct Appeals Committee. See attending misconduct committees.
What are the penalties for student misconduct?
Rule 16.3 describes the penalties for student misconduct, which range from a reprimand, zero for the assessment or subject, to suspension and exclusion.
In some circumstances, matters are reported to the NSW Police or other external agencies.
If you are excluded from the University, readmission is not automatic. Depending on your course you may be required to seek readmission via the University Admission Centre (UAC) or the University. You will be required to show cause as to why you should be readmitted and conditions may be placed on your readmission.
What factors determine which penalty will be imposed?
When considering the issue of penalty, a range of factors is taken into account, including:
- seriousness of the misconduct
- penalties imposed for previous similar cases
- a student's previous misconduct record
- relevant mitigating facts or circumstances, and
- the student's expression of remorse and/or apology (where relevant).
Are penalties recorded?
Yes. All records of student misconduct are recorded on your internal student record. Periods of suspension or exclusion are recorded on your academic transcript.
Why is there a block on my UTS record?
In some misconduct cases, blocks are applied to a student's record.
If you have a block on your student record, you cannot enrol or change your study plan until you have responded to the allegation and, in some cases, until the matter has been finalised. You can make a request for the block to be temporarily lifted.