Indiana · Private University
Facing a Notre Dame Office of Academic Standards; College- and School-Specific Honor Code Committees proceeding? AdvocatED advisors know Notre Dame's specific process under University of Notre Dame Undergraduate Academic Code of Honor (Procedural Appendix updated for 2025-26).
If you just received notice
Governing Policy
Procedural Appendix updated for 2025-26 academic year
Preponderance of the evidence (Notre Dame's standard for Honor Code findings)
All alleged violations of Notre Dame's Undergraduate Academic Code of Honor. Administration is consistent with restorative justice practices and Catholic Social Thought.
Who Decides Your Case
The Office of Academic Standards oversees the administration of Notre Dame's Honor Code and academic integrity initiatives. The Director of the Office of Academic Standards chairs the University Committee on the Honor Code, which reviews and periodically updates procedures. Most cases are resolved through an abbreviated Honor Code Violation Report (HCVR) process or through college- and school-specific Honor Code committee protocols.
Individual cases are resolved whenever possible through either the abbreviated Honor Code Violation Report (HCVR) process or via protocols overseen by the chairs of college- and school-specific Honor Code committees. The specific resolution path depends on the college or school where the student is enrolled and the nature of the allegation.
Where an expedited hearing panel is convened, the student may respond to the allegation and present evidence. The panel issues a finding and, if responsibility is established, a sanction. The process operates within Notre Dame's framework of restorative justice and Catholic Social Thought, which can inform both procedural conduct and sanction considerations.
Students have the right to appeal the penalty issued by an expedited Hearing Panel. The specific appellate body, grounds, and deadlines are set out in the Procedural Appendix to the Academic Code of Honor (currently in its 2025-26 version).
Grounds for appeal:
Drawn directly from University of Notre Dame Undergraduate Academic Code of Honor (Procedural Appendix updated for 2025-26).
Notre Dame administers its Honor Code through a framework explicitly informed by Catholic Social Thought, including principles of human dignity and care for the common good, unique among AAU-level research universities
Restorative justice practices are an explicit component of the process, sanctions and procedures may emphasize repair of community harm alongside accountability
The Honor Code Violation Report (HCVR) is an abbreviated resolution mechanism for appropriate cases, allowing faster disposition than a full Hearing Panel
Colleges and schools each have their own Honor Code committees with chair-level procedural oversight, meaning the Arts & Letters, Engineering, Mendoza, and other colleges may have somewhat different nuances
The Office of Academic Standards (not a Student Affairs office) administers the Code, reflecting the academic-side ownership of integrity matters
The University Committee on the Honor Code periodically updates procedures, the Procedural Appendix currently reflects the 2025-26 academic year
The Director of the Office of Academic Standards chairs the University Committee on the Honor Code, giving the administering office direct role in policy evolution
Plagiarism on written work
Cheating on exams or quizzes
Unauthorized collaboration on individual assignments
Fabrication of data, sources, or research results
Unauthorized AI use on graded work
Multiple submission of the same work without permission
Facilitating academic dishonesty by another student
Misrepresentation in academic contexts
Professional and graduate programs often have their own adjudication bodies, separate from the main university conduct process.
Notre Dame Law School Honor Code
Law students are subject to a separate Honor Code administered within the Law School.
Mendoza Honor Code procedures
Business students (including MBA) are subject to Mendoza-specific honor procedures alongside the University Honor Code.
Graduate School academic integrity procedures
Graduate students may face additional integrity review through the Graduate School.
Notre Dame Office of Institutional Equity / Title IX Coordinator
Sex-based misconduct and Title IX complaints are handled through the Office of Institutional Equity under Notre Dame's Title IX and Discriminatory Harassment policies, separately from the Honor Code process.
The University of Notre Dame is a private Catholic research university in South Bend, Indiana. The integration of Catholic Social Thought and restorative justice into the Honor Code process, alongside the abbreviated HCVR resolution option and the Office of Academic Standards administration, distinguishes Notre Dame's approach from secular peer institutions' more adversarial or purely administrative conduct systems.
Hearing preparation for University of Notre Dame Undergraduate Academic Code of Honor (Procedural Appendix updated for 2025-26) cases, including plagiarism, cheating, and unauthorized AI use.
Learn more →Strategic coaching and preparation for presenting your case before Notre Dame Office of Academic Standards; College- and School-Specific Honor Code Committees.
Learn more →Building a compelling appeal through Notre Dame's appellate process on the grounds that fit your case.
Learn more →Navigating Notre Dame Office of Institutional Equity / Title IX Coordinator investigations and hearings.
Learn more →Topic-specific guides that cover the situations Notre Dame students most commonly face.
Notre Dame Office of Academic Standards; College- and School-Specific Honor Code Committees has jurisdiction over academic misconduct matters at Notre Dame. The Office of Academic Standards oversees the administration of Notre Dame's Honor Code and academic integrity initiatives. The Director of the Office of Academic Standards chairs the University Committee on the Honor Code, which reviews and periodically updates procedures. Most cases are resolved through an abbreviated Honor Code Violation Report (HCVR) process or through college- and school-specific Honor Code committee protocols. All alleged violations of Notre Dame's Undergraduate Academic Code of Honor. Administration is consistent with restorative justice practices and Catholic Social Thought.
Notre Dame applies Preponderance of the evidence (Notre Dame's standard for Honor Code findings) under University of Notre Dame Undergraduate Academic Code of Honor (Procedural Appendix updated for 2025-26). Notre Dame Office of Academic Standards; College- and School-Specific Honor Code Committees uses this standard when determining whether a student is responsible for an alleged violation. The evidence standard is critical because it determines how strong the evidence must be before a finding of responsibility can be made.
Under University of Notre Dame Undergraduate Academic Code of Honor (Procedural Appendix updated for 2025-26), students facing a Notre Dame Office of Academic Standards; College- and School-Specific Honor Code Committees proceeding have specific procedural rights, including the right to written notice of the alleged Honor Code violation; an advisor during proceedings; present evidence and respond to allegations; resolution through the abbreviated Honor Code Violation Report (HCVR) process where appropriate. Exercising these rights correctly from the first notice can materially affect the outcome of your case.
Individual cases are resolved whenever possible through either the abbreviated Honor Code Violation Report (HCVR) process or via protocols overseen by the chairs of college- and school-specific Honor Code committees. The specific resolution path depends on the college or school where the student is enrolled and the nature of the allegation.
Notre Dame Office of Academic Standards; College- and School-Specific Honor Code Committees can impose a range of sanctions depending on the violation, including academic sanctions, written reprimand or warning, educational or restorative sanctions consistent with restorative justice principles, and more serious outcomes including suspension and expulsion. The specific sanction depends on the facts, the student's prior record, and any mitigating factors presented during the proceeding. Sanction-phase advocacy is often as important as the responsibility phase, since even a first finding can carry long-term consequences on transcripts and graduate school applications.
Yes. Students have the right to appeal the penalty issued by an expedited Hearing Panel. The specific appellate body, grounds, and deadlines are set out in the Procedural Appendix to the Academic Code of Honor (currently in its 2025-26 version). Appeal grounds typically include procedural error that affected the outcome, new information not reasonably available at the time of the hearing panel decision, sanction disproportionate to the finding. The specific appeal deadline is set out in the outcome letter, and it is usually short, often 5 to 10 business days from the date of the decision.
Yes. Under University of Notre Dame Undergraduate Academic Code of Honor (Procedural Appendix updated for 2025-26), students have the right to an advisor during proceedings. AdvocatED can serve as that advisor and help you prepare your response, question witnesses where allowed, and navigate Notre Dame's specific procedural rules. What an advisor can and cannot do varies from school to school, and at Notre Dame the rules are set out in the governing policy.
In most cases, no. Notre Dame's proceedings follow university policy under University of Notre Dame Undergraduate Academic Code of Honor (Procedural Appendix updated for 2025-26), not the legal system. What you need is someone who understands Notre Dame's specific procedures, the evidence standard, and how sanctions are assessed. An education advocate typically provides stronger, more targeted guidance than a general-practice attorney because the body of law here is university policy, not criminal or civil procedure. AdvocatED brings deep, specialized expertise in these exact processes at a fraction of a law firm's cost.
Notre Dame handles Title IX matters separately from general academic misconduct, through the Notre Dame Office of Institutional Equity / Title IX Coordinator. Sex-based misconduct and Title IX complaints are handled through the Office of Institutional Equity under Notre Dame's Title IX and Discriminatory Harassment policies, separately from the Honor Code process. Title IX proceedings have their own procedures, evidence standards, and timelines. If you are a respondent in a Title IX case at Notre Dame, you should not conflate the process with general conduct cases, and you should respond carefully to any notice you receive.
Yes. Notre Dame Law School at Notre Dame is handled through Notre Dame Law School Honor Code, which is distinct from the general university conduct process. Law students are subject to a separate Honor Code administered within the Law School. This matters because professional school findings carry licensure implications, and the remediation and appeal pathways are different from the undergraduate process.
At Notre Dame, the most frequently cited violations include: plagiarism on written work; cheating on exams or quizzes; unauthorized collaboration on individual assignments; fabrication of data, sources, or research results. Knowing which violation is alleged is the foundation of an effective defense, because the response strategy differs substantially based on whether the case involves plagiarism, AI use, exam cheating, collaboration, or a procedural technicality.
At Notre Dame, the most consequential deadlines are: Appeal deadlines are specified in the Procedural Appendix and in the outcome letter. Missing any of these windows can eliminate procedural options that are otherwise available. If you have received a notice from Notre Dame Office of Academic Standards; College- and School-Specific Honor Code Committees, document the dates on the notice immediately and calendar every deadline, even ones that do not seem urgent.
The procedural details on this page come directly from Notre Dame's own published policies and official university resources.
Get your free case review today. We respond quickly and prioritize urgent cases, because we know Notre Dame's deadlines don't wait.