Texas · Public University
Facing a Aggie Honor Council (hearing panels and conferences); Aggie Honor System Office (AHSO) proceeding? AdvocatED advisors know Texas A&M's specific process under Texas A&M Student Rule 20, Honor System Rules (Academic Misconduct) (Student Rule 20 (revised March 26, 2025)).
If you just received notice
Governing Policy
Preponderance of the evidence (Texas A&M's standard for Honor System findings)
All alleged violations of Texas A&M's Student Rule 20 (Honor System Rules covering academic misconduct), at the main College Station campus. Other A&M System campuses (Galveston, etc.) operate related but locally-administered systems.
Who Decides Your Case
The Aggie Honor System Office facilitates two adjudicative processes: Honor Council conferences (informal) and Honor Council hearing panels (formal). Honor Council panels are composed of students and faculty. The Director of the Aggie Honor System Office oversees case processing and can extend certain deadlines.
Once an instructor identifies potential academic misconduct, they have 10 business days to file a report with the Aggie Honor System Office (the Director may extend this deadline). The AHSO processes the report and routes the case to either an Honor Council conference (less formal) or an Honor Council hearing panel (formal), depending on case severity and complexity.
The Aggie Honor Council reviews the evidence and testimony at either a conference or a formal hearing panel. Determinations are made using the preponderance-of-evidence standard. If the student is found responsible, sanctions are assessed including potentially an F* grade. Failure to complete sanctions within the specified time results in Honor Violation Probation and a registration hold.
A student who is found responsible for a violation and assessed a sanction has five university business days from the date of notification to file an appeal with the Honor System Office. Students are limited to one appeal per case. Through the autonomous appeal process, the sole basis is whether the sanction is commensurate with the violation.
Deadline: 5 university business days from the date of notification of the sanction
Grounds for appeal:
Drawn directly from Texas A&M Student Rule 20, Honor System Rules (Academic Misconduct) (Student Rule 20 (revised March 26, 2025)).
The F* grade, 'FAILURE DUE TO ACADEMIC MISCONDUCT', is a distinctive transcript sanction recorded immediately upon a finding of academic misconduct, creating a visible and specific record separate from a regular F
Faculty have exactly 10 business days to file a report with AHSO, a tight reporting window that affects the evidentiary record students will face
The autonomous appeal process has only one basis (whether the sanction is commensurate), sanction disproportionality is the sole issue reviewable without going outside the Honor System
Students are limited to one appeal per case, a hard procedural constraint
Honor Violation Probation is an automatic consequence of failing to complete assigned sanctions on time, accompanied by a registration hold
Texas A&M offers two adjudicative tracks (conference and hearing panel) under the same Honor Council structure, the Director routes cases based on severity
Student Rule 20 is codified as a formal university student rule, last revised March 26, 2025
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
Falsification of academic records
Professional and graduate programs often have their own adjudication bodies, separate from the main university conduct process.
Texas A&M Law School academic regulations
Law students are subject to separate academic conduct procedures within the School of Law.
College of Medicine Student Promotions and Progress Committee
Medical students face academic progression and professionalism review through the College of Medicine.
Texas A&M Galveston Honor System
Galveston campus operates its own Honor System administration under a parallel structure.
Texas A&M Civil Rights and Equity Investigations Office (Title IX Coordinator)
Sex-based misconduct and Title IX complaints are handled through the Civil Rights and Equity Investigations Office under separate Title IX procedures, not through the Aggie Honor System.
Texas A&M is a large public research university in College Station with a distinctive Aggie Honor Code culture ('Aggies do not lie, cheat, or steal, nor do they tolerate those who do'). The F* grade for academic misconduct, the tight 10-business-day faculty reporting window, and the single-basis autonomous appeal on sanction commensurateness reflect the Honor System's emphasis on consistent and visible consequences.
Hearing preparation for Texas A&M Student Rule 20, Honor System Rules (Academic Misconduct) cases, including plagiarism, cheating, and unauthorized AI use.
Learn more →Strategic coaching and preparation for presenting your case before Aggie Honor Council (hearing panels and conferences); Aggie Honor System Office (AHSO).
Learn more →Building a compelling appeal through Texas A&M's appellate process on the grounds that fit your case.
Learn more →Navigating Texas A&M Civil Rights and Equity Investigations Office (Title IX Coordinator) investigations and hearings.
Learn more →Topic-specific guides that cover the situations Texas A&M students most commonly face.
Aggie Honor Council (hearing panels and conferences); Aggie Honor System Office (AHSO) (AHSO / Honor Council) has jurisdiction over academic misconduct matters at Texas A&M. The Aggie Honor System Office facilitates two adjudicative processes: Honor Council conferences (informal) and Honor Council hearing panels (formal). Honor Council panels are composed of students and faculty. The Director of the Aggie Honor System Office oversees case processing and can extend certain deadlines. All alleged violations of Texas A&M's Student Rule 20 (Honor System Rules covering academic misconduct), at the main College Station campus. Other A&M System campuses (Galveston, etc.) operate related but locally-administered systems.
Texas A&M applies Preponderance of the evidence (Texas A&M's standard for Honor System findings) under Texas A&M Student Rule 20, Honor System Rules (Academic Misconduct) (Student Rule 20 (revised March 26, 2025)). Aggie Honor Council (hearing panels and conferences); Aggie Honor System Office (AHSO) 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 Texas A&M Student Rule 20, Honor System Rules (Academic Misconduct), students facing a Aggie Honor Council (hearing panels and conferences); Aggie Honor System Office (AHSO) proceeding have specific procedural rights, including the right to written notice of the alleged violation within the 10-business-day faculty reporting window; an Honor Council conference (informal) or Honor Council hearing panel (formal), depending on case; an advisor during proceedings; present evidence and respond to allegations. Exercising these rights correctly from the first notice can materially affect the outcome of your case.
Once an instructor identifies potential academic misconduct, they have 10 business days to file a report with the Aggie Honor System Office (the Director may extend this deadline). The AHSO processes the report and routes the case to either an Honor Council conference (less formal) or an Honor Council hearing panel (formal), depending on case severity and complexity.
Aggie Honor Council (hearing panels and conferences); Aggie Honor System Office (AHSO) can impose a range of sanctions depending on the violation, including f* grade, grade reduction on the assignment, failing grade for the course, 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.
The appeal deadline at Texas A&M is 5 university business days from the date of notification of the sanction. A student who is found responsible for a violation and assessed a sanction has five university business days from the date of notification to file an appeal with the Honor System Office. Students are limited to one appeal per case. Through the autonomous appeal process, the sole basis is whether the sanction is commensurate with the violation. Appeal grounds typically include the sanction is not commensurate with the violation (the only basis under the autonomous appeal process). Appeals that succeed are usually the ones that ground each argument in the record and the specific policy language, not emotional or general objections.
Yes. Under Texas A&M Student Rule 20, Honor System Rules (Academic Misconduct), 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 Texas A&M's specific procedural rules. What an advisor can and cannot do varies from school to school, and at Texas A&M the rules are set out in the governing policy.
In most cases, no. Texas A&M's proceedings follow university policy under Texas A&M Student Rule 20, Honor System Rules (Academic Misconduct), not the legal system. What you need is someone who understands Texas A&M'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.
Texas A&M handles Title IX matters separately from general academic misconduct, through the Texas A&M Civil Rights and Equity Investigations Office (Title IX Coordinator). Sex-based misconduct and Title IX complaints are handled through the Civil Rights and Equity Investigations Office under separate Title IX procedures, not through the Aggie Honor System. Title IX proceedings have their own procedures, evidence standards, and timelines. If you are a respondent in a Title IX case at Texas A&M, you should not conflate the process with general conduct cases, and you should respond carefully to any notice you receive.
Yes. Texas A&M School of Law at Texas A&M is handled through Texas A&M Law School academic regulations, which is distinct from the general university conduct process. Law students are subject to separate academic conduct procedures within the School of Law. This matters because professional school findings carry licensure implications, and the remediation and appeal pathways are different from the undergraduate process.
At Texas A&M, 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 Texas A&M, the most consequential deadlines are: Faculty report filing: 10 business days from identifying potential misconduct (extendable by Director); Appeal: 5 university business days from notification of sanction. Missing any of these windows can eliminate procedural options that are otherwise available. If you have received a notice from Aggie Honor Council (hearing panels and conferences); Aggie Honor System Office (AHSO), 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 Texas A&M's own published policies and official university resources.
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