Wisconsin · Public University
Facing a Office of Student Conduct and Community Standards (OSCCS); faculty hearing panels or examiners under UWS 14 proceeding? AdvocatED advisors know UW-Madison's specific process under Wisconsin Administrative Code UWS Chapter 14, Student Academic Disciplinary Procedures (UWS 14 (academic); UWS 17 (non-academic)).
If you just received notice
Governing Policy
Preponderance of the credible evidence for sanctions up to disciplinary probation; clear and convincing evidence for suspension or expulsion
Academic misconduct across the UW System, UWS 14 is the statewide administrative code governing academic disciplinary procedures, applying to UW-Madison and other UW System institutions. Non-academic misconduct is governed by UWS Chapter 17.
Who Decides Your Case
UW-Madison's conduct process is administered by the Office of Student Conduct and Community Standards, operating under Wisconsin Administrative Code UWS Chapter 14 (Student Academic Disciplinary Procedures). Contested cases may be heard by a hearing panel or by an examiner, depending on the process elected. Final institutional decisions may be appealed to the Chancellor and, ultimately, to the UW Board of Regents.
The instructor makes the initial misconduct determination and proposes a sanction under UWS 14. The accused student receives written notice and has ten days to request a formal hearing with either a hearing panel or an examiner. If the student does not request a hearing, the instructor-proposed sanctions take effect.
If the student requests a formal hearing, the case is heard by a hearing panel or by an examiner under UWS 14. For any sanction up to disciplinary probation, the decision rests on preponderance of the credible evidence. For suspension or expulsion, regardless of whether the instructor or the hearing body proposes these, the evidence must rise to clear and convincing. The investigating officer can impose the sanction per UWS 14.07 when the student does not request a hearing.
Final institutional decisions in misconduct cases may be appealed to the Chancellor. Students may further request review by the UW Board of Regents.
Grounds for appeal:
Drawn directly from Wisconsin Administrative Code UWS Chapter 14, Student Academic Disciplinary Procedures (UWS 14 (academic); UWS 17 (non-academic)).
UW-Madison operates under Wisconsin Administrative Code UWS Chapter 14, a statewide formal administrative code governing academic disciplinary procedures for all UW System schools. This is unusual procedural formalization tied to state administrative law
Dual evidence standard: preponderance of the credible evidence for sanctions up to disciplinary probation, clear and convincing evidence for suspension or expulsion. The higher standard for separation sanctions is a meaningful procedural protection
Appeals may proceed all the way to the UW System Board of Regents after Chancellor-level review, a unique two-step external review process absent at most private institutions
Students have 10 days to request a formal hearing after the instructor's initial determination. If no hearing is requested, the investigating officer may impose the sanction under UWS 14.07
Choice between hearing panel and examiner in formal hearings, the student's preference matters
UWS 14 is codified in state administrative code (docs.legis.wisconsin.gov), so procedural protections have quasi-statutory weight
Non-academic misconduct is governed by the separate UWS Chapter 17, creating a clear track split
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
Tampering with academic records or other students' work
Professional and graduate programs often have their own adjudication bodies, separate from the main university conduct process.
UW Law School Code of Academic Conduct
Law students are subject to a separate Code of Academic Conduct administered within the Law School.
SMPH Student Promotions Committee
Medical students face academic progression and professionalism review through SMPH.
UW-Madison Office of Compliance / Title IX Coordinator
Sex-based misconduct and Title IX complaints are handled through the Office of Compliance under UW-Madison's separate Title IX policies, not through OSCCS's UWS 14 academic misconduct process.
UW-Madison is the flagship campus of the University of Wisconsin System. Its operation under Wisconsin Administrative Code UWS Chapter 14, with statewide procedural rules enforceable through state administrative law, gives the process an unusually formal statutory character. The two-tier evidence standard (preponderance for probation, clear and convincing for suspension/expulsion) and the Board of Regents review option are distinctive protections for serious cases.
Hearing preparation for Wisconsin Administrative Code UWS Chapter 14, Student Academic Disciplinary Procedures cases, including plagiarism, cheating, and unauthorized AI use.
Learn more →Strategic coaching and preparation for presenting your case before Office of Student Conduct and Community Standards (OSCCS); faculty hearing panels or examiners under UWS 14.
Learn more →Building a compelling appeal through UW-Madison's appellate process on the grounds that fit your case.
Learn more →Navigating UW-Madison Office of Compliance / Title IX Coordinator investigations and hearings.
Learn more →Topic-specific guides that cover the situations UW-Madison students most commonly face.
Office of Student Conduct and Community Standards (OSCCS); faculty hearing panels or examiners under UWS 14 (OSCCS) has jurisdiction over academic misconduct matters at UW-Madison. UW-Madison's conduct process is administered by the Office of Student Conduct and Community Standards, operating under Wisconsin Administrative Code UWS Chapter 14 (Student Academic Disciplinary Procedures). Contested cases may be heard by a hearing panel or by an examiner, depending on the process elected. Final institutional decisions may be appealed to the Chancellor and, ultimately, to the UW Board of Regents. Academic misconduct across the UW System, UWS 14 is the statewide administrative code governing academic disciplinary procedures, applying to UW-Madison and other UW System institutions. Non-academic misconduct is governed by UWS Chapter 17.
UW-Madison applies Preponderance of the credible evidence for sanctions up to disciplinary probation; clear and convincing evidence for suspension or expulsion under Wisconsin Administrative Code UWS Chapter 14, Student Academic Disciplinary Procedures (UWS 14 (academic); UWS 17 (non-academic)). Office of Student Conduct and Community Standards (OSCCS); faculty hearing panels or examiners under UWS 14 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 Wisconsin Administrative Code UWS Chapter 14, Student Academic Disciplinary Procedures, students facing a Office of Student Conduct and Community Standards (OSCCS); faculty hearing panels or examiners under UWS 14 proceeding have specific procedural rights, including the right to written notice from the instructor of the misconduct determination and proposed sanction; 10 days to request a formal hearing with a hearing panel or examiner; heightened clear-and-convincing evidence standard for suspension or expulsion; an advisor during the hearing. Exercising these rights correctly from the first notice can materially affect the outcome of your case.
The instructor makes the initial misconduct determination and proposes a sanction under UWS 14. The accused student receives written notice and has ten days to request a formal hearing with either a hearing panel or an examiner. If the student does not request a hearing, the instructor-proposed sanctions take effect.
Office of Student Conduct and Community Standards (OSCCS); faculty hearing panels or examiners under UWS 14 can impose a range of sanctions depending on the violation, including oral reprimand, written reprimand presented to the student, an assignment to repeat the work, 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. Final institutional decisions in misconduct cases may be appealed to the Chancellor. Students may further request review by the UW Board of Regents. Appeal grounds typically include procedural error that affected the outcome of the hearing, new information not reasonably available at the time of the hearing, sanction disproportionate to the violation found, among others. 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 Wisconsin Administrative Code UWS Chapter 14, Student Academic Disciplinary Procedures, students have the right to an advisor during the hearing. AdvocatED can serve as that advisor and help you prepare your response, question witnesses where allowed, and navigate UW-Madison's specific procedural rules. What an advisor can and cannot do varies from school to school, and at UW-Madison the rules are set out in the governing policy.
In most cases, no. UW-Madison's proceedings follow university policy under Wisconsin Administrative Code UWS Chapter 14, Student Academic Disciplinary Procedures, not the legal system. What you need is someone who understands UW-Madison'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.
UW-Madison handles Title IX matters separately from general academic misconduct, through the UW-Madison Office of Compliance / Title IX Coordinator. Sex-based misconduct and Title IX complaints are handled through the Office of Compliance under UW-Madison's separate Title IX policies, not through OSCCS's UWS 14 academic misconduct process. Title IX proceedings have their own procedures, evidence standards, and timelines. If you are a respondent in a Title IX case at UW-Madison, you should not conflate the process with general conduct cases, and you should respond carefully to any notice you receive.
Yes. UW Law School at UW-Madison is handled through UW Law School Code of Academic Conduct, which is distinct from the general university conduct process. Law students are subject to a separate Code of Academic Conduct 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 UW-Madison, 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 UW-Madison, the most consequential deadlines are: Request for formal hearing: 10 days after instructor's written notice. Missing any of these windows can eliminate procedural options that are otherwise available. If you have received a notice from Office of Student Conduct and Community Standards (OSCCS); faculty hearing panels or examiners under UWS 14, 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 UW-Madison's own published policies and official university resources.
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