Student Misconduct Holds
Student Misconduct Hold and Revocation of Degree Guidelines
These guidelines apply to the placement of holds on student records, temporary withdrawal of a degree, or permanent revocation of the degree of a current or former student[1] accused of or found responsible for the violation of a University disciplinary policy.
These guidelines apply to each of the following administrative offices for the respective disciplinary policy:
| Administrative Office | Disciplinary Policy |
|---|---|
| Office of Student Conduct | Code of Conduct |
| Office of Academic Honesty | Academic Honesty Policy, Honor Code, or any other form of academic honesty |
| Equal Opportunity Office | Non-Discrimination and Anti-Harassment (NDAH) Policy, and Student Sexual Misconduct Policy |
| Office of Research Integrity and Safety | Research Misconduct Policy |
Placement of Holds on Student Records
Each administrative office shall include in its respective disciplinary policy criteria for the placement of holds on student records that are consistent with these guidelines. The administrative office may place a hold on a student record when:
- The administrative office becomes aware of a potential violation of its disciplinary
policy and the criteria in the disciplinary policy for the placement of a record hold
are met
or - As part of a sanction for violation of the respective disciplinary policy
Types of Student Misconduct Holds
There are three types of holds that relate to student misconduct:
- Registration Hold
Prohibits a student from registering for courses, adding/dropping courses, and withdrawing. This hold may be placed on a student’s record by the administrative office. - Document Hold
Prohibits the University from releasing certain student records, including a transient letter or other letters of good standing from the University. This hold may be placed on a student's record by the administrative office responsible for the hold. - Graduation Hold
Prohibits the awarding of a degree. The Office of the Registrar, along with the student’s school(s) or college(s), will prohibit a degree from being awarded for a student who has a graduation hold placed on his or her account at the request of the administrative office. The administrative office requesting the hold will notify the dean’s office of the student’s school(s) or college(s) of the request not to award the student’s degree, with a copy of the request sent to the Office of the Registrar. If the student is a graduate student, then the dean of the Graduate School must also be notified. The degree will not be awarded until the matter is resolved, including the completion of any sanctions issued, and the student’s dean’s office and the Office of the Registrar are notified to proceed with awarding the student’s degree.
A graduation hold is appealable in the same manner as an interim measure under the applicable disciplinary policy.
Removal of Student Misconduct Holds
A student misconduct hold will be removed by the administrative office that initiated the hold once the administrative office has determined that the student has met the conditions required to remove the hold.
Revocation of Degree
The University of Georgia may revoke a student’s degree after the student has been awarded a degree if certain conditions are met.
The University may revoke a degree when after adjudication of allegations of a violation of the Code of Conduct, NDAH Policy, Academic Honesty Policy, or Student Honor Code, Research Misconduct Policy, or any other form of academic dishonesty, the relevant administrative office determines that the student would have been expelled as a result of the violation if it were discovered before the student graduated. The dean of the student’s school(s) or college(s) must review the findings of the relevant administrative office and approve the revocation of the degree. If the former student was a graduate student, then the dean of the Graduate School must also review the findings of the relevant administrative office and approve the revocation of the degree. The administrative office will implement the revocation of a student’s degree with notification to the Office of the Registrar.
The sanction of degree revocation is appealable in the same manner as an expulsion under the applicable disciplinary policy.
Relevant Links
- https://conduct.uga.edu/code-of-conduct
- https://honesty.uga.edu/Academic-Honesty-Policy/Introduction/
- https://honesty.uga.edu/Academic-Honesty-Policy/Student-Honor-Code
- https://eoo.uga.edu/policies/non-discrimination-anti-harassment-policy.
- https://eoo.uga.edu/title_ix_sexual_misconduct/smpolicy/
- https://research.uga.edu/docs/Research-Misconduct-Policy.pdf
[1]For the purposes of these Guidelines, “Student” shall have the definition given to it in the Code of Conduct, as may be revised from time to time: “Student includes all persons registered at the University and all affiliated campuses pursuing undergraduate, graduate, or professional studies, individuals admitted to the University and all affiliated campuses that have attended orientation or otherwise been cleared to register, and individuals who are not registered but are eligible to register without applying for readmission. An individual who registers for a semester and then withdraws, or is withdrawn, is considered a student for that semester”. “Student” also includes an individual who has been conferred a degree by the University for purposes of degree revocation.