Academic Integrity Process
When an instructor suspects that academic misconduct may have occurred, a Grade Withheld Pending Review (GWR) notation is added to your student record in place of a grade for that course. Having a GWR on your record prevents you from dropping the course until the matter is resolved. If you drop the course before the GWR is placed, you will be reinstated into the course once the GWR is added to your record.
The next steps can vary depending on the nature of the allegation, the weight of the assessment(s) involved, and other factors. Under the Academic Misconduct Process For Students page, you will find more information on how allegations of academic misconduct are investigated and resolved.
If you have further questions about the next steps for a pending allegation of academic misconduct, you can email the Academic Integrity Unit at academicintegrity.utm@utoronto.ca. Please note that any case inquiries should be sent using your official UofT email address.
No, your instructor cannot sanction you for an academic offence. If your case is resolved by the department, the Department Chair/Program Director will decide the sanction. Cases that are forwarded to the Divisional level and the Tribunal level each have their own guidelines for sanctioning and operate independently from the instructor.
For more information on the process and how a case can be resolved, please visit the Academic Misconduct Process For Students page.
The purpose of the instructor meeting is to provide students with a chance to learn about the allegation and to explain their perspective. Although the Dean or their representative will have access to evidence provided by the instructor, this meeting gives them the chance to speak to you directly and hear your side of the story. This meeting also gives you the opportunity to provide additional information or evidence that you may not have discussed with the instructor.
Students receive this message when they have not responded to emails regarding an allegation of academic misconduct.
When an allegation has been forwarded to the Office of the Dean, students are notified of next steps through their official University of Toronto email address. If you do not respond to these messages, an administrative hold is placed on your student record, which prevents you from enrolling in courses. In addition, it also prevents you from requesting your UofT transcript through ACORN.
To have the administrative hold removed, you need to contact the Academic Integrity Unit at academicintegrity.utm@utoronto.ca or contact the Academic Integrity Unit representative that reached out to you.
When students enter the University of Toronto, they are expected to learn the rules, policies and regulations of the institution. This means that students should read and be familiar with what is written in the Code of Behaviour on Academic Matters. Ignorance of the Code’s policies is not considered a valid excuse in academic discipline cases, so it is important for students to familiarize themselves with the University’s expectations.
In addition to reading the Code, students need to be aware of academic integrity policies written in each course's syllabus. If you are unclear about what is and is not permitted for your assessments, you should contact your instructor for clarification.
You may drop the course or use a Credit/No Credit (CR/NCR) option once the case has been dismissed, provided that these requests were submitted by the deadlines. If you have any additional questions about withdrawing from courses or applying for CR/NCR, we recommend that you book an appointment with an Academic Advisor at the Office of the Registrar to discuss your options.
If you have already attempted to withdraw from a course or applied for CR/NCR before the GWR was placed on your record, your course should revert to its previous status once the GWR has been removed. However, if you find that your course status is not reverting to its previous state, please email the Academic Integrity Unit at academicintegrity.utm@utoronto.ca.
Resolved Cases
No, you will not be permitted to withdraw from the course or use a Credit/No Credit (CR/NCR) option if you have been sanctioned. If you previously applied for CR/NCR on a course that you were sanctioned in, you will be able to use that CR/NCR for another course instead.
In general, the transcript annotation should not affect your eligibility to enroll in any program or course. However, if you do have concerns about registering to a specific program or course, you should speak to the respective department’s undergraduate advisor for more information.
No, your instructors in other courses will not have access to case files or information about any prior academic offences on your record. Academic misconduct cases are considered private and confidential information that is covered by the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FIPPA).
For more information on how the University upholds the FIPPA policy at UofT, you can refer to the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Office.
Sanctions for an academic offence can vary depending on the nature of the case, so this may or may not impact on your ability to remain and study in Canada. However, there have been cases where students who have been suspended due to academic misconduct have had their study permits affected.
In all cases, we recommend making an appointment with an advisor at the International Education Centre (IEC) to discuss how you may be affected by sanctions. You can also find more information on potential sanctions on our Sanctions page.
If the case was in a course taken in the current term, the GWR cannot be removed until final grades are available. Once the instructor has submitted the final grades at the end of the course, the GWR will automatically be replaced with your numerical grade.
If the case was in a course taken in a previous term, the instructor will need to recalculate the final grade before your mark is updated on ACORN. You can contact the AIU representative that handled your case for an update, or you can send an email to the AIU inbox at academicintegrity.utm@utoronto.ca.
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