Reported Student Information

• Students will be presumed to NOT be in violation of an Honor Code policy unless they either accept responsibility or the investigation process makes such a determination.
• Honor Code reports are assigned to HCO Administrators based upon current caseload and at the discretion of the director. Students may request a specific administrator gender when scheduling their initial Honor Code meeting.
• Students will be informed of the alleged behavior prior to their initial meeting with an Honor Code Administrator. 
• Students will be told the name of the person who has reported the violation, except in situations where it is a matter of immediate physical safety to others. 
• Students will be given an explanation about the investigation process and support resources that are available. This includes an explanation of the steps the HCO will take to find information that confirms or disputes the original report, and the possible outcomes if found responsible for an Honor Code violation. 
• The HCO will gather information from the person(s) who made the report, the student who has been reported, and any witnesses who have first-hand knowledge of the incident(s) in question. While this process can take time, the HCO will make every effort to complete the investigation and come to a resolution as soon as possible; most often within two weeks. 
• Information gathered through the investigation will be weighed under a standard called the Preponderance of the Information. This means determining what is more probable than not to have occurred. If the information rises to this standard, the student is found responsible for a violation. 
• The Honor Code Administrator and the Director will review the information and make a decision regarding the outcome.  
• In cases where separation (suspension or expulsion) from BYU is being considered, a committee of HCO personnel and the Director of Student Support Services/CAPS (BYU Counseling and Psychological Services) will review the information and make a recommendation to the Dean of Students Office. The Dean of Students Office makes all decisions in regard to a student being separated from the University for Honor Code violations. 

The purpose of the Honor Code process is primarily educational. It is focused on working with students to understand, reflect, and recommit. We want all BYU students to succeed and thrive. While a separation from the university may occasionally be necessary, we believe that as students engage in an Honor Code process, almost all behaviors can be addressed without any need for separation from the university. Over 95% of Honor Code cases are resolved with the student remaining fully enrolled at BYU.

There are no set consequences for specific violations because context matters. Outcomes are determined individually, even in cases in which multiple students are involved. Prior violations, how students are able, or not able, to make meaning of their experience during the Honor Code Investigation process, and the impact and relative severity of the behavior are considered when determining the appropriate path forward for each student.

Along with the following outcomes, students often receive an educational action plan that creates an opportunity to increase self-awareness, develop new habits and demonstrate a renewed commitment to abide by Honor Code principles.


Notice (Counsel and Education): A student is given Notice for a first-time minor infraction of the Honor Code when they have already demonstrated steps to resolve their behavior, or if they were reasonably unaware that their conduct was an infraction of the Honor Code. The student remains in good Honor Code standing and has no further interaction with the HCO.

Warning: A student is given a Warning to refrain from further conduct which violates the Honor Code, and to avoid similar action in the future which could result in their falling out of good Honor Code standing. The student remains in good Honor Code standing.

Probation: A student is placed on probation for serious or patterned behavior. Probation allows a student to continue at BYU while providing time to reflect upon the significance of the Honor Code, and to demonstrate a commitment to it. As part of this probation and in order to return to good Honor Code standing, the student is required to complete an Educational Action Plan.

Suspension: A student is suspended for egregious or patterned behavior. Suspension requires separation from BYU for a specified period of time. The student is ineligible to be enrolled in classes, hold an on-campus job, have a BYU student health plan, and live in BYU-contracted housing. During the time away, the student should be working to discontinue the behaviors associated with the Honor Code violation(s) and complete an Educational Action Plan in order to demonstrate that they are able and willing to abide by the principles of the Honor Code.

Expulsion: This action permanently separates a student from all Church Education System (CES) institutions. This includes enrollment in any CES classes, employment in on-campus student positions, having a BYU student health plan, and living in BYU-contracted housing. This action is taken when a student has exhibited behavior that is either egregious or patterned, and poses an academic, safety, or other risk to the institution.

The Honor Code Office will notify students about conduct allegations through Maxient, a secure, web-based case management application that is used to track behavior records at colleges and universities.

If you are suspected of alleged misconduct, you will receive an email from “notifications[at]maxient.com.”
The email will show the subject line as Honor Code Office Correspondence (FIRST NAME LAST NAME).

It is important for you to know that this is an authentic email from the university. It is not spam or a phishing attempt.

In addition to a brief explanation, the body of the email will contain a link to your notification letter. You will access your letter through your 9-digit student ID number.

Once logged in to the Maxient portal, you can access your letter, which will be a PDF document. Print or download and save the letter for your records.

If you have difficulty accessing your letter in Maxient — or want to confirm the legitimacy of the email — contact us at 801-422-2847.

Students have the option to have a support person present during any meeting related to this process. This person is selected by the student to assist and accompany them through the Honor Code Process (including investigation interviews, outcome reviews, and appeals). Students may choose to proceed with or without a support person. The support person cannot be involved in any other part of the investigation, such as being a potential witness.

The support person, upon request of the student, may (1) accompany the student in any Honor Code meeting, (2) advise the student in the preparation and presentation of information, and (3) advise the student in the preparation of an appeal or sanction review. The support person’s role is only to support the student; they may not be an active participant in the meetings. Any support person may be immediately excluded from the proceedings if they attempt to intervene or participate in any way. Students are expected to ask and respond to questions on their own behalf. The support person may consult with the student quietly or in writing, or outside the meeting room during breaks. Delays in the process will not be permitted due to scheduling conflicts with the support person.

When investigating an alleged violation, the HCO encourages students to provide the names of witnesses that have first-hand knowledge of the behavior in question. The HCO may follow up with these witnesses as part of the investigation process. These witnesses should not be solely character witnesses, rather, they should be witnesses that can confirm or refute allegations that have been made as a result of their first-hand knowledge of the incident.

If a student wishes to involve a bishop/ecclesiastical leader in any part of the process, the student must request and sign a privacy waiver. Otherwise, ecclesiastical leaders are NOT permitted to reveal confessional conversations. A bishop does not share any information with the HCO, and the HCO does not share any information with a bishop or other ecclesiastical leader without a student’s prior written consent.

The alleged student has the opportunity to respond both verbally and in writing, to the allegations and relevant information.

Students have a right to appeal decisions of Probation, Suspension or Expulsion if they feel that one or more of the following applies:

• The decision was not reasonably supported by the facts 
• The action is too harsh for the behavior 
• The investigation or decision exhibited prejudice or bias that affected the outcome 
• New information is available that may change the findings in the case

All appeals will proceed according to the Administrative Review Process, found here. Students may submit a request to the Dean of Students Office for a review of their Honor Code decision within 5 days of their outcome letter.

During the course of an HCO process, if the parties in any way suggest an alleged activity or behavior may have involved nonconsensual sexual acts or relationship violence, the Honor Code investigation process immediately stops and the information is referred to the Title IX Office.

Retaliation against an individual who has made a report or provided information in connection with an investigation is strictly prohibited. Retaliation is any adverse action taken against an individual because he or she participated in any manner in an Honor Code investigation and administrative review process. Retaliation can include intimidation, which is any adverse action or threat of action reasonably likely to prevent or dissuade an individual from making a report or providing information in connection with an Honor Code investigation. Individuals who participate in an Honor Code investigation should be advised that university policy prohibits retaliation against them and should be assured that the university will take steps to prevent retaliation and will address any act of retaliation of which it becomes aware. An individual who feels that he or she has been subjected to retaliation for reporting an Honor Code violation or participating in an Honor Code investigation and administrative review process should report the incident to the HCO, which will address the report in accordance with the investigation and administrative review process set forth.