Students who fail a course as a result of a disciplinary violations or who otherwise receive point deductions that impact their final grade will see that grade appear on their transcript. However, the reason why that grade was assigned will not appear. So while it will not explicitly state that a student failed a class due to an academic integrity issue, a failing grade that is an outlier on a transcript with otherwise solid grades will warrant further explanation.

Employers and graduate schools often perform background checks that require candidates to authorize the release of full academic records from all institutions previously attended. A full academic record includes a student’s transcript and their disciplinary records. An academic integrity report will appear as part of a background check.

In order for the Office of the Dean of Student Affairs to release information about a student’s disciplinary record to a prospective employer or graduate school, the student must authorize the release of that information in writing.

Student Affairs is notified of the authorization and once it is received, the office contacts the student to confirm that the authorization has been received.

Student Affairs provides the employer or graduate school with a letter that notes the number of violation(s), the course in which each violation occurred, the policy violation, and the outcome. It will also note the status of the case.

Students are considered to be in good standing if there is no disciplinary record or if they have fulfilled the terms of any sanctions from a policy violation. Students are not considered to be in good standing if there are any outstanding penalties.

If you have any questions related to a record check, please contact Holly Hippensteel, Assistant Dean of Student Affairs, or Joanna Dickert, Coordinator of Student Affairs, in the Office of the Dean of Student Affairs at 412-268-2075.