What's at Stake

All Williams students sign a pledge to adhere to the Honor Code in conduct of all written examinations, tests, and quizzes, problem sets, lab reports, papers and other homework assignments.

The College Honor Code, initiated over a century ago in 1898, is still the model for academic life at the College. Every student, as a member of the Williams College community is expected to follow the regulations designed to ensure the integrity of her/his academic work. It holds students responsible for assuring honesty and intellectual integrity in course work, making for an intellectual community in which respect and mutual trust prevail. Every student by signing the Honor Code agrees to respect and acknowledge the research and ideas of others in his or her work and to abide by those regulations governing work as stipulated by the code and by each of their instructors.

Any student who is thought to have broken these regulations, misrepresented his or her own work, or collaborates in the misrepresentation of another's work, is brought before the student-run Honor Committee, which investigates each allegation, and in the case of a guilty finding, recommends a penalty to the Dean of the College.