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Students

New academic integrity policy effective September 2026

UVic is implementing a new Policy on Academic Integrity, effective September 2026. The revised policy is designed to better reflect today's learning and teaching realities, including use of new technologies. 

The policy is the result of a comprehensive three-year consultation process led by a Senate sub-committee, involving students, faculty and staff across campus. It was approved by Senate at their May 2026 meeting. The current policy was last updated in 2017.

Come September 2026, the policy will be posted to the Academic Calendars: Undergraduate and Graduate.

Summary of changes

The policy revisions centre on ways for students and instructors to address first-time mistakes without immediately resorting to severe penalties. Revisions also provide clearer definitions, processes and roles to support consistent decision-making.

Based on feedback, the new policy clarifies potentially confusing language in the current policy. The policy ensures fairness, clarity and trust, providing students with a better understanding of processes that have always existed, while continuing to respect the integrity of their academic journey.

Academic integrity

Academic integrity is the foundation of all academic work at UVic. It is based on honesty, trust, fairness, respect, responsibility and courage. As per the new policy, students must not engage in “acts of dishonesty, falsification, misrepresentation, or deception” in their academic work.

Questions about citation, collaboration and AI use are common, particularly in new learning contexts. Students are encouraged to ask their instructors for clarification if expectations are unclear.

Academic integrity violations

Violations fall into two categories:

  • Academic dishonesty: misconduct within a course, such as plagiarism, cheating, or using AI tools without your instructor's permission.
  • Academic fraud: serious misconduct that may affect your academic record, such as forging documents or misrepresenting your credentials.

Use of AI tools

Instructor use

As per the Senate-approved course outline requirements, all instructors should indicate the learning and teaching technologies used in their course. UVic does not permit instructors to use Generative Artificial Intelligence Tools (GAITs) to grade students’ work or to determine whether a student has violated the Policy on Academic Integrity. 

Refer to the undergraduate and graduate academic calendars for information about what to include in course outlines, or contact LTI at asklti@uvic.ca for support.

Student use

The course outline provided by your instructor at the beginning of the term will indicate whether you are allowed to use Generative AI tools (like ChatGPT, Claude, CoPilot, etc.).

If your instructor prohibits use of a tool, it is considered an academic integrity violation if you use it. Unauthorized use includes using tools or an “editor” to generate, complete, manipulate, revise, correct or alter your work.

If you are unsure, ask your instructor.

Can instructors use AI-detection software to detect violations?

UVic does not permit instructors to use generative artificial intelligence tools (GAITs) to grade students’ work or to determine whether a student has violated the Policy on Academic Integrity. These tools are known to produce unreliable and often inaccurate results, and violates the university’s privacy policy. As such, they are not permitted as part of any investigation or as evidence when considering a potential violation.

If the university ever chose to allow AI‑detection software in the future, this would represent a significant change to how academic integrity is assessed. For that reason, such a decision would need to go to Senate for approval, ensuring that any shift in practice is transparent, deliberate and aligned with the policy.

Use of editors

Peer review, tutoring and feedback—including review from fellow students that does not involve editing your work—are permitted unless your instructor explicitly prohibits it.

Anyone who edits, rewrites, or alters your work (unless explicitly allowed by your instructor) is not permitted.

Students with disabilities

Students registered with the Centre for Accessible Learning (CAL) will not be found in violation of the Policy on Academic Integrity for using the approved tools they need to access their education. Screen readers, transcription software, and other assistive technologies are essential supports for many students, and the university recognizes their importance.

If you need to use software that isn't already listed by your instructor or formally included in your CAL accommodation letter, please let your instructor know ahead of time. This is to ensure you aren't unintentionally put in a difficult position if a tool behaves in a way that your instructor didn't expect.

When a tool is part of an approved CAL accommodation, the university is committed to working with you to ensure barriers are mitigated and that you can participate fully and fairly in your learning. If you have questions, please connect with your CAL Acessibility Advisor or their main desk at calfrontdesk@uvic.ca.

Policy violations

Students accused of an academic integrity violation will receive a Notice of Alleged Academic Integrity Violation within 10 business days of their instructor becoming aware of the alleged violation. Students then have 10 business days to respond to a meeting with the instructor. Students may bring a support person and consult the Ombudsperson or Office of Student Life.

What penalties can my instructor assign based on a violation?

Your instructor has the option to assign the following penalties:

  • give you a warning and assign you to retake (Brightspace academic integrity modules)
  • require you to redo the work, or to do supplementary work
  • assign a grade deduction penalty for the work
  • assign a grade of “0” for the work

The policy provides an opportunity for learning between you and your instructor for when a student misunderstands the policy. If you are found to have violated the policy more than once, the case is referred to the Chair or Director of the department of the course (or Associate Dean for Business and Law).

Can my instructor fail me from the course based on a violation?

An instructor cannot fail you from a course based on a violation. This decision lies with the Chair/Director of the Department or School you are in (or Associate Dean for Business and Law). Your instructor also cannot rescind your degree. This is only a decision that can be made by Senate through a recommendation by the faculty Dean to the Senate Committee on Academic Standards and then the full Senate body at a closed meeting.

Can my instructor or UVic rescind my degree after I have graduated?

Rescinding a degree is an extremely serious action, and the university approaches it with great care and only in exceptional circumstances. The university has always had the ability to rescind a degree in rare cases. The new policy makes this explicit, so students have clear, transparent information.

This is not something that happens lightly or without due process. To rescind a degree, a dean of a faculty would need to recommend the matter to the Senate Committee on Academic Standards which would, in turn, decide whether to recommend this to the full Senate for a decision at a closed meeting. Individual instructors do not have the authority to rescind a degree.

UVic does not retain student assignment records beyond one year, except for dissertations or theses stored in UVicSpace. This means the university does not have a mechanism for retroactively reviewing old assignments long after graduation.

Appealing a decision

All students have the right to appeal a decision, whether the decision was made by an instructor, Chair/Director, Associate Dean, Dean, Provost or President.

Appeals focus on whether the correct procedures were followed, rather than re‑evaluating the academic judgement itself. This doesn’t mean that unreasonable decisions are left in place. It means that the academic expertise of instructors in assessing their own course material is respected, while still ensuring that decisions are fair and grounded in proper process.

Students don't have to navigate an appeal on their own. The Ombudsperson and Office of Student Life offer guidance, support and clarity as students move through the process, making sure they understand their options and feel supported every step of the way.

Standard of proof

In the previous policy, there was no defined standard of proof. Instead, it referred to evidence needing to be "compelling." However, "compelling" is not a legal standard and consultations showed that people interpreted it differently. This led to confusion and inconsistent decisions across campus.

"The standard of proof itself has not changed. "Compelling" is not a standard of proof; it simply means that the evidence had to be believable enough to raise a real concern.

The updated policy now uses a clear and widely accepted standard called "Balance of Probabilities." This means "is it more likely than not that the violation occurred?" This is the standard used in civil and administrative matters across Canada, and it provides a fair, consistent and precise threshold for decision-making. 

By contrast, "Beyond a Reasonable Doubt" is designed for criminal cases. Academic integrity cases are not criminal matters and do not involve criminal penalties, so a criminal standard is not appropriate. 

Additional information

Students who would like more information or who are unsure whether something is allowed under the policy are encouraged to contact:

*This is a new requirement under the policy, and not all units have an advisor in place yet.