The Council

The Harvard College Honor Council is a body of students, faculty, and administrators working together to uphold the Honor Code and raise awareness about the importance of academic integrity within the Harvard College community. The Honor Council comprises voting members who respond to potential violations of the Honor Code and rules on academic integrity, and Student Academic Integrity Fellows (SAIFs) who provide support to students throughout the Honor Council process.

The Honor Council is based on the following principles:

Community governance: Community governance requires faculty, students, and staff to share collective responsibility for upholding the Honor Code, and we believe that the members of the community are in the best position to determine and evaluate cases of academic integrity violations. Community governance also ensures that the Honor Council represents the breadth of the Harvard College community.

Education: We are committed to an educational approach to academic integrity and a Council that makes decisions through a holistic assessment of the student's life and experiences. The purpose of the Council is to allow each individual student to learn from her/his mistakes while also affirming community members’ commitment to academic integrity.

To learn about the roles of Honor Council Members, see Voting Members and Student Academic Integrity Fellows. For information about how to join the Honor Council, see Selection of Members.