UCL is a community and students are expected to adhere to UCL’s rules and regulations; to show respect for persons and property and act in a way that does not hinder the normal operations within the university. Where there is reason to believe that UCL’s rules and regulations have been broken and the behaviour of a student falls below the expected standards, the Disciplinary Code and Procedure will be instigated. 

This guide is mainly aimed at responding students who are contacted by the university about a disciplinary issue, but we provide some information that is also helpful to reporting parties and witnesses.

Where misconduct relates to examinations and academic work, such as plagiarism or cheating you should refer first to our Academic Misconduct advice page.

You can find the full UCL Disciplinary Code and Procedures here.

At all stages of the procedures, the test used to decide if an offence has been committed, is 'on the balance of probabilities'. That means the person(s) deciding the case should consider whether it's more likely that the offence was or was not committed. 

You can get advice and support from the team at the Advice Service at any stage of the disciplinary procedure. We can answer any questions you might have, explain the regulations, help you to put together your case, and attend meetings with you. Use our contact form to book an appointment to see an adviser.

What is 'Misconduct'?

The Disciplinary Code defines ‘misconduct’ as ‘improper interference with the proper functioning or activities of UCL, or of those who work or study in UCL, or action which otherwise damages UCL and or its staff or students’.

This may include: 

  • Disrupting any UCL activities, or the duties of UCL staff and students. 
  • Violent, indecent, threatening or disorderly behaviour
  • Threatening or offensive behaviour and language
  • Fraud, deceit, deception or dishonesty
  • Action likely to cause injury or harm
  • Harassment, including sexual or racial harassment
  • Breaching UCL regulation
  • Damaging or misusing UCL property
  • Behaviour that brings UCL into disrepute
  • Conduct which constitutes a criminal offence on UCL property.  

However there are other offences that are included in the Disciplinary Code.

Offences will be classed as 'minor' or 'major', which affects who deals with the allegation. If its a 'major' offence, then this will be dealt with by the Discipline Committee.

The Executive Director of Student Services and Registrar of UCL has overall responsibility for disciplinary matters. Disciplinary investigations are usually carried out by a Senior Casework Officer in UCL's Casework Team, acting as the Investigations Officer. 

Where a disciplinary offence is also subject to a criminal investigation, UCL may:

  • choose to instigate or continue disciplinary action even if police or other legal authorities are unable, unwilling, or not yet able to proceed
  • suspend the disciplinary process until the criminal investigation and legal proceedings have been concluded
  • take disciplinary action before or after criminal proceedings have concluded and reserves the right to do so even when there is no further action taken by legal authorities or police.

What does the disciplinary process involve?

Here is a short overview of what generally happens in a disciplinary process at UCL. You’ll find further information about each stage below.

  • An allegation of potential misconduct is received by UCL.
  • Precautionary action may be taken before an investigation commences, if it is believed that there may be risk to self, other students, or staff.
  • An initial investigation may be conducted by an Investigating Officer and it will be decided if it is necessary to go ahead with the formal disciplinary procedure. If someone has made an allegation about you, you may be invited to a conduct interview. During the interview you will be given more information about the allegation, be shown evidence and you will have the opportunity to respond.
  • When the Investigating Officer has concluded their investigation, they may take the following actions:
    • Find that a minor breach of the Code has occurred and impose a penalty appropriate to minor breaches.
    • Find that there is evidence that a major breach of the Code may have occurred that potentially warrants a penalty appropriate to major breaches, and recommend that the case be referred to a Discipline Committee Hearing.
    • Find that it cannot be determined on the evidence available that a minor or major breach has occurred and close the case.
  • If the offence is deemed ‘major’, a Discipline Committee will be convened, and a hearing will take place. The outcome of this hearing could be:
    • The complaint is dismissed
    • An appropriate ‘major’ offence penalty is given
  • There is a chance to appeal any decision made, by making a request to the Discipline Review Body.

What precautionary action can be taken in advance of a Disciplinary Hearing? 

If an alleged disciplinary offence suggests that there may be risk to the safety of others, or where you are at risk of harm, the Registrar will undertake a risk assessment, and decide if any precautionary measures should be put in place.  

The Executive Director of Student Services and Registrar might suspend and/or exclude you pending a hearing. This exclusion is not a penalty. Suspension can involve a ban on attendance or by limiting access to UCL premises. Exclusion includes the withdrawal of the right of access to buildings, facilities and the services of UCL for a fixed period. 

You cannot be suspended or excluded until the hearing without being given the chance to appeal against the suspension/exclusion decision. To appeal, you must submit a written request to the Provost stating the reason for the appeal within five working days of the date of issue of the notice of suspension/exclusion. You will then be notified of the decision within ten working days of the receipt of the letter requesting the appeal.  You will then be notified of the decision within ten working days of the receipt of the letter requesting the appeal.  

Note that the reporting party may also be informed of the precautionary measures that have been put in place.

If you are reporting the misconduct, or are a witness to misconduct

If you are the person who reported the misconduct, or you were a witness to the misconduct, you will be asked to write a statement for a disciplinary panel including all the information and evidence you have about the event. You may also be asked to attend a meeting with a member of the casework team to discuss or clarify further, and you may also be asked to attend the panel meeting and answer questions from the panel members.

If you are reporting misconduct which includes sexual or gender based violence carried out by another UCL student, you may be given the opportunity to meet with an Independent Sexual Violence Advisor (ISVA) from the UCL Casework Team, who is trained to provide tailored emotional and practical support through the steps involved in UCL procedures, and can also link you to further external support if needed. Please note that the ISVAs are not independent of UCL, and therefore cannot advise on challenging UCL’s approaches in the same way as the Students’ Union Advice Service can do.

What is involved in the disciplinary process? 

Disciplinary investigations for both minor and major breaches of the Code are conducted by the Investigating Officer, who is usually a Senior Casework Officer from the Casework Team.

The Investigating Officer will carry out an initial assessment of the case to determine if the alleged breach warrants further investigations. This assessment could include meeting with reporting parties, taking statements from reporting parties and/or witnesses, and liaising with other UCL teams or with external organisations (eg the police), to obtain further information.

Some cases may be excluded and not investigated, such as anonymous reports, or reports made on behalf of a student without their permission or involvement.

During the investigatory process the responding student and the reporting student will be given the opportunity to present their account. This may include giving statements, attending interviews with the Investigating Officer, and providing relevant evidence.

The responding student has certain rights, including to give relevant information and evidence, to hear the case and ask about the allegations made against you, to request to see the evidence against you, and to argue your case, including liability and mitigation. The interview with the Investigating Officer is your chance to address your offence by either mitigation or explanation before the officer decides whether and, if so, how to proceed. It is important that you attend this interview because failing to attend can be a disciplinary offence in itself. 

The Investigating Officer should notify the parties involved in writing of the outcome of their investigation within 10 working days of making their decision.

Penalties for minor breaches of the Code

The Investigations Officer may impose a penalty if they find there has been a minor breach of the Code. These may include:

  • A formal written warning
  • A non-contact agreement regarding another person that prohibits, or limits contact regarding specific matters
  • A restriction on the privilege to have guests in UCL accommodation or UCL managed accommodation
  • A requirement to move to alternative UCL accommodation or UCL managed accommodation
  • Payment of costs for repairs to damaged property
  • A personal conduct order
  • A referral to a harm reduction programme (e.g. for alcohol abuse, drug misuse).

For misconduct that takes place in UCL Accommodation or in UCL Libraries, the Wardens of UCL Houses or Halls of Residence, or the Director of UCL Library Services, may instead deal with the case and can also impose penalties.

The Discipline Committee Hearing

This is usually used for the consideration of 'major' allegations.

The membership of the Discipline Committee is made up of three people:

  • A Chair: this is a senior member of staff, usually a Faculty Tutor
  • A senior member of staff, usually a Director or Head of a department or faculty
  • A sabbatical officer of the Students’ Union UCL. 

Nobody from your department or faculty will be involved in this committee.

There is also a Secretary of the Discipline Committee who is not part of the decision-making process but can advise on procedures and record the hearing.  

What happens at the Hearing?

We have produced some guidance on what to do at panel hearings.

You will be advised in writing of the nature of the alleged offence and the date of the hearing. This written notification will usually be provided not less than ten working days in advance of the hearing. You have the right to be accompanied by a ‘Supporter’. This may be someone acting as your ‘friend’, and who would normally be a UCL staff member, a UCL student, or Students' Union UCL staff, such as an adviser from the Advice Service. You may have a representative who could play a more active role in a hearing than a friend. The responding student may make a request to attend a hearing with a legal representative. This will be considered by the Executive Director of Student Services and Registrar.

You will have the opportunity to invite witnesses to appear before the Committee and/or to provide written statements. The Executive Director of Student Services and Registrar might also invite witnesses to make a statement. You should notify the Secretary of the Committee at least seven working days before the hearing of the details of any witnesses.  

You may be asked to send a written statement responding to the allegation.

Statements and other documentation will be circulated to the Committee and the student not less than five working days in advance of the hearing, although later circulation may be allowed at the discretion of the Chair. 

The Committee could dismiss the complaint on the ground that no disciplinary offence has been evidenced or they may find that a disciplinary offence has been committed. If an offence has been committed, you will be subject to penalties. 

Penalties for major breaches of the Code

The Committee can impose the following Penalties: 

  • Any of the penalties listed above that are available to the Investigating Officer to impose for minor breaches
  • Suspension of studies from UCL
  • Permanent expulsion from UCL - this permanently deprives you of your membership of UCL
  • Temporary or permanent exclusion of the student from one or more of UCL’s premises, grounds, facilities, or services
  • A direction to issue a Notice to Quit and/or initiate court proceedings to evict the responding student from UCL accommodation or UCL managed accommodation
  • A penalty that comes into effect only if further breaches occur.

The decision of the Committee will be communicated to you, in writing, within five working days after the hearing. 

Appeals

You may submit an appeal if you have been found to be in breach of the Code by either the Investigating Officer or the Discipline Committee.  The Casework Manager, the Head of Casework, or the Director of Education Services consider appeals made against decisions made by the Investigating Officer, and these are always paper-based reviews. The Disciplinary Appeal Committee considers appeals against the decisions of the Discipline Committee. This is normally a paper-based review, but in exceptional circumstances the appeal might be referred for a hearing (see below).

Your appeal must be made within 10 working days of you being sent the decision in writing.  The appeal must be made on the UCL Student Disciplinary Appeal Form, and state which aspect of the decision, penalty, or procedure you disagree with.

An appeal against a sanction(s) set by the Discipline Committee may be made on one or more of the following grounds:  

  • The responding student has new evidence that makes a material difference to the case and that they could not have reasonably produced during the investigation or the Discipline Committee Hearing
  • There was a procedural irregularity
  • The finding of misconduct was not fairly or reasonably made
  • The penalty is unfairly disproportionate to the breach
  • That the disciplinary process was not conducted in accordance with the procedures
  • That new evidence has become available which was not, and which could not reasonably have been made available at the time the case was considered 
  • That the penalty imposed was disproportionate to the offence.

The members of the Discipline Committee procedure are not allowed to have any involvement with the Discipline Review Body. 

The membership of the Disciplinary Appeal Committee consists of three people: the Vice Provost (Education), the Executive Director of Student Services and Registrar, (with one of these acting as the Chair), and a representative of the Student Body, normally a Sabbatical Officer of the Students’ Union.

What happens at a Disciplinary Appeal Committee Hearing?

The Disciplinary Appeal Committee will conduct a review of the material/evidence considered by the Discipline Committee, along with its findings and decision.

If it is decided necessary to arrange a hearing of the appeal, the Disciplinary Appeal Committee could call you and the chair of the Discipline Committee as witnesses to a hearing. Other witnesses may also be called. You will be asked to summarise the grounds of your appeal against the findings of the Discipline Committee.

After completing its questioning of the relevant parties, the Disciplinary Appeal Committee shall consider the evidence and submissions, and then reach a decision by a simple majority. The Chair will announce the decision to you and the Chair of the Discipline Committee. The case will then be closed.  

The Secretary to the Disciplinary Appeal Committee will notify the student in writing of the outcome of the appeal within 10 working days of the decision of the Disciplinary Appeal Committee. The Secretary will also issue a Completion of Procedures letter to the student.

Last updated 6 days ago