Leeds academic misconduct: deadlines and what to do

Check which letter you have

Read the letter carefully and note the stage. If your case has been sent to the Committee on Applications, the deadline is 10 working days from the date of the letter notifying you of the referral. You use that response to confirm whether you admit or deny the allegation and to send any statement. The same rule says you must submit all supporting information you want the Committee to consider at that stage. If information comes later without a good reason why it could not be provided earlier, it will be discounted. A statement received after the deadline is accepted only at the Committee's discretion.

If you have a School Investigation Meeting, the School must give you at least three working days' written notice of the allegations, the evidence and the meeting date. The notice should include details of the work to be discussed and any evidence the School relies on, including details of technology used to support detection of academic misconduct. In plagiarism cases, you should receive marked-up work and you keep it after the School meeting. The pages we read do not state a separate written-response deadline for the School Investigation Meeting. Check your letter or confirm the position with LUU Advice.

Attend the School meeting if you can

A School Investigation Meeting decides on the balance of probabilities, meaning more likely than not, whether an offence occurred. Make all reasonable efforts to attend, or ask for the meeting to be rearranged. If you are absent without good cause, the School will presume you have admitted the allegations and progress the case as an admitted offence. That is why attendance or a timely rearrangement request matters, whatever your answer to the allegation.

Leeds encourages students to attend the School Investigation Meeting with a supporter. The School tells you the supporter's role and may set reasonable terms for their attendance. The free help listed for Leeds students is LUU Advice; you can contact LUU Advice to understand the process and your letter. Bring your own copy of the papers. If you rely on evidence, it must be true and unaltered, and you should keep copies of what you send and receive.

Understand the allegation and the penalty range

The penalty table is arranged by FHEQ level. At FHEQ Level 0 or Level 4, students are normally issued warnings for admitted offences, except for cheating in examinations and serious offences. That is the stated rule for those levels, not a prediction for any individual case. The rule turns on your FHEQ level and whether an exception applies.

For generative AI, misuse means submitting work created or modified with Gen AI or translation tools in a way that is not permitted by the assessment. Leeds uses a red, amber and green categorisation for Gen AI in assessments and has a Proofreading Policy for translation tools. One listed example is using Gen AI to create or modify work in a RED assessment. If the allegation mentions AI, read the assessment brief and the university's Gen AI guidance alongside your letter so you can see which category the assessment used. Do not alter documents or create new records of past events; if you have evidence, it must be genuine.

If the case goes to the Committee or you want to appeal

If the case is sent to the Committee on Applications, send your admission or denial and any statement to the Student Cases Team within the 10 working days from the referral letter. Include all supporting information you want considered at that stage. The rule says later information will be discounted if there is no good reason why it could not be provided earlier, and a late statement is accepted only at the Committee's discretion.

If the School imposes a penalty, you can appeal to the Committee on Applications not later than 10 working days after the School's decision is issued. One listed ground for review is that the School's decision was unreasonable in the light of the evidence supplied. Read the decision letter carefully and keep copies of everything you send. If you are unsure which deadline applies, ask LUU Advice and check the wording of your own letter.