<p>I am interested in a list of schools that have excellent academics with working honor codes which are actually followed by the students. Any choices?</p>
<p>Haverford is well known for it’s Honor Code: They have to approve the honor code every year, I believe, and the students are generally known for following it.</p>
<p>Davidson takes its honor code very seriously. An essay on how you plan to abide by it is part of the application.</p>
<p>There have been many threads on this. Here’s a couple:</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-search-selection/767182-schools-strong-honor-code.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-search-selection/767182-schools-strong-honor-code.html</a></p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-search-selection/378476-honor-codes.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-search-selection/378476-honor-codes.html</a></p>
<p>I think you can get some feel for the centrality of an honor code if it is mentioned during a formal visit (tour and/or info session) to a school.</p>
<p>The most well-known example is [Haverford</a> College: The Honor Code](<a href=“http://www.haverford.edu/studentlife/honorcode.php]Haverford”>http://www.haverford.edu/studentlife/honorcode.php). The honor code is central to the self-governance of the students and is formally revisited annually. A student-led tour of the campus will include a ten-minute stop to discuss the significance of the honor code.</p>
<p>Reed College eschews what they consider a too rigid honor code in favor of an honor principle ([Reed</a> College | Honor Principle | Home](<a href=“http://www.reed.edu/honor_principle/]Reed”>Honor Principle - Reed College)), and they take sufficient pride in it to bring it up, too. The students there are very aware of it and I do believe it governs their conduct and orders their lives in what some might view as an otherwise permissive environment.</p>
<p>Obviously the service academies are also known for their honor codes, and many of the southern LAC’s and universities retain honor codes with legacies in the noblesse oblige thought appropriate for the ruling classes of the 19th century, when they were founded.</p>
<p>UVa. The honor code there is certainly active, and particularly stringent because it involves a single sanction (i.e., the only punishment for a “guilty” finding is permanent expulsion). The question of whether the code is actually followed there is complicated. Certainly intentional violations occur on a routine basis. But it impossible to say how many instances of dishonest behavior are prevented by the the existence of the code. Because of the code, when I was a student at UVa professors routinely gave unmonitored or take-home tests and assignments with the students’ pledge to do their own work. However, I have heard that this kind of practice has become less common in recent years.</p>
<p>Washington and Lee has a well established honor code. Students commit to not lie, cheat or steal. As a result, final exams are taken any time or place unproctored during the test period. In fact our tour guide said that the last week of classes one prof gave the class the exam in an envelope and instructed them to turn it in to him before the last scheduled day of exams. They also regularly leave bookbags, laptops around campus. In the student center was a lost & found basket that had phones and keys (Yes, car keys!) waiting to be found again. They take it seriously. BTW, if you are found guilty by the student-led honor council you are expelled. They made a special point to explain the honor code on the tour. It was established by Robert E Lee who attended West Point.</p>
<p>Thanks for the great information.</p>
<p>All of the service academies.</p>
<p>William and Mary</p>
<p>Lots of colleges preach very strong honor codes, but the statistics of how often people break it are staggering. I read a study that showed 50%+ of students in top MBA programs admit to cheating when surveyed anonymously. These are adult business leaders and not young students, but its still an amazing stat. Not sure about college as a whole, but its likely even higher. You can really only control your own choices at the end of the day.</p>
<p>Rice takes its honor code very seriously - DD is a student there and there seems to be almost no problems with cheating etc. The student honor council comes down VERY hard on any misdeeds, the usual sanction appears to be suspension from the school.</p>
<p>William & Mary created the first honor code and it is a big part of the culture.</p>
<p>[Connecticut</a> College : About Connecticut College - Honor Code & Shared Governance](<a href=“http://www.conncoll.edu/about/abo_honor_code_shared_gov.htm]Connecticut”>http://www.conncoll.edu/about/abo_honor_code_shared_gov.htm)</p>
<p>UNC-Chapel Hill has an honor code that it takes pretty seriously. It also has a student-run Honor Court, which deals with violations of the honor code.</p>