College admissions are getting more and more competitive as the years go by.

It’s no surprise that the pressure to lie and cheat on college applications has intensified as well.

Imagine applying for an elite school that admits only 4 to 5% of the applicants. You may have the urge to lie or embellish the facts on your college application because you’ve heard that you can get away with lying on your college application. But you also know that there’s always the off chance of that lie being discovered.

But the question is, what are the consequences? Is the penalty simply a revocation of the admission offer? Or can it extend to after you’ve begun the course or even after graduating?

The short answer to this question is yes, you can be expelled for lying on your college application.

If the school authorities suspect you of lying on your college application, you have to face a code of conduct violation. They will inform you of the specific code of conduct violation you have been charged with.

As soon as you receive this notice, you will have to defend yourself in a committee hearing. If the committee believes you to be guilty of the violation — in this case, lying on your college application — the consequences range from a letter of reprimand to expulsion.

The punishment will be determined by the committee based on the gravity of the violation. So the question of whether you can be expelled for lying on your college application is dependent on the extent of the lie.

Rescinding a person’s degree is a severe sanction and not one that a college would dish out lightly.

The school may, however, deem it a necessary evil to protect academic integrity. Therefore, the aim of revoking a degree is not just a way to sanction a person, but rather a way of protecting the college’s integrity.

A college can, therefore, investigate former students and charge them with honor code violations, including:

• Plagiarism
• Fabrication in a thesis
• Falsification of transcripts

So yes, your college degree can be rescinded for lying on your college application.

An alumnus charged with an honor code violation would, like a student, face a disciplinary hearing. If the committee believes that the falsification on the college application is grievous enough, the college may rescind the degree.

The process for a disciplinary hearing of a student or alumnus differs from college to college. However, you will usually be called upon to defend yourself once you are charged. The disciplinary proceedings are similar to a court hearing. As such, your fundamental rights remain present.

Once charged, you do have some rights.

1. You have a right to know the specific violation you’ve been accused of
2. You have a right to know the possible sanctions.
3. You also have the right to be given a copy of the evidence and a list of the witnesses the school intends to rely on.
4. You have the right to hire a student defense lawyer (although some colleges will only allow this lawyer to act in an advisory capacity).
5. And you are allowed to present your evidence and call witnesses.

If you’re unsatisfied with the decision of the disciplinary committee, you can choose to challenge that decision in court.

Lying on your college application can seem like a trivial thing until you have to face the consequences. Expulsion and a revocation of your degree is a very high price to pay for such “triviality.”