Rackham Applicant Misconduct Disclosure Review Process

Academic Misconduct Questions Include

“Have you ever been sanctioned, suspended, or dismissed from any college or university you have attended as a result of misconduct, sexual or gender-based misconduct (Title IX), or violation of the student code of conduct?”

“Are there any academic misconduct or violation of the student code of conduct claims currently pending against you?”

Academic misconduct does not include failure to maintain good academic standing resulting from unsatisfactory academic progress and/or probation due to low GPA.

Criminal Misconduct Questions Include

“As an adult, have you ever been convicted of a felony involving violent or assaultive behavior, weapon possession, property destruction, or sexually related offenses?”

“Is there any felony charge involving violent or assaultive behavior, weapon possession, property destruction, or sexually related offenses currently pending against you?”

Applicants are asked to reply “yes” or “no” to these questions.

Yes, all applicants to Rackham graduate programs are required to respond to the academic and criminal misconduct questions on the admissions application.

No, an affirmative answer to these questions will not automatically bar an applicant from admission.

If the graduate program to which the prospective student applies recommends admitting the applicant, the appropriate Rackham committees will evaluate the applicant’s answers to the misconduct questions in order to assess the admissibility of that applicant.

Graduate programs are not able to consider applicant answers to the academic and criminal misconduct questions when making initial recommendations for admission.

If an applicant answers “yes” to a misconduct question, the application will be reviewed by the appropriate Rackham review committee to determine the admissibility of the applicant.

The Rackham review committee will make use of a restorative framework when assessing the applicant’s admissibility.

Rackham’s restorative justice framework determines if prospective students have been rehabilitated by examining the degree to which the applicant has:

1. accepted responsibility for their offense(s);
2. attempted to repair the harm caused to victims and communities; and,
3. made efforts to reduce the risk of reoffense by building positive social ties to the community.

When submitting their applications, prospective students answering “yes” to any of the misconduct questions authorize U-M’s Division of Public Safety and Security (DPSS) to conduct a background check, if determined to be necessary. They also authorize Rackham Graduate School to access educational records, which are retained by the applicant’s school of prior enrollment, if deemed necessary.

During this process, applicants may be required to clarify additional questions from Rackham. They may also be asked to provide Rackham additional information and documentation, such as sanctions letters from previous institutions.

Similarly, DPSS regularly retrieves court records and police reports to support Rackham as it determines an applicant’s admissibility.

The decisions rendered by the Rackham review committees may only be appealed to the Rackham dean.