An honour code or honour system is a set of rules or ethical principles governing a community based on ideals that define what constitutes honorable behaviour within that community. The use of an honour code depends on the notion that people (at least within the community) can be trusted to act honorably. Those who are in violation of the honour code can be subject to various sanctions, including expulsion from the institution. Honour codes are most commonly used in the United States to deter academic dishonesty.

There are differences between the honour codes of different universities.

1. The University of Virginia opts for a system run by elected students and involving randomly chosen students.
   

2. Bryn Mawr College holds its students to a high degree of trust with their Honour Code which is revised yearly and ruled by the Honour Board.
   

3. Connecticut College students uphold academic excellence and high community standards by practicing responsible citizenship that protects the core principles of the College. With the privilege of having a diverse student body, students should be able to interact and learn from each other in ways that uphold community respect and personal freedom. The honour system at Connecticut College is unique in that it is upheld and presided over by a student-governed judicial process. Because the Honour Code is taken very seriously by students, there is a strong trust between students, faculty and administration. The Honour Code sets the tone for campus life and acts as a philosophy to live by through demonstrating a commitment to personal participation in improving the quality of life in our community.[6]
   

4. Haverford College holds an honour code which is ratified by students yearly and run by an elected body, the Honour Council. This code is concerned with an academic as well as a social component, demanding equal respect among students, in contrast to the military academies' focus on hierarchy.
   

5. Davidson College also holds a dual honour code. According to a legend surrounding the Davidson code, a student was put on trial for not reporting an extra can of soda dispensed by a vending machine.[citation needed]
   

6. Princeton University has maintained a student-run Honour Code for over one hundred years, unique in that regard among Ivy League schools.
   

7. Vanderbilt University has also been governed by an Honour Code since its founding. First year students attend an honour code ceremony to protect the traditions and academic integrity of the university. A plaque of the honour code is engraved in the student life center with a quote by once-Chancellor Madison Sarratt, "Today I give you two examinations, one in trigonometry and one in honesty. I hope you pass them both, but if you must fail one, let it be trigonometry for there are many good men in this world today who cannot pass an examination in trigonometry, but there are no good men in the world who cannot pass an examination in honesty."
   

8. The University of Texas School of Law sets its Honour Code as a first step in the obligation of its students to the legal profession: "All law students are harmed by unethical behaviour by any student. A student who deals dishonestly with fellow law students may be dishonest in the future and harm both future clients and the legal profession."[7] In keeping with this approach to the honour code in the grand scheme of the legal profession, honour code violations are reported to the State Bar of Texas and the violator's home state bar, thus creating an impediment to licensure. UT Law School is unique in that regard.[citation needed]
   

9. James Madison University holds its students to an Honour Code overseen by the Honour Council. The honour code at JMU was founded in 1909 and the Honour Council is an organisation run by students. A student who violates the code, if found "responsible", may receive anywhere from a letter grade reduction to expulsion from the university for a first time offense, while second time offenders are either suspended from the university for a semester or expelled. "The Honour Council at James Madison University is committed to instilling, promoting, and upholding individual and collective academic integrity.".[8]
   

10. Washington and Lee University and its Law School feature an honour system in which all students are expected to act as gentlemen and women. The system governs both academic and social aspects of the university and is administered by the Executive Committee which includes the student body president. The honour system has a single penalty—expulsion. If allegations surface of a student violating the honour system they are given the right to a trial and appeal.[9]
    

    Source: Wikipedia