About the Honor System

Kalamazoo College operates within the framework of an Honor System. All students who enter the College are expected to understand the system and abide by it and will be asked to indicate, in writing, their willingness to abide by it. However, the Honor System is more than just a set of regulations: it is a definition of the very essence of this community.

Underlying the life of Kalamazoo College are certain assumptions— that all members of the community are here in good faith to learn and teach, that the atmosphere is one of respect and confidence in which learning and teaching can be pursued without distraction, that common standards of morality in academic affairs are accepted by all students and faculty, and that all members of the community are equally responsible for maintaining the moral and intellectual soundness of the College.

The proper embodiment of these assumptions is an Honor System in which each member is able to depend upon the honor of the other. We realize that codification of our values cannot ensure compliance. At the most fundamental level this policy will only work if people understand and support it themselves rather than relying on someone else to enforce its provision.