In cases of cheating, plagiarism, or violations of the law in dental education, a very high level of due process is required. University counsel can help administrators determine whether an accused student is professionally suited to dentistry by characterizing as many corrective actions as possible as academic under the rubric of "suitability to…

A legal approach to due process in cases of college student cheating is outlined. Issues discussed include severity of the misconduct, need for informal vs. formal procedures, the due process paradigm as reflected in relevant court litigation, and steps in application of the paradigm (preliminary steps, notice and hearing procedures).(MSE)