Stanford and Princeton Just Abandoned Their Honor Codes — Here's What That Means for You
85% of students have used generative AI on coursework — and Stanford and Princeton both scrapped student-enforced honor codes this spring in direct response.
Honor codes are crumbling under the weight of AI. Stanford and Princeton both approved faculty-proctored exams this spring — Stanford starting September 2026 — signaling a major shift away from student-enforced integrity systems that have anchored elite campuses for over a century. A 2025 Inside Higher Ed survey found 85% of students have used generative AI to complete coursework, and the ambiguity around what counts as cheating is at the heart of why traditional honor codes are failing. If you're at a school with an honor code, expect policies to get stricter and more specific about AI use — UVA's honor committee, for example, is already pushing faculty to spell out AI rules at the course level. The practical upshot: don't assume your institution's honor code tells you what you need to know about AI — check your syllabus and ask your professor directly before submitting any AI-assisted work.
This issue draws on reporting and data from Inside Higher Ed.