WEST POINT, N.Y. (AP) — More than 70 West Point cadets have been accused of cheating on a math exam taken online when they were studying remotely because of the coronavirus pandemic.
A spokesman at the U.S. Military Academy says 55 cadets admitted cheating on the calculus exam in May. Most of them have been enrolled in a rehabilitation program and will be on probation for the rest of their time at West Point.
The cheating came to light when instructors saw irregularities while grading the exam. One of the students was a sophomore, and the 72 others were freshmen in a class of 1,200 West Point cadets.
According to the Associated Press, once an honors committee completed their investigation into the matter, two cases were dropped due to lack of evidence, four cases were dropped after cadets resigned, and three cadets admitted to cheating but aren't eligible for the rehab program.
Several over cadets will face hearings with the administration to see if they will be penalized or expelled, the AP reported.
According to the AP, the only other cheating scandal to occur at West Point happened in 1976 when 153 cadets were expelled or resigned for cheating on an electrical engineering exam.
More than 90 of those caught cheating in 1976 were reinstated and allowed to graduate, the AP reported.
