Student Discipline Regulation (B.E. 2568)

This Regulation is called the "Regulation of Thammasat University on Student Discipline, B.E. 2568 (2025)."

This Regulation shall come into force on the day following the date of its announcement.

The Regulation of Thammasat University on Student Discipline, B.E. 2564 (2021), is hereby repealed.

In this Regulation:

"the University"

means Thammasat University;

"the Rector"

means the Rector of Thammasat University;

"a Faculty"

includes a College, Institute, or other unit however named that is responsible for providing instruction under the curricula of the University;

"the Dean"

includes the Director of an Institute, or the head of a unit however named that is responsible for providing instruction under the curricula of the University;

"a student"

means a student at any level who is registered as a student of the University;

"academic assessment"

means academic assessment of any kind, whether inter-sessional assessment, final examinations, or assessment by any method prescribed by the instructor, comprehensive examinations, qualifying examinations, thesis-proposal examinations, independent study or thesis research, thesis examinations, independent study or thesis research, credit-transfer equivalency testing, or academic assessment of any other character.

The Rector shall be in charge of the enforcement of this Regulation. In the event of any problem concerning compliance with this Regulation, the Rector shall have the power to make orders for compliance as the Rector deems appropriate, and such orders shall be final.

A student shall maintain and comply with the discipline and code of ethics prescribed in the regulations and notices of the University and of a faculty unit, strictly and at all times.

A breach of the code of ethics that constitutes a disciplinary offence shall be proceeded with in accordance with this Regulation.

A student shall maintain discipline as follows:

• (1)
  A student shall not cause a disturbance, engage in a brawl or affray, consume alcohol or any other intoxicant, or gamble, within the premises of the University; and shall not destroy the property of the University or of any other person within the premises of the University.
• (2)
  A student shall maintain harmony among students, and between students and personnel, by not causing physical or mental injury, intimidating, bullying, harassing, threatening, or acting in a way that causes another person shame or distress, such as smoking or vaping outside a smoking area within the University, sexual harassment, or sending threatening messages to a student or personnel through a computer system.
• (3)
  A student shall maintain the reputation and honour of the University, by not conducting themselves in a manner that may bring disrepute or damage to the University, such as becoming intoxicated with alcohol to the point of losing self-control, or displaying conduct unbecoming while wearing student attire, or dressing improperly in contravention of the regulations and notices of the University or of a faculty unit.
• (4)
  A student shall obey and comply with lawful orders, or the admonitions of a person working at the University in the performance of their duties.

A student who commits any of the following acts is deemed to have committed a serious disciplinary offence:

• (1)
  Committing any act, all elements of which constitute an offence for which the law prescribes a penalty of imprisonment exceeding five years.
• (2)
  Possessing or carrying a weapon, firearm, explosive, or other similarly dangerous item within the premises of the University, unless carried for the performance of duties, practice, or a sporting competition, or as part of instruction, or for any other purpose carried out with the authorisation of the Rector.
• (3)
  Being liable to a term of imprisonment by a final judgment of the court, except where the penalty is for an offence committed negligently or a petty offence.
• (4)
  Committing dishonesty in academic assessment, which includes communicating with another person, or using a tool or other device without authorisation; hiring another person to answer questions or produce work in one's place without authorisation; copying another's work; infringing intellectual property; fabricating data; using a device fabricated for such purpose in contravention of a notice of the University; and including giving assistance of any kind to enable another student to commit dishonesty in academic assessment.
• (5)
  Committing an act prohibited under section 7(2) that constitutes unfair discrimination on grounds of place of origin, race, language, sex, gender, age, disability, physical condition, health condition, personal status, economic or social status, religious belief, or education or training.
• (6)
  Committing an act prohibited under section 7 to such an extent that it affects the normal operations of the University, or seriously affects the relationship between the University and any person or organisation.
• (7)
  Repeating, during the period one holds the status of a student, an act prohibited under section 7 for which the same penalty was previously imposed.

Any student who acts as a principal, an instigator, an inciter, or an abettor of another student to commit a disciplinary offence under this Regulation shall be deemed to have committed a disciplinary offence of the same character.

There are seven disciplinary penalties, namely:

• (1)
  a written disciplinary probation;
• (2)
  suspension from study for one semester;
• (3)
  suspension from study for up to one academic year;
• (4)
  withholding of the submission of the student's name for approval of graduation for one semester;
• (5)
  withholding of the submission of the student's name for approval of graduation for up to one academic year;
• (6)
  disqualification from sitting examinations in all or some courses, applicable only in a case of cheating in academic assessment;
• (7)
  dismissal from student status.

A student who commits a disciplinary offence under section 7 shall be given a penalty under section 10(1), (2), or (4).

In imposing a penalty under the first paragraph, the Rector and the Dean shall consider the severity of the offence, the opportunity for registration, and the student's completion of study.

Where there is reasonable cause to remit the penalty under section 10(1), the Rector or the Dean shall consider remitting such penalty, and shall instead give a warning with reasons recorded.

A student who commits a serious disciplinary offence under section 8 shall be given a penalty under section 10(3), (5), (6), or (7).

In addition to the penalty imposed under the first paragraph, a student who commits a serious disciplinary offence under section 8(4) may also be required to receive a penalty under section 10(6).

Where a student is accused, on evidence reasonably indicating that the student has committed a disciplinary offence, or it appears to the Dean that a student has committed a disciplinary offence, the Dean shall take disciplinary proceedings under this Regulation without delay, except that where the matter concerns students of more than one division, or where there is some other appropriate cause, the Rector may instead take the proceedings.

Where the accused student confesses in writing to the Rector or the Dean, or a final judgment sentences that student to imprisonment, the Rector or the Dean may order a disciplinary penalty on the student without appointing an investigation committee, or may have the investigation committee terminate the investigation.

The Rector or the Dean shall appoint an investigation committee, composed of a chairperson who is a full-time faculty member and at least two other members of the investigation committee, with one member of the investigation committee acting as secretary, and an assistant secretary may also be provided; in appointing the committee, it must be composed of persons of more than one sex.

Where the disciplinary offence concerns an act of a sexual nature, an expert or full-time faculty member in the field of psychology or social work, or who is a psychiatrist, together with a full-time faculty member in the field of law, shall also serve as members of the committee, and where the injured party so requests, not more than two persons requested by the injured party shall be permitted to attend and observe the taking of the injured party's testimony.

Where the investigation committee considers it appropriate, or upon receiving a request, the investigation committee shall notify the Student Affairs Division so as to coordinate a psychologist or social worker attached to the Student Affairs Division to provide care or advice to the students or University personnel concerned.

In taking such testimony, the committee may permit the psychologist or social worker referred to above to attend and observe the taking of testimony; and where a question could be expected to have a severely distressing effect on that person's mind, the committee shall put the question through the psychologist or social worker specifically for that purpose.

A committee member under section 14 must not have any of the following prohibited characteristics:

• (1)
  having witnessed the events of the act;
• (2)
  having an interest in the act;
• (3)
  having a cause of enmity with the accused student or the complainant;
• (4)
  being a fiancé(e), spouse, a person cohabiting as spouses without registration of marriage, an ascendant, an adopted child, a guardian, a supporter, a descendant, an adopted parent, a person under whose parental power the complainant or the accused student is, a person under whose support the complainant or the accused student is, or a sibling of the whole blood or of the half blood, a first cousin, a legal representative, a custodian, or an agent of the complainant or the accused student;
• (5)
  being a creditor or debtor, or an employer, of the complainant or the accused student;
• (6)
  having some other cause which the person with power to appoint considers may render the consideration unjust.

The investigation committee shall conduct the investigation and summarise the case together with its opinion without delay, and this shall be completed within sixty days from the date the chairperson of the investigation committee received notice of the appointment order.

Where necessary, the investigation committee may request an extension of the investigation period from the person with power to appoint, each time for not more than thirty days, but not more than two times.

The investigation committee shall notify the accused student of the facts alleged that the student committed the offence, the disciplinary charge, and the material evidence available, to the extent known to the accused student, and shall also notify the accused student of the right to explain and rebut the allegation orally, and that the student may bring witnesses and evidence to rebut the allegation.

The accused student has the right to object to a member of the investigation committee by stating the facts constituting the ground for the objection in a written explanation rebutting the allegation, or by additionally notifying it in writing before the investigation committee begins the investigation.

Where there is a ground for or an objection is made under paragraph one, that member of the investigation committee may withdraw from participating in the consideration of the matter under investigation; if that member does not withdraw, the remaining members of the investigation committee shall jointly consider and decide the disputed facts, and if they consider the facts credible, that member of the investigation committee shall be so notified and shall not participate in the consideration of that matter.

A meeting must have not less than one-half of the total number of members of the investigation committee attending in order to constitute a quorum.

At a meeting, if the chairperson of the investigation committee is not present at the meeting, or is unable to perform the duty, or there is no chairperson, the meeting shall select one member of the investigation committee to act as chairperson of the investigation committee.

A decision shall be made by a majority vote of those attending the meeting; where the votes are equal, the chairperson of the investigation committee at the meeting shall cast an additional vote as a casting vote.

Whether or not the accused student has explained and rebutted the allegation orally, that student has the right to submit a written explanation rebutting the allegation to the investigation committee within fifteen days from the date of receiving notice under section 17.

The investigation committee shall gather the facts and formulate an opinion, together with reasons, for the person with power to appoint, as to whether the accused student has committed a disciplinary offence or not, and if so, under which section, and if the student has committed an offence, what penalty should be imposed.

Subject to sections 11 and 12, where the Dean is the person who appointed the investigation committee, and:

• (1)
  the Dean considers it appropriate to waive the penalty by instead giving a verbal admonishment, under paragraph three of section 11, or considers that the student should be penalised with the penalty under section 10(1), the Dean shall proceed accordingly, and shall report to the Rector without delay;
• (2)
  the Dean considers that the student should be penalised with the penalty under section 10(2), (3), (4), (5), (6), or (7), the Dean shall report the results of the investigation and this opinion to the Rector.

Where the Rector is the person who appointed the investigation committee, or the case is one under section 21(2), the Rector shall consider the severity of the case constituting the offence, and shall then issue an order under section 11 or section 12, as the case may be.

Where a student has committed a disciplinary offence, if that student admits fault and submits a petition to the Rector requesting suspension of the penalty or mitigation of the penalty, and having regard to the record, conduct, health, state of mind, and circumstances of that student, or the nature of the offence, the acknowledgement of fault, and the effort to mitigate the resulting harm, or some other cause warranting clemency, the Rector may order:

• (1)
  to suspend the penalty, so as to give the student an opportunity to reform within the period determined by the Rector, but not exceeding one year from the date the Rector orders the penalty suspended;
• (2)
  to mitigate the penalty from section 10(2) or (4) to section 10(1);
• (3)
  to mitigate the penalty from section 10(3) or (5) to section 10(2) or (4), as the case may be.

Where the Rector has issued an order under paragraph one, the Rector may order that the student enter a self-development programme, or perform public service, or perform work for a division or the University, or refrain from any conduct that may lead to the commission of a disciplinary offence.

Where the disciplinary offence committed by the student has a cause arising from a mental abnormality or other significant problem, the Rector may issue an order under paragraph one directing that the student remain under the care of a social worker, psychologist, or psychiatrist.

Where it appears to the University that the student has not complied with an order under paragraph two or paragraph three, as the case may be, whether or not the Rector has already given a written admonishment, or the student commits the same offence again during the period of suspension of the penalty or the period during which the penalty was imposed, the Rector shall revoke the order under paragraph one and impose the original disciplinary penalty on the student under the order under section 21 or section 22, as the case may be.

A penalty imposed on a student under section 10(2), (3), (4), (5), (6), or (7) shall be made as a University order signed by the Rector, and there shall be a letter notifying the penalty order, together with notice of the right of appeal under sections 29 and 31, given to the student.

Where the student is at the bachelor's degree level or lower, once the penalty on the student has been ordered, the student's father, mother, or guardian shall also be so notified, except where the student is a bachelor's-degree graduate-level student.

The Rector shall report the penalty imposed under paragraph one to the University Council for information.

There shall be a Student Discipline Appeals Committee appointed by the Rector, consisting of:

• (1)
  a legal expert, as Chairperson;
• (2)
  full-time faculty members proposed by the Rector, numbering three persons, as members, drawn from the social-sciences group, the sciences group, and the health-sciences group, one from each group;
• (3)
  full-time faculty members proposed by the Student Council, numbering two persons.

The Director of the Student Affairs Division, or a representative, shall be a member and secretary, and an officer of the University attached to the Student Affairs Division, numbering one person, shall be an assistant secretary.

The Student Discipline Appeals Committee shall hold office for a term of two years from the date of appointment, and may be reappointed.

Where the Chairperson of the Student Discipline Appeals Committee and members of the Student Discipline Appeals Committee vacate office on expiry of their term, the appointment of persons to hold the new office shall be carried out within sixty days from the date on which the former Chairperson and members vacated office. Where appointment has not yet been made, the former Chairperson and members shall continue to perform their duties until persons are appointed to hold the new office.

Where the position of Chairperson of the Student Discipline Appeals Committee or of a member of the Student Discipline Appeals Committee falls vacant before the expiry of its term, the appointment of a person to hold the new office in place of the vacancy shall be carried out within sixty days from the date on which the vacancy arose. A person appointed as Chairperson of the Student Discipline Appeals Committee, or as a member of the Student Discipline Appeals Committee, in place of the vacancy shall remain in office only for the remainder of the term of the person he or she replaces.

The Student Discipline Appeals Committee has the powers and duties as follows:

• (1)
  to consider and adjudicate matters under appeal;
• (2)
  to summon any person to give a statement, or to submit documents, electronic documents, or any object, for use in the consideration as necessary;
• (3)
  to appoint a person or a body of persons to consider or perform any act that falls within the power of the Student Discipline Appeals Committee;
• (4)
  other duties as assigned by the University.

A meeting shall require the attendance of not fewer than one-half of the total number of members of the Student Discipline Appeals Committee to constitute a quorum.

At a meeting, if the Chairperson of the Student Discipline Appeals Committee is not present at the meeting, or is unable to perform his or her duty, or there is no Chairperson, the meeting shall select one of the members of the Appeals Committee to act as Chairperson of the Student Discipline Appeals Committee.

A decision shall be made by a majority vote of those attending the meeting. In the event of an equality of votes, the Chairperson of the Student Discipline Appeals Committee at the meeting shall have an additional casting vote.

An appeal may be lodged for oneself only, and an appeal must be lodged within thirty days from the date of receiving notice or being deemed to have received notice of the order.

An appeal must be made in writing setting out the facts and the grounds of the appeal, and must show how the order is incorrect, inappropriate, or has not accorded fairness, together with the signature, the unit to which the appellant belongs, and the address of the appealing student.

In lodging an appeal, if the appealing student wishes to make an oral statement in the course of consideration by the Student Discipline Appeals Committee, this wish shall be indicated in the notice of appeal.

An appeal is not grounds for a stay of enforcement of a penalty order under section 22, except where the Appeals Committee orders a stay of enforcement of a case under appeal under section 38, paragraph two. In such a case, enforcement of the penalty order shall be stayed pending the consideration and adjudication of the Student Discipline Appeals Committee.

For the purpose of preparing the notice of appeal, the appealing student has the right to request to inspect or copy a record of statements, documents, electronic documents, or other evidence relevant to the case, provided always that this shall be subject to the discretion of the person who issued the penalty order to permit or refuse it under any conditions whatsoever.

Where a request to copy a record of a person's statement is made under paragraph one, if the person who issued the penalty order considers that the witness or evidence in question is necessary for the purpose of the appeal, that person may permit the record of a person's statement to be copied without identifying the person.

The appealing student has the right to object to one or several members of the Student Discipline Appeals Committee if that person has any of the following grounds:

• (1)
  having personal knowledge of the facts of the act appealed against;
• (2)
  having an interest in the act appealed against;
• (3)
  having a cause of enmity with the appealing student;
• (4)
  being the spouse, a person cohabiting as husband and wife without registration of marriage, a parent, an adoptive child, a guardian, a person under guardianship, a lineal ascendant or descendant, an adopted child, a person under parental power, a person under care, or a sibling of the same parents or of the same father or mother, of the person who lodged the complaint or of the person who issued the order;
• (5)
  having been a member of the disciplinary inquiry into the penalty order for which the appeal was already lodged;
• (6)
  having any other ground that may cause the consideration of the appeal to lack fairness.

An objection to a member of the Appeals Committee must state the facts constituting the grounds for the objection in the notice of appeal, or must give additional notice in writing before the Student Discipline Appeals Committee begins considering the appeal.

When there is a ground, or an objection has been made, under paragraph one, the member of the Appeals Committee concerned may withdraw from participating in the consideration of that appeal. If the member of the Appeals Committee concerned has not withdrawn, the remaining members of the Student Discipline Appeals Committee shall jointly consider and decide on the facts objected to; if it is found that the facts are credible, the member of the Appeals Committee concerned shall be so notified and shall not be permitted to participate in considering that matter.

For the purpose of reckoning the period for appeal, the date on which the person responsible for notifying the penalty order has given written notice to the penalised student who is present in person, with the penalised student signing to acknowledge the order, shall be taken as the date of notice.

Where it is not possible to give notice to the penalised person to acknowledge the order under paragraph one, the person responsible for notifying the penalty order shall give notice to the penalised person by registered mail with acknowledgment of receipt to the address appearing as the domicile of the penalised person, and the penalised person shall be deemed to have received notice of the penalty order upon expiry of seven days from the date of dispatch, for a case within the country, or upon expiry of fifteen days from the date of dispatch, for a case sent abroad.

An appeal shall be made as a letter addressed to the Chairperson of the Student Discipline Appeals Committee by submitting or sending the notice of appeal. It may be submitted or sent directly to the Chairperson of the Student Discipline Appeals Committee, or through the head of the unit to which the appealing student belongs, and the head of that unit shall proceed as provided in section 35.

Where a person brings a notice of appeal to submit it, the recipient of the notice shall issue a receipt for the notice to the person submitting the appeal, and shall register receipt of the notice as evidence on the date the notice is received under the University's correspondence system, and the date the notice is received according to that record shall be taken as the date of submission of the notice of appeal.

Where a notice of appeal is sent by registered mail with acknowledgment of receipt, the date on which the post office issues the receipt of posting shall be taken as the date of submission of the notice of appeal, and once the notice of appeal is received, the recipient of the notice shall proceed to issue a receipt for the notice and register receipt of the notice as evidence on the date the notice is received under the University's correspondence system.

Once the notice of appeal has been submitted or sent, the appealing student may submit or send an additional statement or supporting documents before the Student Discipline Appeals Committee makes its decision on the appeal, by submitting or sending it directly to the Chairperson of the Student Discipline Appeals Committee.

When the head of a unit receives a notice of appeal submitted or sent under section 34, the head of the unit shall send the notice of appeal, together with copies of evidence of the appealing student's acknowledgment of the order, the inquiry file, and the file on the disciplinary proceedings, along with the explanation of the person who issued the order and relevant documents, to the Chairperson of the Student Discipline Appeals Committee within seven working days from the date of receiving the notice.

A matter under appeal that may be accepted for consideration must be a matter of appeal that is correct in substance under section 29. Where there is a question whether any appeal is a matter to be accepted for consideration, the Student Discipline Appeals Committee shall be the one to consider and decide, and shall promptly notify its ruling to the appealing student, all of which shall be within not more than thirty days from the date the notice of appeal was submitted, and the Student Discipline Appeals Committee shall consider the matter promptly, but in any case within not more than one hundred and twenty days from the date the Student Discipline Appeals Committee resolved to accept the appeal.

The appealing student may withdraw the matter under appeal before the Student Discipline Appeals Committee finishes its adjudication, by making a written notice submitted to the Chairperson of the Student Discipline Appeals Committee. Once the matter is withdrawn, consideration of the appeal shall be finally terminated.

In considering a matter under appeal, the Student Discipline Appeals Committee shall consider the file on the inquiry or the consideration of preliminary disciplinary proceedings. Where necessary and appropriate, it may request additional documents and evidence from a person or unit concerned for use in its consideration.

Where it considers it appropriate, the Student Discipline Appeals Committee may order a stay of enforcement of the penalty order under section 22 in the interim, provided always that a stay of enforcement of the penalty order must not be ordered in a case involving a penalty under section 10 (4) or (5).

Where the appealing student requests to make an oral statement, if the Student Discipline Appeals Committee considers that an oral statement is not necessary for deciding the appeal, it may deny the oral statement.

Where the appealing student comes to make an oral statement before the Student Discipline Appeals Committee, the person who issued the penalty order shall also be notified that, should that person wish to make a statement in response, that person may likewise come to make a statement at that meeting, provided that advance notice as appropriate to the circumstances shall be given; and for the purpose of making a statement in response, the person who issued the penalty order or a representative may attend to hear the oral statement of the appealing student.

When the Student Discipline Appeals Committee has finished considering and adjudicating an appeal, a decision shall be made as follows:

• (1)
  if it considers that the order is correct and appropriate to the offence, a decision shall be made to dismiss the appeal;
• (2)
  if it considers that the order is incorrect or inappropriate to the offence in any particular, a decision shall be made to amend it to make it correct and appropriate, provided that the penalty may not be made more severe;
• (3)
  if it considers it appropriate to proceed on any other particular so as to bring about fairness and correctness as a matter of law, a decision shall be made to proceed as appropriate to the case.

A decision on the consideration and adjudication of the Student Discipline Appeals Committee shall have effect only for the person who exercised the right of appeal, even where it appears as a fact that the order which is the ground of the appeal has a penal effect on several persons who committed the offence jointly or engaged in the same conduct jointly, provided always that the exercise of the right of appeal by one penalised student shall not deprive another penalised person of the right of appeal, should that other person request to join as a co-appellant during the consideration and adjudication of the appeal.

Where there are those who have lodged an appeal against any one order affecting the same result of the same penalty order, which has consequences for other penalised students engaged in the same conduct, in several instances, the Student Discipline Appeals Committee shall afford the other penalised persons the opportunity to join as co-appellants, by preparing a written notice of the right to become a co-appellant for the other penalised persons for the record. This must not conflict with section 29, and a co-appellant shall have the same rights as the student who lodged the original appeal.

When the Student Discipline Appeals Committee has reached a decision under section 39, the Chairperson of the Student Discipline Appeals Committee shall notify the Rector, the appealing student, and any other person concerned for their information, and shall notify the person who issued the penalty order, for that person to proceed promptly in accordance with the decision of the Student Discipline Appeals Committee.

Where disciplinary proceedings have been taken, or an appeal against a penalty has been filed, before this Regulation comes into force, such matter shall be proceeded with under the Regulation of Thammasat University on Student Discipline, B.E. 2564 (2021), until finished, except that where any provision of this Regulation is more favourable to the student, that provision shall apply instead.