Language Pledge and Honor Code

A teacher in front of a class

At PiB's opening ceremony, each student is required to sign the PiB language pledge. The text of the pledge is as follows:

"I hereby pledge to use, in all my contacts, no language other than Mandarin Chinese for the duration of the program. I understand that failure to abide by the pledge will result in my dismissal from the program and forfeiture of tuition."

The pledge remains in effect until after the PiB graduation ceremony.

The pledge is designed to help students learn Chinese; it is not a punishment. To that end, PiB makes certain carefully guarded exceptions to the pledge. Students are allowed to make phone calls to family and friends back home, read English-language books, write English emails, and speak English to PiB staff if there is an emergency. We do ask, however, that all English speaking take place, if at all possible, out of earshot of other PiB students.

PiB punishes pledge violations, not only because they impede the ability of the violator to make full use of our program, but also because violations have the potential to ruin the learning atmosphere for other students.

PiB's examinations are conducted under the Honor Code. Non-Princeton students admitted to PiB will be asked to sign Princeton University's Honor Code Compliance Form shortly after admissions. All Princeton students  will have already signed this form upon admissions to Princeton University.

All students are expected to act with integrity with respect to their academic work. Any alleged academic integrity violations will be reported to the student’s home institution and all relevant material regarding the matter will be forwarded to the appropriate individual(s). Students should expect that alleged violations will be investigated and adjudicated by and in accordance with the rules and procedures of their home institution. A decision about the student’s status in the program pending an adjudication and a decision about the student’s grade will be made by the instructor in consultation with the Office of International Programs in light of all available information.