If the college student has copied content and has not given proper credit for the information, he can be expelled, or in some cases dismissed from the school indefinitely. At many schools, this happens after the student plagiarizes just once. Expulsion can have a major impact on the student's life and means, of course, that the student's money, time and efforts spent on his education have been wasted.
Under probation, the student receives a letter from the school faculty stating that he has violated the school policy and that his standing is now in jeopardy. Students on probation will not be able to graduate or even work on campus.
The minimum punishment at colleges or universities involves not giving students credit for the plagiarized assignment. This can have a catastrophic effect on the student's overall grade in the class.
When the penalty involves loss of privileges, the plagiarizing student will not be allowed to use certain school facilities such as learning resources or any of the school labs.
In some cases, the plagiarizing student will receive an automatic F for his grade in the course without further comment. This grade will show on his school transcript and will severely impact his overall GPA.