Thirty-eight students have left the University of Virginia so far in the biggest plagiarism scandal in the school’s 183-year history.

The scandal was touched off last spring after Professor Lou Bloomfield used a computer program he developed to find duplicated phrases in students’ work.

The student Honor Committee, established in 1842 to enforce the university’s vaunted honor code, said Wednesday that 13 students were found guilty of copying term papers in the introductory physics class and were forced to leave.

An additional 25 admitted guilt and left school on their own, the committee said.

Ninety-three students were exonerated and 20 still await trial.

Under the honor code, students face expulsion if caught lying, cheating or stealing. In February, students rejected a proposal to soften the penalty by allowing offenders to re-enroll after being suspended.

–Associated Press