Stanford University has opened a probe into allegations of widespread cheating taking place during the winter quarter in multiple introductory courses.

According to the San Jose Mercury News, Provost John Etchemendy issued a letter last week to the school's professors and faculty members mentioning "troubling allegations of academic dishonesty." In the letter, he indicated these allegations were brought to the Office of Community Standards after the winter quarter had concluded.

Stanford officials told the newspaper Friday they are currently interviewing those suspected of cheating.

"In violating academic integrity," Etchemendy wrote, "they are cheating themselves of the very core of our mission - the process of learning and discovery - as well as risking severe consequences."

One of the most selective and academically prestigious schools in the nation, Stanford announced the admission of 2,144 students.

Etchemendy indicated a faculty member first made the school aware of possible cheating going on in "a number of winter courses," the Mercury News learned. It could be as many as 20 percent of the students enrolled in one of Stanford's largest introductory courses were involved.

"We have a lot of classes and a lot of students," Lisa Lapin, a spokeswoman for the school, told the newspaper. "It's not unusual to have a handful of concerns raised every term."

Stanford officially reported in the 2013-2014 academic year 83 students to be in violation of the honor code. Possible punishments in this case will likely range from a suspension lasting one quarter up to three and as many as 40 hours of community service.

Even at elite universities, cheating is nothing new and not uncommon, but what has changed is the way students can connect and share information with one another.

"With the ease of technology and widespread sharing that is now part of a collaborative culture, students need to recognize and be reminded that it is dishonest to appropriate the work of others," Etchemendy wrote.