The Board of Examiners at Adelaide University has initiated an investigation into cheating allegations by fifth-year medical students.

Certain students allegedly used university-supplied iPads to take images of a question paper on the Human Reproduction Health. They left the screen grabs of the exam on the devices for the next round of students.

The investigation will be completed with a forensic examination of the iPads.

"We will have a zero tolerance to cheating and plagiarism, but we do need to investigate this thoroughly and in a timely manner," Dean of the Medical School Professor Alastair Burt said, abc reports.

The University's policies state: 'Plagiarism, collusion and other forms of cheating are expressly forbidden.'

The exam results will not be released pending the internal investigation.

"We are very clear that those students who are entirely innocent, who were not involved in this in any way, should not suffer and therefore we are not going to call the exam results null and void," Burt said, according to the Courier Mail.

Dr Paul Duggan, obstetrics and gynecology senior lecturer, said that as the primary purpose of this exam is lost, the students will be required to re-write the exam.

"This may include requiring ALL Y5 students to sit an additional examination in HRH prior to release of results this year," Duggan said.

Duggan urged the perpetrators to come forward. There would be severe consequences including expulsion from the MBBS (Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery) program and medical school for students who do not come forward, he warned. So far, 12 students have admitted involvement in the cheating.

The university learnt about the cheating allegations through an anonymous tip-off last week. The future use of iPads will be reassessed.