This study examined academic misconduct knowledge and motivations of first-year college students enrolled in a major Western U.S. public university. Data involved student responses to online prompts. Several findings emerged. First, students started college with gaps in knowledge on citations/references, test/assignment cheating, and the nature of academic integrity, despite higher education institutions' (HEIs) elevated scrutiny on students adhering to academic conventions and ethics. Second, the great majority of students cited extrinsic motivations with going to college. Results speak to the relevancy of HEI programs that explicitly instructs new students in academic misconduct topics (e.g., definitions, procedures, and consequences). And results suggest that such programs might yield more efficient lasting lessons by stressing the tangible instrumental costs of academic misconduct (e.g. financial costs, work prospects, and social disapproval).