Academic integrity has been a sticky topic in higher education for a long time, but has recently come to the fore, as stories about both how prevalent cheating has become and how problematic teaching and learning practices serve to only reinforce a culture of cheating. As part of this, multiple stories have arisen about how international students, particularly those from East Asia, are more likely to cheat, with several reports speaking about how prevalent test cheating, credential fraud, and plagiarism are among these students. However, these stories almost always speak of how international students have failed to understand what academic integrity is or failed to care about such an important topic. This is likewise reflected in a great deal of research, which takes a deficit approach to international student understandings of academic integrity and a punitive approach towards violations of academic integrity. One key feature missing from the majority of studies of academic integrity among international students has been the experiences and perspectives of international students themselves, particularly those from East Asia. This study sought to address this by engaging directly with students from two East Asian countries, China and South Korea, who had experiences with academic integrity violations, in a discussion of their understandings, experiences, and practices of academic integrity. Using general qualitative methodology informed by thematic analysis for data analysis, I engaged in semi-structured interviews with 15 students at three mid-Atlantic universities, all of whom were majoring in either business or computer science, the most popular majors for international students at the time of data collection. Data analysis was informed by labelling theory, attribution theory, and Bourdieu’s concepts of cultural capital and habitus, all of which combined to offer insights into participants’ testimony. Findings indicate substantial similarities among participant experiences regardless of major, nationality, and institution, particularly regarding perceptions of a lack of resources and information about academic integrity rules and practices, as well as perceived inconsistencies in academic integrity standards, rule enforcement, and coherence with real-world practices. It is my hope that the findings here can help challenge the monotonic and punitive policies in place for student academic integrity violations at many US institutions of higher education, and that they can help to inform future policies and practices of academic integrity practitioners. It is also my hope that the findings can be used to help promote Bertram Gallant and Eaton’s ideas of a culture of integrity which serves all members of the academic community.