Reminder about the "April 15th resolution"

The Council of Graduate Schools has published a statement, "Resolution Regarding Graduate Scholars, Fellows, Trainees and Assistants," since the 1960s and the University of Minnesota is a signatory of this resolution. The resolution, commonly referred to as "the April 15th resolution," concerns conditions surrounding acceptance of offers of certain kinds of graduate student financial assistance.

The general spirit of the resolution is that:

• Students should have an opportunity to consider more than one offer and should have until April 15 to do so.


• Institutions and students should be able to view acceptances in force after April 15 as binding.


• Everyone should know what the rules are.


• An offer by the institution and its acceptance by the student constitute an agreement which both are expected to honor.

All University of Minnesota graduate programs that offer funding to admitted students must abide by this resolution and must use clear wording about acceptance deadlines in all funding offer letters sent to admitted students. Graduate programs should also provide a copy of this resolution or a link to the URL along with every offer letter for a scholarship, fellowship, traineeship, or assistantship. More information, including examples of acceptable working for funding offer letters is available at http://www.grad.umn.edu/prospective_students/april15.html.