NEW: Sign Onto the April 15 Resolution
CGS member institutions are invited to become a signatory of the April 15 Resolution. Institutions that signed on prior to April 10, 2026 must re-sign.
Prior Resolution
Resolution Regarding Graduate Scholars, Fellows, Trainees, & Assistants
Acceptance of an offer of financial support*, such as full tuition support, a fellowship, traineeship or assistantship, completes an agreement that both student and graduate school are expected to honor. In that context, the conditions affecting such offers and their acceptance must be defined carefully and understood by all parties. By signing this Resolution, universities commit to a fair and equitable process that allows prospective students time to receive and consider offers of financial support in the best interest of that student.
*This Resolution applies to offers of full tuition support, fellowships, traineeships, and assistantships only, not offers of admission.
Students admitted for the upcoming fall term are under no obligation to accept or decline offers of financial support prior to April 15; earlier deadlines for acceptance of such offers violate the intent of this Resolution. In those instances in which a student accepts an offer before April 15, and subsequently desires to withdraw that acceptance, the student is encouraged to notify the program as soon as possible as a courtesy, but the student is not required to formally decline the offer until at least April 15. If the student withdraws the acceptance after April 15, the student must inform the program in writing that they are withdrawing from or declining the offer of financial support that they previously had accepted.
It is further agreed by the institutions and organizations subscribing to the above Resolution that a copy of this Resolution or a link to the URL should accompany every full tuition support, fellowship, traineeship, and assistantship offer.