415协议
 | 此條目需要补充更多来源。 (2012年12月5日) |
415协议是美国各大学研究生院针对某些学生同时接受几所学校的含有财政资助的入学邀请，却在事后反悔无法前来就读而导致一些学额浪费的现象，所达成的共同协议。此协议并不是一份法律合同，而且只在美国实行，并且只对签署该协议的部分美国大学适用。值得注意的是，即使一些学校加入了415协议，也可以和学校协商对承诺日期进行更改。
协议主要内容
学生在4月15日之前没有答复含有财政资助的入学邀请的义务，学校如果设定较早的答复期限则违反协议意图。对已接受的入学邀请，学生在4月15日的截止期限前可以自由放弃。如果学生接受入学邀请且没有在4月15日前表示放弃，或在4月15日后接受入学邀请，那么在没有得到该学校书面允诺的情况下，不应擅自接受其他入学邀请。类似地，学校在4月15日后发出的入学邀请是有条件的，使其生效需要展示此前曾接受学校的书面允诺。这一协议目前在执行上比较松散，学生和学校往往可以在任何时间进行协商。不过它仍然从一定程度上规范了学校的招生行为，解决了以前学校各自设限要求学生答复的行为。
415协议英文原文
''Acceptance of an offer of financial support (such as a graduate scholarship, fellowship, traineeship, or assistantship) for the next academic year by a prospective or enrolled graduate student completes an agreement that both student and graduate school expect to honor. In that context, the conditions affecting such offers and their acceptance must be defined carefully and understood by all parties.
Students are under no obligation to respond to 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 may submit in writing a resignation of the appointment at any time through April 15. However, an acceptance given or left in force after April 15 commits the student not to accept another offer without first obtaining a written release from the institution to which a commitment has been made. Similarly, an offer by an institution after April 15 is conditional on presentation by the student of the written release from any previously accepted offer. It is further agreed by the institutions and organizations subscribing to the above Resolution that a copy of this Resolution should accompany every scholarship, fellowship, traineeship, and assistantship offer.''