As a signatory to the CGS April 15 Resolution, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln supports and will adhere to the below changes to the resolution. At the advice of legal counsel, the Council of Graduate Schools has made changes to the April 15 Resolution based on a recent anti-trust finding that was filed by the Department of Justice on December 12, 2019.
- For this current admissions season (2019-2020), signatories to the April 15 Resolution will continue the current practice: students who accept an offer of financial support will be required to obtain a release from that acceptance prior to accepting another offer.
- For the admissions season that will start in Fall, 2020, signatory institutions will make the following adjustment to our practice: Instead of requiring a written release from an acceptance of an offer of financial support, an applicant will be required to inform a program of the withdrawal of acceptance of an offer (‘notification’) in writing, prior to accepting a second offer.
The Office of Graduate Studies is aware that some professional organizations recommend deadlines earlier than April 15 for accepting a funding offer. As a signatory to the CGS April 15 Resolution, no earlier deadline is permitted. Academic units cannot require students to accept funding offers prior to April 15, regardless of recommendations by organizations outside of the University of Nebraska.