在经历了托福、GMAT、GRE考场上的较量之后，希望出国深造的学子们可没闲着，为申请到好学校，他们又开始不停地填表格、四处咨询。原本，2月份是他们刚刚可以松一口气、等待录取通知书的好时光，可近几年却偏又要面对美国多家大学联合制定的“4・15协议”。往往，先到手的录取通知书成了烫手的山芋，不接受吧，怕失去难得的机会；接受了，又怕以后拿到更好的学校通知书。

　　什么是"4.15"协议

　　1999年，美国多家大学联合制定并实施针对外国学生的“4・15协议”，主要内容为：申请赴美留学、已拿到多个学校录取通知书的学生，必须在4月15日前决定一所你要去的学校，否则，所有录取通知书将都被视作无效。这个“协议”的用意，是约束某个申请人同时接受多个学校的录取，但直到开学前才通知其中一些学校“无法按时就读”的不当行为。申请人的这一做法将大大影响学校正常的招生、教学秩序，也让美国每年白白放空大笔奖学金。当然，他们还损害了本国申请者的形象，为后来的申请者带来麻烦。

　　“4・15协议”主要内容

　　在每年的4月15日之前，申请者可以在已录取他的学校中任意选择一家就读，但明确答复所选大学的时间应不晚于4月15日，还应尽可能早地把自己的决定通知别的学校。留足时间，将已经收到录取通知书但决定拒绝的学校的各类录取资料，包括I-20表格，在4月15日之前寄回（材料不一定要在4月15日之前到达被拒学校，但事先必须用电子邮件通知学校）。如果在接受一所学校的录取之后反悔，受损害的学校有权请求所有签署“4・15协议”的其他大学拒收该生。

　　"4.15"协议原文以及学校列表（官方网站公布）

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 hrough 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.

The following list includes CGS member institutions that indicated their support of the Resolution.

　　Abilene Christian University

　　Air Force Institute of Technology

　　Alcorn State University

　　Alfred University

　　American University

　　Andrews University

　　Angelo State University

　　Appalachian State University

　　Arizona State University

　　Arkansas State University

　　Auburn University

　　Austin Peay State University

　　Ball State University

　　Baylor College of Medicine

　　Baylor University

　　Bloomsburg University of Penn.

　　Boise State University

　　Boston College

　　Boston University

　　Bowling Green State University

　　Bradley University

　　Brandeis University

　　Brigham Young University

　　Brown University

　　Bryn Mawr College

　　Caldwell College

　　California Institute of Technology

　　California State Polytechnic

　　University, Pomona

　　California State University, Bakersfield

　　California State University, Stanislaus

　　California State University, Fresno

　　California State University, Fullerton

　　California State University, Hayward

　　California State University,

　　Long Beach

　　California State University,

　　Los Angeles

　　California State University, Northridge

　　California State University,

　　Sacramento

　　California State University,

　　Stanislaus

　　California University of Pennsylvania

　　Case Western Reserve University

　　Catholic University of America

　　Central Michigan University

　　Central Missouri State University

　　Central Washington University

　　City University of New York

　　Graduate Center

　　Claremont Graduate University

　　Clark Atlanta University

　　Clark University

　　Clemson University

　　Cleveland State University

　　College of New Jersey

　　College of Saint Rose

　　College of William and Mary

　　Colorado School of Mines

　　Columbia University

　　Concordia University, River Forest

　　Coppin State College

　　Cornell University

　　Creighton University

　　Dartmouth College

　　Drew University

　　Drexel University

　　Duke University

　　Duquesne University

　　East Carolina University

　　East Central Oklahoma State

　　East Tennessee State University

　　Eastern Illinois University

　　Eastern Kentucky University

　　Eastern Michigan University

　　Eastern Washington University

　　Emerson College

　　Emory University

　　Emporia State University

　　Fayetteville State University

　　Fielding Graduate Institute

　　Fitchburg State College

　　Florida A & M University

　　Florida Atlantic University

　　Florida International University

　　Florida State University

　　Fordham University

　　Fort Hays State University

　　Gallaudet University

　　George Mason University

　　George Washington University

　　Georgetown University

　　Georgia Institute of Technology

　　Georgia Southern University