FAQ 15: Students, Parents, Public

Are there national deadlines for accepting scholarship offers?

A helpful guide regarding this question is articulated in the NASM Code of Ethics found in the NASM Handbook. The following is a direct quotation of Article III of the NASM Code of Ethics:

ARTICLE III:  FINANCIAL AID

Section 1

A.    For the purposes of this Code in its entirety, financial aid is an award made directly to the student based at least in part on demonstrated talent, this in addition to need-oriented aid based on generic national formulas. Financial aid relates to awards at the undergraduate and graduate levels, including teaching assistantships or fellowships.

B.    For the purposes of this Code in its entirety, the music executive is the chief academic officer of the music unit--for example, dean or director of the school of music, chair or head of the department of music, or a person specifically designated by the music executive to fulfill admission and transfer functions.

Section 2 

Financial aid shall be awarded according to the criteria established by the member institution granting the award.

Section 3

A.    The acceptance of financial aid or the signing of a declaration of intent to enter a given institution to begin a specific degree or program of study shall not be binding if signed before May 1 of the calendar year of matriculation at the under­graduate level, or before April 15 of the calendar year of matriculation at the graduate level.

B.    A student shall be notified of this policy when an institution makes an offer with a response deadline prior to May 1 for undergraduate-level programs and prior to April 15 for graduate-level programs.

C.    The institution must have a procedure for developing a written understanding with students, advising them that their acceptance of financial aid represents a mutual commitment: the institution agrees to hold a place for the student and provide certain financial assistance; the student agrees to occupy that place for a certain period of time. NASM recommends that the following text or its equivalent be utilized for this purpose:

In accepting this offer of financial aid from   (Institution)  , I understand that there is a mutual commitment on the part of myself and the institution. Therefore, I agree that after May 1 of the calendar year of matriculation into an undergraduate-level program or after April 15 of the cal­endar year of matriculation into a graduate-level program, I will not consider any other offer of financial aid from an insti­tutional member of the National Association of Schools of Music or any other institution for the purpose of enrolling in a music major program for the academic year ___-___ except with the express written consent of the music executive of the above named institution.

D.    Institutions shall allow students to choose without penalty among offers of admission and financial aid until May 1 of the calendar year of matriculation for undergraduate-level programs and until April 15 of the calendar year of matriculation for graduate-level programs. Written declarations of intent become binding on these dates.

Section 4

If the student is to be offered admission after May 1 for undergraduate-level programs and after April 15 for graduate-level programs, and before August 1 of the year of matriculation with a financial aid award made directly to the student based at least in part on demonstrated talent, prior to making the offer, the offering institution shall determine from the student whether he or she has accepted an offer of admission with a talent-based financial award from another institution. If so, the offering institution may not offer admission with talent-based financial aid during the first term of enrollment until the music executive of the school the student previously agreed to attend has given permission for the student to withdraw from the commitments, obligations, and benefits of his or her financial award.

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As always, the pool of financial aid applicants far exceeds the availability of funds. Students should be advised that the acceptance of a second and better offer after the May 1 deadline may leave an institution with an empty chair for the year, the loss of a scholarship line in the budget, and an inability to attract with aid offers other excellent students. Inherent in this Code of Ethics is an implicit code of honor for both institutions and students. The understanding and practice of this principle hopefully will maximize for all students the small pool of dollars available.

You may also wish to see:  Financial Aid Protocols