The statement consists of an outline of recommended standards that Committee C believes will foster sound academic policies in universities with graduate programs. The responsibility to secure and respect general conditions conducive to a graduate student's freedom to learn and to teach is shared by all members of the graduate university community. Each university has a duty to develop policies and procedures that safeguard this freedom. Such policies and procedures should be developed in each institution within the framework of those general standards that enable the university to fulfill its educational mission. These standards are offered not simply to protect the rights of affected individuals but also to ensure that graduate education fulfills its responsibilities to students, faculty, and society.
Graduate students have the right to academic freedom.
Graduate students have the right to be free from illegal or unconstitutional discrimination, or discrimination on a basis not demonstrably related to the job function involved, including, but not limited to, age, sex, disability, race, religion, national origin, marital status, or sexual orientation, in admissions and throughout their education, employment, and placement. When feasible, they should be told about acceptance, application, and attrition rates in their fields, but it is also their responsibility to keep themselves informed. If requirements are altered, students admitted under previous rules should be able to continue under those rules. Institutions should help students make progress toward their degrees in a timely fashion. They should provide diligent advisers, relevant course offerings, adequate dissertation or thesis supervision, and clear communication of their progress.