Membership Agreement

All applicant and family information, including details contained within any forms submitted as part of the admissions process, must be kept confidential with and among the admissions committee for and authorized school personnel at the receiving member school. 
 
All applicant and family information, including details contained within any forms submitted as part of the admissions process, may not be shared with anyone other than the admissions committee for and authorized school personnel at the receiving member school. Authorized school personnel includes but is not limited to consultants, board members, donors, applicant family members, and anyone authorized to act in the interest of the applicant family. 

Connected applicants are siblings of current or former students, legacy (a parent or guardian matriculated at the member school), children of current faculty or staff, active congregants of an affiliated religious institution, children of current faculty, staff, or students of an affiliated academic institution, and/or children enrolled in affiliated pre-2s programs at ISAAGNY schools also qualify for Early Notification to preschool (children enrolled in affiliated pre-2s programs at ISAAGNY schools can be notified on the Early Notification date, but they cannot be required to reply prior to the regular reply date). 

Member schools may choose to extend Early Notification to connected applicants. In doing so, they (1) may choose to narrow the aforementioned qualifiers, but may not expand on it, and (2) will adhere to the Early Notification opt-in, file completion, notification, and reply dates as stated each year.

Member schools must equally consider applications from connected applicants, regardless of whether an applicant has designated the connected school as a priority. 

Member schools may not use undue influence in recruiting students, either directly (via communication with families) or indirectly (via communication with representatives of families’ sending schools).

Member schools may not ask prospective students or families to divulge the schools to which they’ve applied or their school preference. After a family declines an offered seat, member schools may then ask where the applicant has enrolled.

Member schools will refrain from requesting and/or requiring “first choice letters” from applicant families. Should member schools receive any such letters from applicants, they are not obligated to accept them. Note that the letters are neither binding for parents nor reflective of a sending school’s guidance.
 
After notifications have been sent out, member schools may:
-    have their admissions professionals reach out to individual admitted families. Member schools are encouraged to refrain from repeated outreach that may overwhelm families.
-    answer specific questions from admitted families.
-    host optional revisit events that are open to all families admitted to a given grade, division, or residential status (day/boarding), or from a given region. 
-    connect admitted families with a member of the school community (i.e., enrolled student and/or parent, faculty member, athletics coach) to facilitate decision-making, upon request.
-    extend offers to waitlisted families.

-    Sending/Current School
Enrolled students at member schools may consider other educational options. Should a student apply out to another member school, they must not be required to re-enroll at their current school before the Regular Admissions notification date. Any re-enrollment financial aid offer must be preserved in whole. Past the notification date, each member school is responsible for clearly communicating their deadline to their community members.

 
-    Receiving/Prospective School
Member schools may not offer admission to a current ISAAGNY student without completing the admissions process, including receiving the Confidential School Report and/or an official transcript directly from the sending/current school. If neither a report nor a transcript can be obtained, the receiving/prospective school must take the following steps prior to sending notification: (1) use best efforts to secure whatever records may be available, and (2) provide written notification to the sending/current school.

The admissions season formally begins on August 1st. 
-    Application materials will be available to prospective families no earlier than August 1st, and will not be viewed or considered before that time.
-    Admissions offices may start to conduct interviews, events, and/or appointments with applicant families after August 1st.

Member schools will adhere to the ISAAGNY notification and reply dates as stated each year. Schools that primarily serve students with learning differences and/or disabilities may admit and enroll students on a rolling basis.  

Member schools may only process applications for the current or following academic year. 
 
If a family has more than one child, and each of those children is applying for entry to different grade levels at the same school, member schools may choose to send notifications to all applicants within that family on the earliest notification date of the grades to which they’ve applied. The reply dates will remain unchanged.

If a child is being considered for entry to two different grade levels (i.e. preschool and kindergarten), member schools may choose to send notifications to that child on the earliest notification date of the grades for which they are eligible. The reply dates will remain unchanged.
 
Member schools may accept postseason applicants, or those who submit after the respective parent reply deadline. Students accepted in postseason must be given at least one week to consider the extended offer.

Annual dues are non-refundable and non-transferable

In accordance with applicable law, ISAAGNY’s mission, and the missions of our member schools, a school will not discriminate on the basis of: race, ethnicity, family structure, physical ability, gender identity and expression, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, and neurodiversity, or any other protected categories under applicable law in the administration of its admission policies. Nothing herein, however, shall be construed to prevent the operation of a single-sex or religious school.

• Communication

ISAAGNY members are, first and foremost, colleagues. Communicate with each other to address questions, confront issues, and collaborate.

To promote collegiality among member schools, schools enrolling a student who is currently attending another member school should notify the sending school and remind parents in writing of their obligation to fulfill their contractual commitments.

• Events

While revisit events may be hosted at any point between notification and reply dates, member schools are encouraged to refrain from hosting on the day immediately preceding the reply date.

Member schools should defer spring tours and admissions events for the upcoming season until after the final parent reply deadline of a current season.

• Forms and Applications

Member schools are strongly encouraged to use ISAAGNY forms. 

Member schools with early childhood programs should include an application question on prior and/or current preschool or class experience.

• Postseason 

Prior to accepting postseason applicants, member schools are encouraged to confirm that these applicants have not yet committed to another ISAAGNY school. If an applicant has already committed to another school, the prospective school should (1) encourage them to communicate with the school to which they’ve committed, and (2) remind them of their financial responsibility at the school to which they’ve committed.

• School Closures 

In the event of a closure, merger, enrollment transfer agreement, or any other partnership, we encourage ISAAGNY members to 1) adhere to the Membership Agreement; 2) lean on ISAAGNY as a source of support, guidance, and connectivity with colleagues who have relevant experience; 3) keep ISAAGNY leadership apprised of details.

Should any member school have any questions concerning any language or provision in the Membership Agreement, please seek clarification from ISAAGNY’s Executive Committee.