Here is an urban legend from America.
A college student was dumped by his girlfriend the day before a crucial exam that would determine whether he advanced to the next year. Although depressed, he started studying for the exam the next day, but his dorm roommate invited him out for a drink. Since this roommate had intended to fail from the very beginning, he persistently invited the student, saying things like "We're bound to fail anyway," no matter how many times he was turned down. Eventually, the student flew into a rage and started an argument with the roommate. The roommate left to go drinking, parting with the malicious comment, "Why don't you just go hang yourself?" Left alone in the room, the student tried to resume studying, but he couldn't focus at all. Before long, driven to despair, he took some alcohol from his friend's desk and started drinking. Hours later, upon returning, the roommate found the student hanging by the neck.
A few days later, the roommate was summoned to the dean's office. Naturally, his exam grades were terrible, so he expected to be told he was failing. Contrary to his expectations, however, the dean offered him words of sympathy and encouragement. The university had a policy: "If a roommate commits suicide, the surviving student is automatically advanced to the next year, taking into consideration the psychological impact." Thus, the roommate was able to advance safely.
Although this is an urban legend, it seems that some universities do take psychological impact into consideration (though automatic advancement is definitely a myth). Because of this, it's said that right before exams, there is a sudden spike in reports of students' grandparents passing away. There have even been actual criminal cases where students, believing this story, tried to murder their roommates.
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