What is a Consortium Agreement?
A consortium agreement is an agreement between two colleges/universities to recognize your registration at each location for financial aid purposes. It also certifies only one of the two institutions can administer Title IV and State financial aid for that semester.
The Consortium Agreement refers to the two colleges/universities as the “Home Institution” and the “Host Institution:”
- The Home Institution is the school where the student is fully matriculated as a degree seeking student and from which they will earn a degree. In this case, the home institution would be UMBC.
- The Host Institution is where the student temporarily takes courses, and those credits will be transferred back to their “Home Campus.” This is the school “hosting” the visiting student (for example CCBC, Montgomery college, or another school where the student is visiting).
When completing required documents, pay attention to whether it is “Host” or “Home” that must complete a section.
Why would a student need a Consortium Agreement?
During the course of a student’s academic career at UMBC, they may want to take a course(s) at another institution and transfer the course(s) back to their degree program at UMBC (this could be due to the availability of courses, lower costs, etc). In some cases, a student may not be taking enough credits to be meet the enrollment requirement for an award at UMBC (such as a federal loans which require a minimum of 6 credits ), but their enrollment at another institution during the same semester would bring them to the required status, they can request a consortium agreement to be considered for a different aid eligibility for that term.
Please note: A consortium is not required to transfer credits from another institution to UMBC, it is only needed to receive aid that has a particular enrollment requirement if the student is not meeting that requirement based only on their UMBC enrollment status. Information on transferring courses to UMBC can be found on the Registrar’s website.
How does a Consortium work?
An approved consortium means that UMBC will base the student’s enrollment status on their combined credits for the semester the consortium is approved for. A student with an approved agreement taking 8 credits at UMBC and 4 credits elsewhere will be considered to be taking 12 credits, and therefore a fulltime student for the purposes of financial aid. UMBC will disburse the student’s financial aid as if they are a full time student, allowing the student to get the maximum they are eligible for. If an undergraduate student is already enrolled in 12 or more credits at UMBC, then a consortium agreement would not change aid eligibility as the student is already considered full time and receiving the maximum aid based on their enrollment.
Example: Student X is taking 8 credits at UMBC, and is planning to take a 4 credit science class at CCBC because all sections of this course at UMBC are full. Since the student is only taking 8 credits at UMBC, they are not eligible to get their merit scholarship (which requires full time enrollment) and do not get the maximum amount of their Pell grant (which is prorated based on enrollment below 12 credits) unless they have an approved consortium agreement. Student X submits all the documents and is approved for a consortium agreement. This allows them to keep their merit scholarship and get the full amount of their Pell grant at UMBC.
To Be Eligible for a Consortium Agreement at UMBC, the student must meet the following:
- Be enrolled as a degree seeking student (undergrad or graduate) at UMBC
- Be enrolled in course(s) at another institution that can be transferred to UMBC (note: courses must be transferrable and required for a student’s degree in order to qualify. E.g. if the student has already transferred the maximum number of credits, the consortium will be rejected)
- Have a current year FAFSA on file with UMBC (school code: 002105)
- Be meeting Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP)
- Within 30 days of the end of the semester covered by the consortium agreement, the student must provide an official transcript from the host institution listing the course(s) on the consortium agreement to the Registrar’s Office to verify course completion. If this requirement is not met, aid may be adjusted or cancelled.
To request a Consortium Agreement, submit the following to your financial aid counselor (incomplete documentation will not be accepted):
- A completed UMBC consortium agreement (this must signed by both the student and the Host institution prior to submission)
- For the academic year 25/26 (summer 2025-spring 2026): Consortium Agreement 2025-26
- A copy of the completed Verification of Transferability (VOT) form for the courses you intend to transfer from the Host institution to UMBC. This can be requested from the Registrar’s Office here: https://registrar.umbc.edu/forms/transfer-request-forms/ (Please note that this form should be completed/signed by the Registrar and/or the student’s academic advisor then a copy of the completed form sent to the financial aid counselor. Financial Aid counselors are not able to complete this form)
- A copy of the student’s class schedule listing the course(s) at the Host institution
- A copy of the student’s bill from the Host institution
Once all documentation is submitted, the consortium agreement request will be reviewed by our office within two weeks. The student will receive a notification to their UMBC email if the Consortium Agreement is approved or denied. Please note some schools may require payment before UMBC disburses financial aid for a semester. Students are responsible for balances owed and any potential late fees accumulated while consortium agreements are pending. Submission of a consortium agreement request is not a guarantee of approval or an adjustment to financial aid.
Consortium FAQ’s