Consortium Agreements

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).

If a student is not 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 on their UMBC enrollment status. Information on transferring courses to UMBC can be found on the Registrar’s website.

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 term.

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 and from which he/she will earn a degree. In this case, UMBC.

The Host Institution is where the student temporarily takes courses, whose credits will be transferred back to his/her “Home Campus.”

To Be Eligible for a Consortium Agreement at UMBC, the student must do the following:

  1. Be enrolled as a degree seeking student at UMBC (if a student enrolled in 12 or more credits at UMBC, then a consortium agreement would not change aid eligibility)
  2. Be enrolled in courses at another institution that can be transferred to UMBC
  3. Have a current year FAFSA on file with UMBC (school code: 002105)
  4. Be meeting SAP
  5. 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. 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):

  1. A completed UMBC consortium agreement (signed by the student and the Host institution)
  2. A 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)
  3. A copy of the student’s class schedule listing the course(s) at the Host institution
  4. 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. The student will receive a notification to their UMBC email if the Consortium Agreement is approved. 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.