Get to know consortium agreements
A consortium is an agreement between âùºìÔº (Home School) and another institution (Host School). It allows students to enroll at both institutions simultaneously while receiving financial aid at âùºìÔº. The agreement allows âùºìÔº to disburse financial aid based on a student’s combined enrollment at both institutions.
General Information
Your financial aid will be awarded by âùºìÔº. If you plan to participate in a consortium agreement, you should apply for financial aid at âùºìÔº.
By blending your academic schedules between âùºìÔº and another institution, âùºìÔº is allowed to pay government aid (i.e. state and federal grants, Federal Direct Student Loans, scholarships etc.) towards the credits at both institutions as if the student is taking all courses at âùºìÔº. However, âùºìÔº funds, (i.e. Tuition Grants, Tuition Discounts, Athletic Scholarships, Academic Scholarships, Housing Scholarships, etc.) will pay only for âùºìÔº credits, not credits from the host school. Thus, having or increasing enrollment at a host school does not increase or affect eligibility for âùºìÔº institutional funds.
âùºìÔº has two types of consortium agreements. The two types are blanket and individual. Each consortium agreement has some restrictions based on the type.
Blanket agreement – A contractual agreement between an institution and âùºìÔº where the host institution has formally agreed âùºìÔº will be the home institution and disburse financial aid; this agreement is already in place between âùºìÔº and the other institution.
List of Institutions with a blanket consortium agreement with âùºìÔº
- Delta College
- Gogebic Community College
- Grand Rapids Community College
- Henry Ford College
- Kirtland Community College
- Kuyper College (Click here for more details)
- Lansing Community College
- Macomb Community College
- Mid-Michigan Community College
- Montcalm Community College
- North Central Michigan College
- Northwestern Michigan College
- Wayne County Community College
- West Shore Community College
Individual agreement – An individual agreement between an institution and âùºìÔº is created based upon student request. The other college signs the individual consortium agreement authorizing âùºìÔº to be the home institution to disburse the financial aid. If your Michigan based institution is not listed under the blanket agreement, please contact the Financial Aid Office for details on how to complete an individual agreement for your school.
Requirements
- The financial aid office at your host school must document your registration, tuition & fee costs and sign this form.
- You are required to enroll for at least six (6) credit hours for the semester at DU.
- It is your responsibility to pay all charges due to the host school. If tuition and fees are due before your financial aid disbursement at DU, you are responsible for payment arrangements at the host school.
- You are required to report any changes in your enrollment at the host school to DU.
- If you drop or withdraw from classes, you are responsible for any refunds or repayments.
- Students participating in a consortium agreement are not permitted to receive DU financial aid funds for courses taken at the host school.
- Students are permitted to receive state and federal aid for courses taken at both the home school and host school according to all applicable eligibility requirements.
Procedures
- Download and print the Consortium Agreement Student Form.
- Fill out the general information section and sign.
- Speak to your academic advisor to make sure the courses you wish to take at the host school will transfer towards your degree at DU.
- Your academic advisor will verify and approve the courses on the consortium agreement.
- Submit the completed form to the DU Financial Aid Office.
If you are requesting an individual consortium agreement, you must contact the DU Financial Aid Office first, so that DU and the other institution can establish the consortium agreement.
Deadline
Submit the completed consortium form by the end of the first week of each semester during which you are taking courses at the host institution. If you are attending only session 2 courses, the form must be completed by the end of the first week of that session.
Consortium FAQ:
What is a consortium agreement?
It is an agreement between two colleges/universities that allows a student who is enrolled at two institutions at the same time to have credits from both institutions count toward the student’s enrollment at the home institution.
What are the benefits of a consortium agreement?
Students who blend their schedules between two schools under a consortium agreement generally experience a tuition savings since the classes at most of âùºìÔº's partner schools have lower tuition costs. Plus, the consortium agreement allows the schools to freely share information related to your classes, including grades and transcripts, which will potentially save you the effort and cost of sending transcripts to us. Finally, because students are allowed to receive government aid at just one school at a time, consortium agreements streamline the process of directing your aid to just one school while you are still attending two. This avoids the problem of overlapping aid that creates a lot of issues and delays when two schools try to simultaneously disburse aid for a student for the same semester.
How is my aid affected by a consortium agreement?
By blending your academic schedules between âùºìÔº and another institution, âùºìÔº is allowed to pay government aid (i.e. State and Federal grants, Federal Direct student loans, State and Federal scholarships, et al.) towards the credits at both institutions as if the student is taking all courses at âùºìÔº. However, âùºìÔº funds (i.e. Tuition Grants, Tuition Discounts, Athletic Scholarships, Academic Scholarships, Housing Scholarships, et al.) will pay only for âùºìÔº credits, not credits from the host school. In essence, âùºìÔº funds are blind to credits from the host school. Thus, having or increasing enrollment at the host institution does not increase or otherwise affect eligibility for âùºìÔº institutional funds.
What is the difference between a home institution and a host institution?
The home institution disburses the student’s financial aid based on the student's combined enrollment from both institutions. The home institution is the school where the student will earn their degree.
The host institution is where the student temporarily takes courses, whose credits will be transferred back to their home institution.
Am I eligible for financial aid through financial aid consortium agreements?
When a student is enrolled in a minimum of 6 credits at âùºìÔº toward his or her degree and is enrolled at another institution taking classes concurrently, âùºìÔº serves as the home institution. Students participating in a consortium agreement between âùºìÔº as their home school and one of âùºìÔº's partner schools as their host school are not permitted to receive âùºìÔº financial aid funds for courses taken at the host school. Financial aid funds include but are not limited to athletic scholarships, academic scholarships, general âùºìÔº scholarships, Foundation scholarships, tuition grants, and tuition discounts. Students are permitted to receive state and federal aid for courses taken at both the home school and the host school according to all applicable eligibility requirements.
How often do consortium agreement forms need to be submitted?
Consortium agreement forms will need to be completed by the end of the first week of each semester. If you are attending only session 2 courses, the form will need to be completed by the end of the first week of that session.
How does âùºìÔº receive my academic transcripts from my host school?
Host schools are notified of your participation in a consortium agreement so that they can send your transcripts to us. In addition, at the end of each semester, âùºìÔº will request that an official, final copy of your transcripts be sent to us. If there are any delays in their arrival, you will have to request that transcripts be sent to âùºìÔº's Records Office. Receipt of your academic transcripts is necessary to ensure the preservation of the aid awarded to you under the consortium agreement.