During the course of their academic careers, students may want to take courses at another institution and then transfer the credits back to the school where they are obtaining their degree. This can be accomplished through a Consortium Agreement.

A consortium agreement is an agreement between two schools to recognize registration at each institution for financial aid purposes. It allows students enrolled at more than one school in a given semester to receive the maximum amount of financial aid for which they are eligible by combining enrollment at both schools. Consortium agreements exist so that only one of the two institutions can administer Title IV and State financial aid, per federal regulations.

In a consortium agreement, the two schools are referred to 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;
  • The Host Institution is where the student temporarily takes courses, whose credits will be transferred back to his/her “Home Institution.” The student is considered a “guest” at the host institution.

 

LCCC as the Home Institution

LCCC as the home institution Consortium Agreement

 

LCCC as a Host Institution

Most consortium agreements processed by Student Financial Aid at LCCC indicate that LCCC is the host institution, meaning the student will not receive their degree from LCCC. The student’s home institution processes the student’s financial aid.

Because guest students at LCCC will not receive financial aid at LCCC, they are responsible for paying their tuition, fees, and any other charges for enrollment at LCCC. Whether the student pays their charges “out of pocket” directly to LCCC or if their home institution will pay LCCC directly from the student’s financial aid on behalf of the student depends on the home institution’s consortium agreement policy.

Students interested in taking classes at LCCC to transfer to their home institution should start this process by contacting their home institution’s financial aid office for a consortium agreement (may also be called “ad hoc consortium agreement” at some schools). Next, students complete their portion of the consortium agreement and submit it to LCCC’s Student Financial Aid office for processing and submission to the home institution. Under this agreement, the home institution agrees to accept the credits taken at LCCC while LCCC acknowledges that financial aid will not be awarded to the student by their institution.

If you are an approved consortium agreement student at LCCC, the To-Do list of your Student Center in MyCampus will indicate the semester of your agreement and that LCCC is your host (ie. “Fall 2020 Host Consortium Agreement”). This is added so that you know LCCC has processed and returned your consortium agreement to your home institution and that any LCCC staff member assisting you with student services (ie. Academic Advisors, Bursar’s Office, etc.) knows that you are not eligible for financial aid at LCCC. If you require assistance to purchase books/supplies for your LCCC courses before your financial aid is disbursed (released) at your home institution, you may submit a Bookstore Advance Exception Request.

 

In-School Loan Deferment Request Form 

If you are dually enrolled in classes (LCCC and one of our partner institutions) and using federal financial aid to pay for classes, verify with your loan servicer that you are in deferment of your student loans.  You may need to complete the In-School Deferment Request Form.

 

More Information

Links to schools that frequently enter into consortium agreements with LCCC are listed below. Be sure to contact the financial aid office at your home institution if you have any questions.