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Introduction

If you plan to take courses at TU and another institution during the same semester, we might be able to use a Financial Aid Consortium Agreement to process your aid for that semester based on your combined semester units at both schools.  (Aid regulations prohibit students from receiving federal or state aid payments from two different schools during the same semester, but they do allow one school to process all your aid.)

The number of units you need to take each semester depends on what kind of aid you receive.  Please review these financial aid unit requirements.  If you won't have enough TU units to meet your unit requirements, complete this Financial Aid Consortium Agreement process to ask us to add your additional credits at the other institution.

First, TU must approve your request to take classes at another institution and apply them toward your TU degree. You must also confirm that your host school participates in the financial aid Consortium Agreement process. Schools are not required to participate in this process.  If your host school will not sign the Consortium Agreement, then we can't consider those credits when we disburse your financial aid.

Inter-Institutional Programs

You don't need to request a Consortium Agreement or any other aid adjustments for courses taken through the following Special Registration Exchange Programs:  Inter-Institutional Registration and Baltimore Student Exchange Program, National Student Exchange Program (NSE), or Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC).

TU billing and financial aid processes will already automatically include the tuition and fee charges and units for these courses. Please do not complete a Transfer Petition Form with the Academic Standards Committee for transfer approval for these special programs.  See the links above for application, registration, course approval and contact information. 

If you are attending the University of Maryland Global Campus (UMGC) you must request a Consortium Agreement because UMGC does not participate in the Inter-Institutional registration program.

Nursing ATB & PA Programs

You also don't need to complete this Consortium Agreement process or complete any of the Steps in Part 1 below for courses taken at our community college partners for the Nursing Associate to Bachelor's Degree or Physician Assistant programs.  TU will automatically process your financial aid based on your TU units and placeholder courses for your community college units.  Your TU bill will not include any of your community college charges and TU will not submit any aid payments to your community college.  Your aid disbursement process will be similar to steps 2 through 6 in Part 2 below. 

Aid Consortium Process - Part 1

Complete these steps to begin this process.

1. To avoid aid delays, complete these steps at least four weeks before the beginning of the term.
2. You must be an admitted TU student pursing a TU degree or certificate program.
3. If you have not already done so, you must apply for financial at TU and receive TU aid offers.
4. Undergraduate students must also take at least 6 semester units at TU.  
5. Graduate students must also take at least 3 semester units at TU, and may only request permission to transfer graduate level courses to TU.
6. You must submit a Transfer Petition Form to the Registrar's Office for each course that you want to take at another institution.
7. Complete the .
8. After the Registrar's Office approves your Transfer Petition form, they will notify you and the TU Financial Aid office.
9. You must register for your courses at the Host Institution before TU's Change of Schedule Period deadline for 1st 7-week fall and spring courses or the 10 week summer course deadline.  For more information, read the Enrollment Census Deadlines section at Minimum Credits.
10. Next, the Financial Aid Office must ask the Host Institution to confirm your enrollment. 
11. After your host institution responds, the TU Financial Aid Office will ask the Registrar's Office to add your total approved Consortium Agreement units for this semester to your TU enrollment record as a CONS 100-400 (undergraduate) or CONS 500-600 (graduate) placeholder course.

Aid Consortium Process - Part 2

1. If TU approves your course transfer request(s), all your financial aid for this semester will be awarded and disbursed by the TU Financial Aid Office.
2. We will disburse your existing financial aid offers based on your combined semester units at TU + your approved credits at your host institution.
3. You must pay your bill at the host school from your own resources by their standard payment deadline or they may drop your classes for non-payment.
4. The TU Student & University Billing Office will apply all of your financial aid to your TU account. TU will not pay your bill at the other school.
5. If your total term aid exceeds your total term charges at TU, you will receive a rebate check from the TU Student & University Billing Office, but it will usually not be available until after your payment is due at your host school.
6. If your existing aid offers and expected aid rebates will not be enough to cover all your expected charges and expenses at both schools, then you may need to explore additional loan options or consider a payment plan at one or both schools.
7. After you receive your final grades from your Host Institution, you must ask them to submit an official transcript to the TU Records and Registration Office to transfer your completed course(s) to TU.

Questions?

If you have questions about this financial aid process, please contact the TU Financial Aid Office at 410-704-4236 or consortium AT_TOWSON.

If you have questions about the transfer petition approval process, please contact Academic Standards and Policies in the Registrar’s Office at 410-704-4351 or asc AT_TOWSON.