Consortium Agreement

Taking classes somewhere else? Here’s how financial aid can still work for you.

Overview

If you’re enrolled at Hopkins but want to take courses at another school that will count toward your Hopkins degree, a consortium agreement can help you use your financial aid to cover those credits.

Here’s how it works:

• A consortium agreement is basically a contract between Hopkins (your home school) and the other college (the host school).
• It lets you be enrolled at both schools at the same time while still receiving financial aid.
• Hopkins builds your financial aid package by including the credits you’ll be taking at the host school.
• Your financial aid is then disbursed by Hopkins, and you can use those funds to pay your bill at the host school.

In short: a consortium agreement makes sure your aid follows you, so you can stay on track academically and financially while taking courses outside of Hopkins.

Next Steps

Step 1: Confirm That Your Financial Aid Application is Complete

Ensure all JHU required financial aid documents are completed by reviewing your SIS to-do list.

Step 2: Talk to Your Academic Advisor

Before you register for classes at another school, check in with your academic advisor to make sure the courses will transfer back and count toward your Hopkins degree. Together, you’ll complete an External Course Review form, which you’ll then submit to Student Financial Support.

• Log in to SIS, then select Registration → Online Forms → External Course Request Form from the menu.
• Upload a syllabus for the course you are requesting. An acceptable syllabus should include a detailed explanation of the content covered, the title of the textbook, and learning outcomes. Generally, we are looking for a syllabus that has a detailed listing of the topics covered in each lecture or each week.
• Once you have received notification that the course will be accepted for transfer, you will register at the host institution as a non-matriculating, non-degree-seeking student. Your academic advisor can help you with this process.

Step 3: Meet with the Host School

Be sure to check in with the host school’s billing office to confirm when your tuition and fees are due. Sometimes payment deadlines come before your financial aid from JHU is disbursed, which means you may need to cover the cost upfront and then use your refund to pay yourself back once your aid is released. While you’re there, request a billing statement from the host school so you have a clear picture of what you’ll owe and when.

Step 4: Submitting Your Request

You will need to submit the following items:

• Fill out the consortium agreement form through DocuSign. On the first page, you’ll enter the contact information for the financial aid office at your host school (where you’ll be taking the class) and your home school (Hopkins). Make sure these details are accurate to ensure your form is routed correctly and gets processed without delays.
• Upload billing statement from the Host School via SIS Self-Service.
• Upload JHU Academic Advisor Approval via SIS Self-Service.
  • JHU external course review form OR
  • E-mail from Academic Advisor stating the specific course(s) the student is approved to take.

Step 5: Consortium Agreement gets Processed

Once you’ve submitted your consortium agreement, Student Financial Support will review it and update your financial aid package based on your new courses and your financial aid eligibility. We’ll notify you as soon as your updated award is ready.

Your aid will be applied to your JHU account within 5–7 business days. From there, you’ll receive a refund from JHU that you can use to pay tuition at your host school.

One important note: Your attendance at the host school will be verified after classes begin. If you’re marked as not attending, your funding will be cancelled, and you may end up owing a balance to JHU.

Eligibility

You will qualify if you:

• Are enrolled in at least 6 credits between JHU and the host school.
• Are taking transferable courses that apply toward your JHU degree.
• Receive financial aid through JHU.

You will not qualify if:

• The course is not transferable to your JHU program.
• You are not eligible for the Pell grant.

Deadlines

The deadline for submission is 10 days before the end of the term.

Additional Resources

• Consortium Agreement Checklist
• Zanvyl Krieger School of Arts and Sciences & Whiting School of Engineering Undergraduate Concurrent Enrollment Policy
• How to request pre-approval to transfer credits

Contact Us

Have questions? Contact Andrea Lewis, Senior Assistant Director and Manager of Financial Aid at andrea.lewis@jhu.edu.