Use Your Financial Aid for Non-WSU Courses
If your WSU campus does not offer a course that is necessary for your degree, you may be eligible to request a consortium agreement. This will allow you to use part of your WSU-awarded federal and/or state aid to pay tuition at another school while you continue working toward your WSU degree.
What is a Consortium Agreement?
A consortium agreement is a written, formal agreement between two institutions eligible to participate in Title IV federal funding programs. In this case, WSU and another “host” school. This funding may include Federal Pell Grants, federal direct subsidized/unsubsidized and other loans, grants, and work programs developed to assist students in paying for a higher education.
A student can only receive financial aid at one educational institution at a time, so a consortium agreement allows for a student to enroll in courses at another institution that can be applied to their degree while maintaining enrollment at their WSU campuse.
Why request a consortium agreement?
The most common reasons to request a consortium agreement are:
- WSU does not offer the required class at all
- Example: foreign language, lower level science or math classes, etc.
- WSU does not offer the class in the term you need in order to keep pace for your degree program
- Example: the class series needed is only offered one time a year at WSU but you need to start a series mid-year in order to stay on track for graduation.
- Scheduling conflict
- The class is offered at WSU but you cannot attend the class when offered due to a scheduling conflict (example: the only available class is offered at a time that conflicts with your other courses, your job, your access to childcare, etc.)
Notice!
We recommend discussing the possibility of a consortium agreement with your academic advisor at least one semester in advance.
Consortium Requirements
To be eligible for a consortium agreement, you must:
- Be degree-seeking and enrolled in at least 6 credits
- Have a current FAFSA or WASFA on file
- Be receiving federal or state funding
- Scholarships that have credit requirements for disbursement will be left up to the donor’s discretion.
- Use the consortium agreement for a 100-level class or higher
- Courses listed below the 100 level will not be funded unless those remedial courses are not available at the WSU and you must complete them before taking required WSU courses.
- Remedial courses will be funded or considered for one academic year.
Completing Your Consortium Agreement Form
The Consortium Agreement Form must be completed and returned by your academic advisor and host school’s financial aid office and uploaded to the Consortium Agreement Acknowledgment Form no later than the week BEFORE the consortium course(s) begin.
Your Consortium Agreement will require four completed sections:
You must electronically agree to the following:
- WSU will serve as my Home School and only WSU can disburse financial aid for the term. Financial aid disbursement will follow WSU’s disbursement schedule.
- The student is responsible for paying all tuition and fees at the Host School. Consortium Agreements can cause a delay in financial aid disbursements, so please plan accordingly.
- Report any enrollment changes at both WSU and the Host School to sfs.programadmin@wsu.edu. Any drops or withdrawals may affect my Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) or financial aid eligibility and could result in a bill on your financial account.
- To submit an unofficial transcript to WSU Student Financial Services AND an official transcript to WSU Admissions within two weeks of the end of the consortium course(s). Failure to do so will result in an adjustment of your financial aid to remove the consortium course(s).
- You authorize WSU and the Host School to share educational records.
- You must submit the consortium agreement at least one week before the start of the course(s) at the Host School.
Your academic advisor must agree on the Consortium Agreement, in writing, to the following:
- To verify each consortium course(s) to be necessary and applicable to your degree or certificate at WSU.
- To verify each consortium course(s) is not offered through WSU.
- To prepare a Consortium Agreement Form specifying the course(s) needed for the degree program and certify that the course(s) are consortium-eligible.
The host school’s financial aid office must confirm on the Consortium Agreement, in writing, the following:
- The host school is Title IV Financial Aid Eligible
- That you are not receiving financial aid at the host school for the term of the consortium agreement
- Your total tuition and mandatory fees at the host school
You must upload the following to the Consortium Agreement Acknowledgement Form:
- Proof of Enrollment: a screenshot showing your enrollment at the host school. Please make sure the screenshot clearly shows your name, the host school’s name, and your enrolled class(es).
- Itemized Account Summary or Billing Statement: A screenshot of the itemized costs from the host school, including both your name and the name of the host school.
Complete and Submit Your Consortium Agreement
You will need to submit the following documents to Student Financial Services:
- Completed Consortium Agreement
- Proof of enrollment at your host school
- Itemized account summary or billing statement from host school
Additional Considerations
Please note:
- Not all educational institutions are eligible to participate in a consortium agreement with Washington State University. Please consult with your WSU Academic Advisor and Host School’s Financial Aid office at least one semester before you intend to enroll in the host school.
- Consortium agreements are not automatically approved; they must be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. If you have any questions, please email WSU’s consortium liaison at sfs.programadmin@wsu.edu.
- WSU Cooperative Classes with University of Idaho (WSU – U of I Coop) DO NOT require a Consortium agreement
- If the student is not enrolled full-time at WSU and is eligible to receive grants, the credits added by the consortium agreement may increase the student’s grant eligibility.
Withdrawing from consortium classes
If you need to withdraw from a consortium course, you should go through the host school’s withdrawal process and inform WSU by emailing sfs.programadmin@wsu.edu. If you withdraw from your consortium classes twice, you will be ineligible for future consortiums.
Completing your consortium courses
Upload an unofficial transcript that shows your grades from your host school to the To-Do List item in myWSU. Unofficial transcripts are free to download, typically located in your student portal. If you are having issues, please contact your host institution.
Submit an official transcript to WSU’s Office of Admissions in Pullman. See instructions here. Official transcripts typically require a fee and cannot be downloaded; they are usually sent directly to another school you’ve selected.
Submitting your consortium grades
Upload your unofficial transcript to Student Financial Services
Submit your official transcript to WSU Admissions