TWO CATEGORIES OF STUDENTS MAY BENEFIT FROM A CONSORTIUM AGREEMENT: 

     1.    A student registered for courses at two colleges during the same quarter/semester. 

  2.    A transient student registered for all of their courses at a visiting college instead of at their degree granting college (home school). 

TYPES OF CONSORTIUM AGREEMENTS: 

1.      Financial Aid Consortium Agreement - processed through Wright State University's Office of Financial Aid. 

2.      SOCHE Consortium Agreement - processed through Wright State University's Registrar's Office.  A student receiving financial aid/scholarship should contact the Office of Financial Aid to make sure their financial aid award will not change. 

A student wanting to establish a Consortium Agreement who is receiving financial aid/ scholarships should schedule an appointment with a financial aid advisor at least 5-6 weeks prior to the quarter starting.

EXPLANATION OF THE TWO DIFFERENT TYPES OF CONSORTIUM AGREEMENTS:  

1.      Financial Aid Consortium Agreements are set up through Wright State University's Office of Financial Aid.  There are two categories of students whom may benefit from this type of Consortium Agreement: 

A.      A student who is registered for courses at both Wright State University (home school) and another college/university (visiting school) during the same quarter. 

The student's financial aid will be awarded based on the combined hours registered for at both colleges during that particular quarter/semester. There are three items required by the Office of Financial Aid at Wright State in order to prepare the Consortium Agreement. 

1.      A letter (on letterhead) from the student's academic advisor at Wright State University using the following format (see example at the end). 

2.      A copy of the student's bill and registration from the visiting school. 

3.      A signed Release of Information Authorization Form (see Form included at end) that authorizes the visiting school to release to Wright State University's Office of Financial Aid certain information pertaining to the Consortium Agreement.  

The student is encouraged to provide these three items to the Office of Financial Aid at least four weeks prior to the quarter/semester starting.  After the Office of Financial Aid has received the required documents from the student, a Consortium Agreement will be written and forwarded to the Office of Financial Aid at the visiting school.  The visiting school will sign and return the completed agreement to Wright State's Office of Financial Aid.  The budget figures provided on the Consortium Agreement will be utilized to determine the student's financial aid award for the period of time covered by the Consortium Agreement. The student is responsible for making all payments owed to the visiting college in order to avoid registration cancellation.  Should the student's financial aid award at Wright State exceed the student's charges at Wright State, the Bursar's Office will send a refund check which may reimburse the student for payments made to the visiting school.    

The student needs to be aware that the courses they are taking at the visiting school will transfer back to Wright State University to meet part of their degree requirements only if they earn a grade of a C or better.  The hours that do transfer back to Wright State will be added to the student's total credit hours earned at Wright State University.  However, the grade(s) earned for the course(s) will not be used in calculating the student's grade point average at Wright State.   

B.     Transient students who are not taking any courses at their home school (degree granting school) but are registered for courses at a visiting school (non-degree granting school) for a particular quarter/semester.  

Wright State University's Office of Financial Aid prefers that the visiting school set up the Consortium Agreement for a transient student.  This enables the visiting school to better monitor the student's eligibility and to ensure any financial aid award is properly credited to the student's account.  Therefore, it is recommended the student contact the Office of Financial Aid at the visiting school to inquire about initiating the Consortium Agreement process so the student can receive financial aid while attending a visiting college/university as a transient student.   

There are certain circumstances when the Office of Financial Aid at Wright State University is willing to initiate the Consortium Agreement process for a degree-seeking student at Wright State who is attending another college/university as a transient student.  One circumstance would be if the student wants to receive a Stafford Loan but the college/university that the transient student is attending does not participate in the Federal Family Education Loan Program but rather participates in the William D. Ford Direct Loan Program.  The second circumstance would be if the college/university the transient student is attending refuses to initiate the Consortium Agreement process.

In these two circumstances with Wright State University's Financial Aid Office initiating the Consortium Agreement, any financial aid funding the student is eligible to receive will be forwarded to the college/university the student is attending as a transient student.  In most cases, Wright State University's Bursar's Office will not be able to forward any financial aid monies to the visiting college/university prior to their fee payment deadline date.  Therefore, it would be up to the student to either make payment on their own or make special arrangements with the other college/university to place a hold on their registration until funds can be forwarded by the Bursar's Office at Wright State University to the visiting school. 

When Wright State University's Office of Financial Aid receives a Consortium Agreement from another college/university (home school) for a student registered at Wright State as a transient or non-degree student, the Office of Financial Aid will provide the visiting school information needed on the Consortium Agreement.  The Consortium Agreement will then be returned to the student's home school at the address provided on the Consortium Agreement.  In this case the student's home school will be awarding the student financial aid.  Wright State University's Bursar's Office must receive payment for the quarter by the fee payment deadline date or the student's classes will be cancelled due to nonpayment.  If the student's financial aid will not be available prior to the fee payment deadline date, the student may make payment on their own or use the Student Installment Payment Plan (SIPP) until their financial aid award is finalized at their home school. 

2.      The SOCHE Consortium Agreement (cross registration) is set up through Wright State University's Registrar's Office.  The type of student who may benefit from cross registration is one planning on registering for courses during the same time period at both Wright State University and at a visiting school that is a member of the SOCHE Consortium Agreement. 

A student can view a list of the schools participating in the SOCHE Consortium Agreement at the following website: http://www.soche.org/.  Click on Cross Registration to view answers to frequently asked questions about cross registration.  It is recommended that a student understand completely the stipulations that must be followed in order to register for a course at a visiting school through the cross registration process.  There are certain requirements on the number of credit hours the student must be registered for at the home school as compared to the number of credit hours registered for at the visiting school.  Not every class can be taken at a visiting school through cross registration. In addition, some of the visiting schools will not allow a Wright State student to register for courses at the visiting school until the first day of classes since the visiting school receives no monetary payment from the student.  If the class is closed at the time the student goes to register, the student will not be permitted to register for the course by the visiting school.  One of the advantages of cross registration through the SOCHE Consortium Agreement is the grades and hours for the courses completed at the visiting school  automatically transfer to Wright State University at the end of the quarter/semester.  

Visit or call Wright State University's Registrar's Office at (937)775‑5588 if you have any questions or to verify whether the course(s) you would like to register for at the visiting school fall within the guidelines mandated by the SOCHE Consortium Agreement. 

NOTE:  A student receiving financial aid who is cross registering for courses at a visiting school should inform the Registrar's Office at Wright State University that the hours registered for at the visiting school need to appear on the registration screen at Wright State University.  The Registrar's Office will then add a dummy course at Wright State for the exact number of credit hours the student will be registering for at the visiting school. This ensures the student's financial aid will be based on the combined hours registered for at both schools.

EXAMPLE OF LETTER FROM ACADEMIC ADVISOR

Date

Michael Montag
Office of Financial Aid
Wright State University
E136 Student Union
Dayton, Ohio 45435-0001

To Michael Montag:

STUDENT NAME (Social Security Number) is a degree seeking student at Wright State University.  The student is authorized to register for the following course(s) at VISITING COLLEGE NAME. 

COURSE NAME / COURSE NUMBER                    CREDIT HOURS

 Upon successful completion, the course(s) specified in this letter will transfer and will apply towards the students degree requirements at Wright State University as long as the student receives a grade of a C or better.

 Sincerely,

 Academic Advisor's Name and Signature

Release of Information Authorization Form

For

Consortium Agreement Between

Visting College/University and Wright State University