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Financial aid while attending two colleges

You can only receive financial aid from one school at a time. If you’re enrolled at PCC and another school, you may be able to set up a consortium agreement between the schools. With a consortium agreement, you can combine the credits at both schools to determine your financial aid eligibility. For example, if you’re enrolled at PCC for nine credits and PSU for three credits, you could receive financial aid from PCC as a full time student: 9 credits + 3 credits = 12 credits.

How to set up a consortium agreement

To receive aid for classes at two schools, you’ll need to file a consortium agreement form with one of the schools. Consortium agreements are only valid for one term, so you need to file a new agreement for every term that you are co-enrolled. Here’s how:

  1. Decide which is your “home school” and your “host school”
    • Home school: your home school disburses your financial aid. It is your responsibility to take the money from your home school and use it to pay your host school. Most schools require you are enrolled in at least six credits at your home school.
      • Be aware: if you make PCC your home school, you will not be eligible to take upper division courses at your host school. Upper division courses usually have course numbers of 300 and higher, for example: Biology 301 or Philosophy 418.
    • Host school: your host school is the other school where you take classes. Your host school does not disburse any financial aid. A host school can be any financial aid eligible college. If you are unsure whether the school is financial aid eligible, contact their admissions office.
  2. File a Consortium Agreement with your host school

    Contact your home school to get a copy of the consortium agreement, then send it to your host school.

    • If PCC is your home school: download the Consortium Agreement and take it to the financial aid office at your host school. Your host school will return the form to us.
    • If PCC is your host school: get a consortium agreement from your home school and submit it to any PCC Financial Aid Office. We will complete our part and then fax it to your home school.

Definitions of confusing terms

There are several similar sounding terms that are used to describe students who attend more than one college or university. If you plan to take courses at more than one school you should know the following terms:

  • Co-admitted: means you have completed the admissions process at more than one school. It doesn’t mean you are registered for classes or that your enrollment will count for financial aid purposes.
  • Co-enrolled: means you have registered for classes at more than one school. You must be co-admitted before you can be co-enrolled.
  • Dual-enrolled: means the same as co-enrolled – you have registered for courses at more than one school.
  • Consortium: is an agreement schools make for students who are co-enrolled in more than one college or university. A consortium agreement declares which school is the home and which is the host, and it enables both courses to be counted toward your financial aid eligibility.