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Consortium Information

Charter Oak State College allows students to take courses at eligible Title IV institutions throughout the United States. In order for these classes to be considered for financial aid, an approved consortium agreement must be in place between COSC and the visiting school before the published semester's deadline date as indicated on the agreement and on the Financial Aid Calendar published in ACORN.

Under a consortium agreement, COSC is considered to be the student's home institution and is responsible for processing financial aid. The visiting school, also known as the host institution, is responsible for certifying enrollment status, providing course information, and tuition and fee costs.

Listed below are guidelines that apply to all students interested in participating in a consortium agreement.

Students must:

  • Be matriculated (enrolled in a degree seeking program at COSC only).
  • Comply with all of COSC's institutional and financial aid policies (i.e., satisfactory academic progress, disbursement schedules, institutional and Return of Title IV refund policies).
  • Students must also comply with the hosts institutional polices and procedures.
  • Make payment arrangements, at the time of registration, at the host institution. This will ensure that classes will not be dropped for non-payment.
  • Purchase books and course materials (book vouchers are not available for non-COSC classes).
  • Immediately notify Charter Oak's Office of Financial Aid of changes in enrollment status at the host institution (i.e., withdrawal, drop).
  • Request an official academic transcript within 21 days of completing the consortium term.
  • Not accept financial aid from the host institution and report all outside financial aid resources to the Office of Financial Aid.
  • Allow COSC to discuss enrollment, financial aid, and any academically related issues with the host institution.
  • Repay unearned portions of financial aid as a result of a return of Title IV calculation or if credits are not transferred back to COSC.
  • Complete a new consortium agreement each semester.

Other Important Points

While COSC offers students the flexibility of taking consortium courses, some restrictions do apply and include:

  • Consortium agreements will not be processed for students who have been subject to a Return of Title IV (R2T4), processed by the Office of Financial Aid, during a previous consortium semester.
  • Consortium agreements cannot be processed for courses taken at non-standard term or clock hour schools. Typically, these programs cross over several academic years which the College cannot align to its financial aid award year schedule.
  • Not all Title IV schools participate in the consortium process and the College cannot process financial aid without a completed consortium form.
  • The Office of Financial Aid is the final authority on the approval of a student's consortium agreement for financial aid purposes.

The College's consortium agreement can be found by logging into ACORN. At the "Financial Aid" tab click on "Financial Aid Forms" link located on the left hand side of the page.

* Please note that consortium forms must be received and processed by the Office of Financial Aid by the published date listed on the consortium agreement form and on the Financial Aid Calendar published in ACORN. Forms will not be available for download on ACORN once the deadline date has passed.