Under a consortium agreement, a student may take courses at another school (or host institution) and have them count toward their degree at their home institution. A student can receive Federal Student Aid (FSA) funds only for courses that apply to their degree program.
What is a consortium agreement
The UAB consortium agreement is a contract between you (the student), your host institution, and your home institution - the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) - which allows UAB to process your FSA funds while you are taking courses at another institution. It is the student’s responsibility to check with their host institution’s financial aid office to confirm participation in this program and to check with them about their institution’s policies and procedures concerning payment obligations.
UAB does not pay the host institution directly; any accepted aid for the term will pay toward your UAB student bill first. If additional funds remain after your UAB bill is paid, a refund will be processed for you to then use to pay your host institution.
To have refunds direct deposited into your bank account, please make sure you have set up your direct deposit information through your BlazerNet account.
How to complete the UAB consortium agreement
Students should complete Section One before taking it to their host institution’s financial aid office to complete Section Two. Once both student and host institution sections are complete, your host institution will then submit the consortium agreement to UAB for final processing.
Additionally, some students completing the UAB Consortium Agreement will need to provide a copy of their Student Transient Letter of Good Standing to confirm the courses will count towards the completion of their UAB degree. Students can request their Student Transient Letter of Good Standing from BlazerNet.
If a Consortium Agreement is received without this form, a request will populate on the student’s My Financial Aid Page and notification will be sent to the student’s UAB email inbox. Enrollment will be updated to reflect completed course work once all documentation has been received. Incomplete forms will not be processed.
Students can submit their UAB Consortium Agreement two weeks prior to the beginning of the semester and have until UAB’s add/drop deadline for that enrollment period to get their form submitted. Consortium agreements received late or those that are incomplete will not be processed.
Quick Facts
Your ‘home institution’ refers to the school from which your FSA funds are being disbursed. Meanwhile, your other school is considered to be your “host institution’. You cannot receive FSA funds at both institutions, only from your ‘home institution’.
Enrolled hours can be combined between the home and host institutions to determine the full amount of aid for which a student may be eligible.
If the student withdraws or drops below half time, they may lose eligibility for some or all awarded financial aid.
The consortium agreement may be denied if the classes can be taken at UAB, you have used a consortium for multiple semesters, or you are not meeting satisfactory academic progress (SAP) standards.
Questions
For additional information or to discuss the UAB Consortium Agreement process, please contact the Office of Student Financial Aid at 205-934-8223 or
For questions about using your FSA funds for studying abroad, please click here for more information.