A consortium agreement allows for the transfer of federal loans and grant funds from your matriculated college or university to NOLS. The school you are attending must decide whether or not the NOLS / University of Utah credits will be accepted, and then it is up to the discretion of the particular university or college to decide if those funds can be used in that fashion.

Semester students who are in a degree program at a college that honors NOLS semester credit are eligible. Several different types of federal aid can be transferred including: Stafford Loan or Guaranteed Student Loan; Perkins Loan, also called National Direct Student Loan; Pell Grant; Student Educational Opportunity Grant; and Parents Loan Program

Here is step by step process:

1. Call your financial aid office and ask if they do "consortium agreements." Consortiums are allowed for by federal regulation, but a school is not required to provide them.
   
2. Go to your advisor with your NOLS course description, the NOLS college credit information and the syllabi for each University of Utah course you would earn credit in.
   
3. If your advisor approves the credit, you are ready to go to your financial aid office.
   
4. Tell your financial aid office you want to do a consortium agreement with NOLS. The consortium cannot be with the University of Utah because you are a contract student.
   
5. After a consortium is signed, NOLS and your school's financial aid and business offices work together to provide for the transfer of funds. NOLS tuition is required 75 days prior to the course start date. If your financial aid funds are not transferred at that time, we will need written verification from your financial aid office as to total aid to be transferred and when.
   
6. Please give the NOLS admission office a call if you are considering going through with this process at (800) 710-NOLS.