Cross Registration/Consortium Agreement

If you are taking a course or courses at another institution, we may be able to include those credits when calculating your financial aid eligibility. Please review the instructions below depending on whether you will be taking courses at another SUNY institution (4-year or community college) or a private institution.

Taking Course(s) at Another SUNY Institution

If you are taking courses at another SUNY (Community College, 4-year College, or University Center), you submit a request through the SUNY Cross-Registration Process

Taking Course(s) at a Non-SUNY Institution

A Consortium Agreement is an arrangement between SUNY Geneseo, your "home" school, and another NON- SUNY college/university (this includes CUNY), "host" school, where the home school will recognize your registration at the host school for the purpose of determining federal student aid eligibility, as allowed in Part 668.19, Student Assistance General Provisions and Part 690.8, Pell Grant Program, Codes of the US Department of Education Federal Regulations.

College/universities are not required to accept Consortium Agreements from other schools. If the Host Institution does not agree to enter into a Financial Aid Consortium Agreement with Geneseo, then the student will be ineligible for payment of financial aid funds until the courses are transferred back to Geneseo. Typically CUNY schools do not accept Consortium Agreements and require students to pay prior to registration. It is the student's responsibility to work with the school to determine what options for payment are available. 

The Agreement is for determination of financial aid eligibility. It does not guarantee that a bill at the host institution will be deferred until  federal student aid disburses at Geneseo. The Office of Financial Aid will forward a copy of the Agreement to Geneseo's Student Accounts Office. If there is enough aid to cover charges here, our Office of Student Accounts will forward the remaining aid to the student. It is the responsibility of the student to make payment to the host institution.

The student is ultimately responsible for payment of all charges at the host school. Payment to the host school MAY be due prior to the disbursement of your financial aid at Geneseo. The student should make arrangements with the host school for deferment of the bill. 

Application Deadlines

  • Summer - July 31 
  • Fall - September 1
  • Spring - February 1

Eligibility

In addition to being eligible for federal student aid, students must be:

  • matriculated and active at Geneseo (students on an academic leave of absence or withdrawn for the term are not eligible unless it is your final semester), AND
  • in good academic standing, based on Federal, State and School standards, AND
  • enrolled at another NON- SUNY Title IV aid eligible institution in coursework that is approved to transfer back to Geneseo for credit, AND
  • the coursework is required for your primary degree program.

AND meet one of these conditions, during the same term you are taking courses at another institution:

  • be enrolled less than half-time (6 credits) at Geneseo, OR
  • be enrolled less than full-time (12 credits) at Geneseo.

Required Documentation

Items 1-4 are due prior to the application deadline! Consortiums submitted without required documentation will not be processed. 

  1. 2023-24 Consortium Agreement Request
  2. Complete Course Approval(s) from our Dean of the College
  3. Proof of Registration at the Host School
  4. Copy of your bill from the Host School
  5. Once the course is complete, a copy of the transcript.

If participating in a Study Abroad Program through a non-SUNY school, you, also, must attach this additional information:

  1. Acceptance Letter into the Study Abroad Program
  2. Cost Sheet for Study Abroad Program

The Process

Step 1: Complete the 2023-24 FAFSA.

Step 2: Obtain Course Approvals. The student must provide to the Office of Financial Aid a Course Approval signed by Geneseo's academic Dean indicating that the course(s) that he/she intends to take at their host school will transfer back to Geneseo.  The courses listed on the Course Approval must match the courses that the student is registered for at the host school and what is indicated on the transcript once the course is completed. 

Step 3: Register at the host school. Once registered at the host school, the student obtains the Consortium Agreement Request from Geneseo's Office of Financial Aid. 

Step 4: Complete student sections on the Consortium Agreement Request. The student is responsible for completing all of the student information. Do not leave any items blank or the application will be considered incomplete and not processed.

Step 5: Submit required documentation before the semester deadline: The request will be considered incomplete and not processed if any required items are missing.

Step 6: Financial Aid will send Consortium Agreement Request to host school. The Office of Financial Aid contact the host school and request to deferment of your bill at the host school, if necessary.

Step 7: Host School completes and returns Consortium Agreement Request to Geneseo. If the host school agrees to enter into such an agreement, then its Financial Aid Office must return requested information to Geneseo's Financial Aid Office.

Step 8: Geneseo forwards funds to the student. Disbursement dates vary. The student is responsible for making payment to the host school. 

Step 9: Student provides financial aid with a copy of the transcript upon completion of the course. An unofficial transcript from the school is acceptable for this purpose. However, for the course to officially transfer, the final official transcript must be submitted to the Registrar's Office. A hold on financial aid will be placed on the student's account until the transcript is received and reviewed. 

Disbursement of funds

Geneseo will process the student's Title IV financial aid application and provide payment of funds, if eligible, for the consortium term. If the student has a balance due to SUNY Geneseo, that amount is paid first and any remaining financial aid will be forwarded to the student so they can make payment to the Host School. If requirements are missing or incomplete, disbursements may not occur until the information is received and reviewed. Check the Financial Aid Dashboard on MyGeneseo.edu for missing requirements