Frequently Asked Questions
Who can use the Consortium?
Both Graduate and Undergraduate, degree seeking, full time and part time students at the University of Providence are welcome to utilize the Consortium. This includes athletes, non-athletes, campus, and distance students.
What should I expect from a Consortium course?
Consortium courses are usually offered in an 8-week, online intensive format. You are expected to login to the course every day and maintain activity within the course. Failure to do so may result in the provider school dropping your registration. You will receive log in information from the school you choose to take a course from via your UP-student email.
How do I know if a course will count towards my major/minor/degree?
Students must work with their advisor and Division Chair prior to being registered for a Consortium course, and must provide rationale for requesting enrollment via the online portal, or the Consortium Request Form. The online portal, available here, offers a list of Pre-Approved courses with their equivalents. To view equivalents, find a course, click “See Course Details” then look on the right-hand side. This will list any pre-requisites for the course, course description, and the “Home Equivalent.”
Can I just do a Directed Study instead?
If a course is available through the Consortium, a student will not be able to submit a petition for a Directed Study. Please work with your advisor for more information.
Can Consortium credits impact my institutional GPA?
It might! Students who would like to use the Consortium to change their GPA or earn credits. These courses would be treated on the academic record as an institutional course and will be calculated into cumulative GPA and credit totals.
How do I pay for Consortium course?
Consortium courses are paid for through your UP-student account, as the credits are applied to the semester for which the course is being taken. For example, if you are registered for 9 credits through the University of Providence, and register for a 4 credit course through the Consortium, you will be registered for a total of 13 credits, and pay for flat rate tuition. Financial Aid can be used to pay the tuition for these courses. You will see no additional costs outside of the normal tuition and fees charged from the University of Providence.
Who do I talk to if I want to take a Consortium course?
Students must work with their Advisor and Division Chair of their program and receive approval prior to being registered for a Consortium Course.
How do I see what courses/schools are available?
Students from the University of Providence are able to access the student portal that details the current schedule of courses available through the Consortium here. You will create a student account using your University of Providence information (A000# and UP email address). This portal gives you the option to filter and search for a variety of courses. We recommend you filter by the semester you wish to take a course.
How does the University of Providence know my grade when I finish my course?
Consortial institutions who offer courses through the Consortium upload grades to University of Providence Registrar’s Office after a course is finished. The University of Providence will assign the grade given to you through the Consortium Portal and roll it to your University of Providence academic history to view on your transcript in ArgoExpress.
If the teaching institution is not consortial, the student is responsible for requesting a final official transcript from the teaching institution. A final grade for the course will not be recorded on the UP academic record until the final official transcript is received. Consortial schools are identified with a notation saying “C Consortial” in the Consortium site.
Students are welcome to take non-consortial courses, but must submit a final official transcript. The University of Providence is not able to request transcripts for students.
What does a Consortium course look like on a transcript?
Course taken through the online consortium work as institutional credit. These means the credits apply to your attempted and earned credit counts, and they factor into your GPA. Consortium courses are distinguished by the subject code OCI on your transcript.
I found the course I want to take and filled out the form with all required signatures. Now what?
Submit the Consortium Course Request Form to the Registrar’s Office by either emailing it to registrar@uprovidence.edu or turning the form into the Registrar’s Office located in Argo Central on the first floor of the University Center. Once the Registrar’s Office confirms your request and registers you for the course, then you will receive an email from both the Registrar’s Office and the Consortium confirming your registration. Continue to watch your UProvidence email for log in instructions to your course as you will get access to an additional learning environment from the teaching institution.
