Consortium of Universities of the Washington Metropolitan Area (CUWMA)

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The CUWMA is a cooperative arrangement in post secondary education that is designed to permit the sharing of academic resources by member institutions and to offer qualified students the opportunity to enroll at other institutions for courses not available on their own campus.

Howard University offers its qualified undergraduate and graduate degree seeking students the opportunity to enroll in courses at American University, Catholic University, Corcoran College, Gallaudet University, Georgetown University, George Mason University, George Washington University, Marymount University, Trinity College, University of the District of Columbia and University of Maryland-College Park. Howard University does not accept requests for participation at area community colleges. 

Students enrolled in First Professional Degree Programs in Dentistry, Law and Medicine are not eligible to participate in Consortium cross-registration.

Students must be registered at Howard University for the same semester they are interested in taking a Consortium course.

Consortium registration form is available at https://consortium.org/what-we-do/academic-collaborations/cross-registration/. For more information on the CUWMA and participating universities course schedules, please visit http://www.consortium.org. All forms may be returned to consortium@howard.edu. 

To be eligible for this program a student must meet the following requirements:

  1. Be a fully admitted degree seeking student
  2. Be actively enrolled in courses at Howard University at the same time that the Consortium course is being taken.
  3. Not exceed the amount of credits they are registered for at Howard University.
  4. Be in good academic/financial standing - (2.0 GPA for UG students and 3.0 for GR students)
  5. Obtain the following approvals to participate in the Consortium Program. .
    1. ACADEMIC APPROVAL-Signature of the Academic Dean and Department Chairperson
    2. ADMINISTRATIVE APPROVAL- Return Consortium form to the Consortium Coordinator (consortium@howard.edu) for signature and validation stamp.

Once form is signed and validated with the Consortium stamp, the student copy (buff) will be returned to the student. This copy is to be shown to the instructor at the host institution, but retained by the student for identification purposes at the host institution.

For special courses (private instruction in music or tutorial study) if a special fee is charged, such a fee is not covered by the Consortium Agreement and must be paid by the student to the host institution. This applies to any fee assessed to a course. If fees are not paid by the end of the semester in which they occur, a “Hold” will be placed on future registrations at Howard University until such fees are paid.

The total number of hours taken through the Consortium must not exceed forty percent of the total hours required for the degree. Consortium courses are not approved for “audit.”

Additional Information to Note

  • Courses pursued through the Consortium Program must be courses not available at Howard during the given semester or year.
  • Students must follow the general registration procedures and pay the applicable tuition rate of Howard University.
  • To drop or withdraw from a consortium course, report immediately to the Office of the Registrar (Consortium Coordinator) and complete a Consortium withdrawal form. Howard University Consortium courses are subject to Howard University's Change of Program deadline dates.
  • Consortium grades for Howard students are received in the Office of the Registrar and are recorded on the student’s permanent academic record.

RULES, REGULATIONS AND PROCEDURES IN EFFECT FOR HOWARD UNIVERSITY COURSE REPEATS AND INCOMPLETES ARE ALSO APPLICABLE FOR CONSORTIUM COURSE REPEATS AND INCOMPLETES.

Consortium Program FYI's

Please read the following information below. It is important to note that the Cross-Registration function of the Consortium is a privilege, not a right.

  • All registration for the Consortium is completed here at Howard University (HU) by the consortium coordinator. HU students do not have to register at the visited institution.
  • Consortium registration dates are determined by HU registration dates, not the host institution’s.
  • Consortium classes cannot be reserved in advanced. Consortium institutions’ students have first preference.
  • The University of Maryland does not register incoming consortium students until the first day of class.
  • All grades are submitted to HU’s coordinator, by the consortium institution’s coordinator and will be posted upon receipt.
  • Grade reporting for Consortium Courses may be delayed depending on the administrative processes of the home or visited institution.
  • Students must maintain the equivalent amount of credits registered for at HU to participate in the consortium program. Anytime a student drops below the required credits at HU, their consortium registration will be cancelled-no exceptions.
  • Students must adhere to HU’s drop/withdrawal deadline dates (see * below). Please access the Academic Calendar for dates.
  • DO NOT DROP OR WITHDRAW FROM CONSORTIUM CLASSES online using BisonWeb. To drop or withdraw from a consortium class, please contact the Consortium Coordinator (consortium@howard.edu).
  • Students are responsible for payment of any lab fees that are attached to the consortium course. Payment must be made at the Student Accounts Office of the consortium institution.
  • *It is taken into consideration that some institutions’ semester may start later than HU’s. In these cases, the drop deadline date (for consortium courses only) extends to the first day of class at the Consortium institution. THIS EXTENSION DOES NOT APPLY TO HOWARD UNIVERSITY CLASSES. The student is required to inform the Consortium Coordinator the very next day of his/her intention to drop the class. Any decision to withdraw from the class after that date will result in a “W”.