Fees and Expenses, 2011-12 Academic Year

A student enrolled for 12 or more credits per semester has full-time status. A student enrolled in fewer than 12 credit hours per semester is considered part-time. Half-time status is an enrollment of six credit hours per semester. A normal course load is 15 credit hours per semester and 30 credit hours per academic year. Students enrolled for more than 18 credits during a semester will be charged the part-time rate for each additional credit. Billing is issued on a per-credit charge to part-time students. Full-time students are charged the Health and Counseling fee and Student Activity fee annually, even if enrolled only for the fall or spring semester. Part-time students are charged the per-credit tuition rate only.

Tuition, fees, and board charges are based on course loads and meal plan selections as of the last day of add/drop each semester. Semester room changes are based on room assignments as of September 30 (fall semester) and February 28(spring semester). A student may not register for classes, participate in room draw, participate in Commencement, or receive a transcript or diploma unless there has been a satisfactory settlement of all college bills and all student disciplinary matters.

The charge for room and board provides a furnished room and board from the official date of opening in the fall and spring through the respective closing dates each semester, exclusive of the recess periods at Thanksgiving, winter break(between semesters), and spring break. All hall residents are charged a $175 damage deposit annually. These deposits are credited back to student tuition accounts in June (or January if the student leaves after the fall semester). Any hall and/or room damage charges are also assessed at that time. 

Other Fees

The Health and Counseling fee and Student Activities fee are mandatory fees that are charged annually to full-time undergraduate students attending one or both semesters. The Health and Counseling fee funds the Health and Counseling Center, which provides services to all full-time undergraduate students. The Student Activity fee funds all SGA activities. The Health Insurance fee will be charged to all full-time undergraduate students who do not submit an insurance waiver form by the published deadlines (see Health Insurance).

The Late Registration Fee will be charged to current undergraduate students who register after May 15 (for the fall semester) and/or December 15 (for the spring semester).

Enrollment Deposit

An annual nonrefundable Enrollment Deposit in the amount of $500 is due for all full-time undergraduate students, as the following schedule indicates:

Students who are required to pay a $500 study-abroad deposit for a fall program do not need to pay an additional enrollment deposit for that semester.

Housing Deposit

Resident students are required to submit an annual non-refundable Housing Deposit, along with the Enrollment Deposit, following the same schedule for the Enrollment Deposit above. All full-time undergraduate students are required to live on campus and participate in one of the college meal plans. Exceptions may be made for students who choose to commute from their permanent home address within 30 miles of Goucher’s campus. In addition, a limited number of upper-class students may receive permission to live off campus on a first-come, first-served basis, upon approval by the Office of Community Living.

Health Insurance

The college requires all full-time students to be covered by the college health and accident insurance plan. This requirement will be waived, however, if proof of comparable coverage is provided to Student Administrative Services through RCM&D, the college’s insurance broker . No insurance waivers will be accepted after September 30 for full-time students enrolled for the fall semester (February 28 for new spring semester students).

Schedule of Payments

Statements for semester fees are mailed around July 8 and December 8. Payment of charges for the fall semester is due by August 4; for the spring semester, by January 4. Online payment information and other payment methods are listed on the Goucher website under Billing: Payment Options. The student’s ID number should be included with all payments and correspondence. An Account Correction Worksheet and Undergraduate Cost Calculator are available on the Billing website to assist with the calculation of the net balance due. A late fee of $200 will be assessed if payment in full has not been received by the due date.

A student whose billing account is delinquent will be denied the privileges of registering, attending classes, living in the residence halls, obtaining transcripts, using college facilities, and/or participating in graduation ceremonies. A transcript of a student’s record will not be released if any of the student’s accounts are in arrears, whether or not the student is currently enrolled.

Students and their billing parties will be responsible for payment of all costs, including reasonable attorney fees and collection agency fees, incurred by the college in collecting monies owed to Goucher. The college will assess a $25 fee for any check returned by the bank and reserves the right to invoke the laws of the state of Maryland governing bad checks.

Commencement

Commencement ceremonies are held once a year in May. In order to participate, a student must have completed all academic requirements for the appropriate degree and have settled all college accounts and any student disciplinary matters. A student who is in good academic standing (cumulative grade point average of at least 2.0) and is within four credits of completing graduation requirements may participate in commencement exercises only if documentation demonstrates that the remaining credits will be completed by August 31 of that year. Permission to participate in commencement must be granted by the associate dean for undergraduate studies. Students must submit their requests, with documentation, to the associate dean at least three weeks prior to Commencement. The commencement program will list all such students as completing degree requirements by August 31 of that year. The college reserves the right to not permit the release of a cap and gown to any student who has not been cleared for graduation.

Exceptions to the commencement policy can only be made by the provost and are expected to be rare. Petitions for exception are only considered from students who have been enrolled in the spring for all remaining courses needed for participation in commencement exercises, and for whom unforeseen and unpreventable forces at the end of the semester are the cause of the failure to complete those courses. Such petitions must be submitted in writing to the provost three weeks prior to commencement and must be accompanied by an endorsement from one or more of the student’s faculty members or advisors.

Refund Policy

Credit balances are automatically refunded if required under Title IV (federal aid exceeds allowable billing charges) or a student has graduated or withdrawn from the college. All other credit balances can be refunded if a written request has been received by the Billing office and the add/drop date has passed for the semester that the credit balance occurred.

Students Withdrawing From College

Refund period dates are determined by reference to “Important Dates for Students,” published by Student Administrative Services at the beginning of each semester. A partial refund of payments may be made to students who withdraw from all courses of their own accord. Any credit balance remaining after these adjustments to the student’s account will be refunded. Federal Aid will be adjusted in accordance with the Federal Return to Title IV calculation. The Title IV calculation is based on days of attendance as a percentage of total days in the semester up until 60%. For example, if the Return to Title IV calculation calculates that the student earned 20% of their federal aid based on the length of time spent in school and institutional aid would also be adjusted to 20%. No adjustments will be made once 60% of the semester has passed (with the exception of the board charge). Any remaining balance due must be paid by the student. A $250 administrative fee will be assessed to the student.

Refund/Credit Allowed

Please see the refund policy on the billing website (www.goucher.edu/Billing) for withdrawals after the semester classes have begun.

Students are billed semester tuition charges based on course loads as of the last day of add/drop during the beginning of the semester. Semester tuition charges will not be affected if courses are dropped after that date, unless the student withdraws from the college. The refund policy applies to both matriculating and non-candidate undergraduate students.  The semester board charge will be refunded based on the lesser of days of attendance or meal-plan usage during the semester.

No adjustment of semester charges will be granted to students who are suspended or expelled for academic or disciplinary reasons. The college reserves the right to suspend or dismiss at any time a student whose academic standing or general conduct is considered unsatisfactory. 

Other Programs

Information concerning current tuition and expenses for other programs, including the Goucher II, Post-Baccalaureate Premedical, Post-Baccalaureate Teaching Certification, Master of Education, Master of Arts in Teaching, Master of Arts in Arts Administration, Master of Arts in Digital Arts, Master of Arts in Historic Preservation, Master of Fine Arts in Creative Nonfiction, and Master of Arts in Cultural Sustainability can be obtained by contacting the respective offices.