I was accepted into a program and submitted my FAFSA. When do I get my financial aid?
Graduate students are normally eligible only for federal unsubsidized loans. Goucher
does not automatically package loans for graduate students, because eligibility is
based on your actual enrollment. In general, as long as you submit a FAFSA and meet basic federal requirements, you should be eligible for a federal loan in any semester where you are in at least
4.5 credits of required coursework. You should receive a response directly from FAFSA
on your general eligibility. You may also contact us to confirm if we received your FAFSA and you appear eligible for a federal loan.
However, you will not receive an offer of financial aid until you declare intent to enroll, work with your advisor to plan your schedule, and submit that to us with the expected enrollment form. Please carefully read the additional information below.
The final cut-off date to request federal aid for Fall 2024 was November 11, 2024.
Applying for a private student loan is normally the only financial aid resource for a past-due balance from a previous
semester.
Please note that the official payment plans need to be started before classes start
each term. For other payment options, please see the billing and payments page. You may reach out to graduatebilling@dos5.net for additional assistance.
The two most important first steps are to submit your FAFSA and the Grad Student Online Loan Request (login required). The expected enrollment form is now an online form. You will need your Goucher e-mail login credentials to complete this form.
After submitting your FAFSA and expected enrollment form, please allow 5-10 business days for an e-mail with next steps. If you have already been billed, then please respond promptly to your financial aid needs to avoid billing holds or late fees. E-mails go only to your Goucher e-mail.
It is the student's responsibility to complete all required steps for financial aid by their billing due date. Please carefully read the information
below to clarify all required steps and expectations.
Welcome to Goucher! These are important first steps for new graduate students who have declared intent to enroll in a Masters program and have been issued their Goucher ID number and Goucher e-mail.
Once you receive the login for your Goucher e-mail, please switch to using only that e-mail. All important financial aid and billing statement e-mails will go ONLY to your secure Goucher student e-mail, so you don't want to miss any important updates!
If you need help with accessing your Goucher student e-mail, please contact Goucher's IT help desk, or call 410-337-6322.
Net Partner is where you review your financial aid information. You will need to follow the first time user steps to activate your Net Partner account. Net Partner uses your 9-digit Goucher ID, which is not the same as your e-mail login. For quick tips about creating your account, visit the Net Partner information page.
If you can't find your Goucher ID number then you will receive it at the top of your financial aid notification e-mail. You may also e-mail us from your Goucher e-mail to request your Goucher ID number.
PLEASE NOTE that Net Partner is only for financial aid. Your billing account and statements are a different system and login, MyGoucher. Find more informationon the E-Billing and Online Payments page.
Students accepting federal student loans need to complete Entrance Counseling and a Master Promissory Note (MPN) online. The login is the same FSA ID and password as for your FAFSA. Most students
only need to complete these tasks the first semester they accept federal loans. You
don't need to wait to have your loans accepted. You may use estimates. See our tip sheet on the forms page for additional help.
| Academic Year | Semesters | First Available |
Priority Deadline |
Final Cut-Off |
| 2024-2025 | Fall 2024, Winter/Spring 2025, Summer 2025 | December 2023 | March 1, 2024 | June 30, 2025 |
| 2025-2026 | Fall 2025, Winter/Spring 2026, Summer 2026 | December 2024 | March 1, 2025 | June 30, 2026 |
It is best to put financial aid in place before your billing statements are issued, and aid must be accepted and complete by the due date to avoid billing holds and late fees. Please plan ahead and work with your advisor on classes for your entire academic year beginning with Fall and ending with Summer.
Here are the priority submission dates and final cut-off dates for the expected enrollment form by semester. Please note that a valid FAFSA must also be on file.
| Semester | Academic Year | Expected Enrollment Form Submitted | Final Cut-Off |
| Winter/Spring 2024 | 2023-2024 | December 1, 2023 | May 3, 2024 |
| Summer 2024 | 2023-2024 | April 12, 2024 | June 30, 2024 |
| Fall 2024 | 2024-2025 | July 10, 2024 | November 11, 2024 |
| Winter/Spring 2025 | 2024-2025 | December 2, 2024 | April 21, 2025 |
| Summer 2025 | 2024-2025 | April 11, 2025 | June 30, 2025 |
| Fall 2025 | 2025-2026 | July 10, 2025 | November 11, 2025 |
We are frequently able to process after these deadlines, however please note the following.
Each type of aid requires you to meet and maintain certain eligibility requirements. For federal aid, students must meet the basic federal eligibility requirements. Graduate students need to be at least half-time (4.5 credits) to be eligible for federal loans.
Students may receive financial aid up to their Cost of Attendance (COA). The COA includes direct institutional charges (tuition and fees) and estimates of indirect expenses (room and board, transportation, books and supplies, and miscellaneous expenses).
Electronic statements will usually display financial aid as anticipated aid, provided you have completed all steps to accept your aid at least 2 weeks before the statement is issued. Anticipated aid will disburse and be applied to your account after the last drop date of each semester. Any remaining charges must be paid by the statement due date. If the student borrowed more and has a credit on their account they may request a refund.
PLAN AHEAD - Refunds are not available until about 3 weeks after the semester begins. Indirect expenses may need to be paid out of pocket until a refund is available.
Please note that if you are registered in any half-semester terms (i.e. Fall Term 1 and Fall Term 2), then financial aid may not disburse until after the drop date of the later-starting class.
Students who are non-degree seeking or participating in Professional Development are not eligible to receive federal financial aid.
Still have questions? You may schedule a Zoom appointment with Goucher's financial aid counselor for graduate students using Calendly.
Of course we will always do our best to try and process financial aid for a graduate student as soon as possible. However, it is highly unlikely that we will still be able to process federal financial aid for a particular semester if it is after the date indicated here. If it is after this date and all required federal financial aid steps have not been completed, you may need to seek a private student loan instead or make other payment arrangements. SUMMER APPLICANTS: Also please note that the FAFSA cut-off date is June 30 every year.
| Term | FAFSA Year | FAFSA and Exp. Enrollment form on file |
| Spring 2024 (Term 1 only) | 2023-2024 | March 10, 2024 |
| Winter/Spring 2024 | 2023-2024 | May 3, 2024 |
| Summer 2024 (Term 1 only) | 2023-2024 | June 15, 2024 |
| Summer 2024 | 2023-2024 | June 30, 2024 |
| Fall 2024 (Term 1 only) | 2024-2025 | October 1, 2024 |
| Fall 2024 | 2024-2025 | November 11, 2024 |
| Winter (only) 2025 | 2024-2025 | January 6, 2025 |
| Spring 2025 (Term 1 only) | 2024-2025 | March 10, 2025 |
| Winter/Spring 2025 | 2024-2025 | May 3, 2025 |
| Summer 2025 (Term 1 only) | 2024-2025 | June 15, 2025 |
| Summer 2025 | 2024-2025 | June 30, 2025 |
For a more detailed review of financial aid for graduate students, please refer to the Policies page.