What kind of school it is, in a nutshell
Goucher College is a bachelor’s college focused on the arts and sciences, located in Baltimore, Maryland, within Baltimore County, in the Baltimore-Columbia-Towson metropolitan area. It is private and nonprofit, and although it reports offering credentials through the post-master’s certificate level—which formally classifies it as an institution with graduate offerings—the bulk of what it does is at the bachelor’s level.
The Carnegie Classification, based on 2019-20 data, describes it as a four-year, small, highly residential school: at that time, at least half of its undergraduate students lived in institution-provided housing, and at least 80 out of every 100 attended full time. It also falls within the selective-admissions group. All of this describes the school’s basic profile, not a promise about your child’s experience.
“Highly residential” is a term worth pausing to examine. It does not mean your child has to live there, and it also does not tell you how much doing so costs. Room and board are charged separately from tuition, almost never appear together in the first brochure you see, and must be requested separately before comparing this school with any other.
As for the location, the census code places it within a city, which tells you where it is, not how you get there. If your child plans to live at home, do not trust the map: drive the route on a weekday at the exact time of their classes. The actual travel time is almost never what Google Maps promises.
One last piece of its identity, and this one is simple: Goucher College has none of the three specific designations tracked by the government—it is not a historically Black college or university, a tribal college or university, or a land-grant institution. Of the 3,012 colleges and universities in this directory, 138 have at least one of these designations. Goucher’s absence from that list says nothing about which students it serves or how your child would feel there. Ask directly which cultural centers and student organizations exist today.
The size of the community and who makes it up
Goucher’s official fall enrollment was 1,500, including an undergraduate enrollment of 964 and a graduate enrollment of 536. It is mid-sized compared with its peers—neither among the large schools nor the small ones—and falls near the middle among the 941 selective private four-year schools in this census. But if your child is entering an undergraduate program, the number that matters is 964, not the total. The graduate population makes the total look larger.
Within that undergraduate population, 7 out of every 100 are Hispanic or Latino. It is a small minority, ranking below the midpoint of the comparison group of 941 similar schools without falling into the bottom quarter. Having few Latino students does not make the school bad, just as having many would not make it good on its own: this figure counts only who is enrolled today. If your child will be among the few, ask a concrete question during the visit: which groups and support services exist, and whether you can speak with a Latino student who is already there.
Two other features of this community: women outnumber men—66 out of every 100—and there are almost no adult students: only 2 out of every 100 are between 25 and 64 years old. IPEDS does not provide data for this school on where incoming students came from in the 2023 cycle. It is not there, and it should not be invented.
How academics work
Goucher’s academic year is organized into semesters: two long terms of about 15 weeks. The institution accepts credit from AP examinations and military training, but it did not indicate that it accepts credit for life experience, and it does not enroll high school students in college courses for credit. Saying that it accepts AP does not mean it awards credit for every exam submitted: the data does not say which scores are required or whether those credits count toward your child’s specific program. Request the equivalency evaluation in writing before enrolling, and do not budget for the savings until you have it in hand.
In the most recently reported year, Goucher awarded 208 bachelor’s degrees across 22 fields of study families—what the government calls CIP families. Psychology was the most popular, accounting for 23 out of every 100 degrees—no other field surpassed it, but it did not account for the bulk of degrees either. Compared with 942 similar schools, Goucher falls within the quarter with the most fields of study families represented in its offerings. Its offerings are broad, not concentrated in two or three flagship programs. But be careful: the presence of 22 families in the report does not mean there are 22 active majors or guarantee that a degree was awarded in each one—some rows may report zero. Verify by name the exact program that interests your child.
The student-to-faculty ratio is 8 to 1, one of the lowest among the 941 schools compared—it falls in the bottom quarter, meaning fewer students per faculty member than at three out of every four schools in the group. It is a number that sounds good but should be treated with care: by itself, it does not measure actual class size or faculty availability because it compares full-time equivalents, not seats in a classroom. Ask directly how many students are in first-year classes.
Finally, Goucher reports offering structured pathways such as study abroad, cocurricular undergraduate research, and teacher-certification preparation pathways, including state approval for initial teacher certification. Their presence in the report does not indicate how many students participate or how accessible they are: ask the appropriate office.
Getting in: admissions and the actual odds
This is where many families want to go straight to the number. I will give it to you, but with its context, because on its own, that number is misleading.
Goucher does not have open admission. Of the nine factors the government asks about—not counting standardized tests or legacy status—it marked five as required: high school transcript, grade point average, personal essay, letters of recommendation, and an English-proficiency examination for applicants to whom it applies. That means your child has to write an essay. It is not optional here.
It also considers, although it does not require, class rank, completion of the recommended academic program, a portfolio or work sample, work experience, and whether a family member attended the school. This last factor—legacy status—is something your child cannot change. If it does not apply in your case, do not spend energy on it. Spend that energy on what is within your child’s control.
The published undergraduate application fee is $0.
Now for the admissions numbers themselves. In the 2023 cycle, Goucher received 3,520 first-time applications and offered admission to 2,566. That is 73 out of every 100—seven or eight out of ten. Compared with 942 similar selective private schools, this is a common rate, slightly below the group’s midpoint. Admission is not automatic, but it is not a lottery either. And this number comes from a single cycle: when it is your child’s turn, it is worth checking again because it is not a fixed rule of the institution.
Here is a figure that surprises many families and deserves a careful explanation: out of every 100 admitted students, only 10 enrolled. That is a low enrollment yield, toward the lower end compared with its peers—at seven out of ten similar schools, a larger share of admitted students enroll. That is not a mark against Goucher. The federal record does not say why each person made the choice they did; many admitted students had other options and chose them. What matters to you is not what other people decided, but what your child is offered: wait for the letter showing the net price, which is what the year will actually cost, and use that number to decide whether the school stays on the list.
As for standardized tests, the SAT and ACT are not required. If submitted, they are considered; if not, the application remains under consideration. Among enrolled students, 26 out of every 100 submitted the SAT, and among that group, the middle half scored between 560 and 683 in reading and writing and between 520 and 683 in mathematics. These ranges describe students who had already enrolled, not all applicants, and they do not indicate whether the score influenced the admission decision. That 560 is not a minimum, nor is that 683 a guarantee.
And regarding transfers: in the fall of 2023, the number of undergraduates entering Goucher for the first time after attending another institution was 39. This is a low count compared with similar schools, but remember that it is a number of people, not a proportion, and is related to the school’s size. How many credits Goucher accepted from those transfer students is a separate question—and one to ask the school directly.
The sticker price and what families actually pay
At Goucher College, among first-time, full-time, credential-seeking students who received federal Title IV aid and whose EFC records showed family income below $30,000, the group size was 40 and the average net price was $13,998. For the same population with EFC family income from $48,001 to $75,000, the group size was 27 and the average was $22,034; for those with EFC family income above $110,000, the group size was 50 and the average was $35,948. For dependent students, the income band combines their parents’ income with their own.
The difference between the average for the lowest-income band, whose group size was 40, and the average for the highest-income band, whose group size was 50, is $21,950. These are group averages, not a prediction of your family’s price. Among first-year students who received any grant or scholarship aid, the average was $28,749.
Among the 937 schools of the same type and control included in this census that reported this figure with the same time coverage, Goucher falls within the least expensive quarter for lower-income families after grants and scholarships are subtracted. That does not mean it will be inexpensive for your family. It is a figure worth considering when you decide where to apply.
Because the price changes so much from one income band to another, identifying yours correctly is the first step. The income bands in this profile describe first-time, full-time, credential-seeking students who received federal Title IV aid; at public institutions, they use the in-state or in-district rate. The overall average with grant or scholarship aid, when shown, describes first-time, full-time, credential-seeking students who received federal, state, local, or institutional grants or scholarships. The aid letter sent specifically to you is what matters.
How families pay: grants, loans, and options
The good news is that almost everyone receives something: 99 out of every 100 degree-seeking students received a grant, scholarship, or other aid that does not have to be repaid, with an annual average of $37,644 among recipients. That average is not your offer—it includes people who received much more and people who received much less. What determines affordability is not the size of the discount, but how much remains to be paid afterward.
Pell, the federal aid program for low-income families, reached 32 out of every 100 students.
Now the debt portion, stated plainly: in the 2022-23 year, 51 out of every 100 undergraduate students received a federal student loan—more than half. Among borrowers, the average amount received that year was $6,423. If your child borrowed a similar amount in each of the four years of the bachelor’s program, the total would be around $25,692, not counting interest and excluding any Parent PLUS loans signed by the parents or debt from a bank or credit card. That number is determined before the first signature, not at the end.
Compared with 942 similar schools, the share of students with loans falls near the middle: neither among the highest nor among the lowest.
Goucher also offers a tuition installment payment plan as an additional way to manage the cost.
Campus life, athletics, and support
Goucher has its own housing, with reported student capacity of 985 on or off campus. Not all first-time, full-time students are required to live there—the institution explicitly indicated that they are not—but that does not mean no program has such a requirement. It also offers meal plans, with the number of meals varying by the plan selected. Before removing room and board from the family budget, request in writing the exact rate, the housing application deadline, and whether housing is guaranteed or there is a waiting list.
Army ROTC is confirmed in the report; Navy and Air Force are not marked. Not confirmed is not the same as impossible—ask directly if your child is interested in another branch.
Goucher competes in intercollegiate athletics and is affiliated with the NCAA, with confirmed membership in basketball and cross-country or track and field. The membership belongs to the school, not your child: if your child is interested in a team, contact the coach directly and ask about roster availability, division, and athletic scholarships.
As for distance education, Goucher offers it at the undergraduate and graduate levels and reports at least one fully online program, but in the fall count, fewer than 1 out of every 100 undergraduate students took their entire course load that way. Confirm in writing whether this applies to the specific program that interests your child.
The library operates with paid staff and exceeded the government’s reported spending threshold of $100,000, has physical and digital collections, and participates in interlibrary lending. That is a baseline, not a guarantee that it has specific databases for your child’s program—ask for them by name.
Regarding general support, Goucher reports combined academic and career counseling, employment services for current students, placement services for graduates, participation in the Yellow Ribbon program, a dedicated point of contact for veterans and military families, and a disability-services webpage. Their presence in the report confirms that they exist as declared services; it does not measure their quality or how accessible they are in practice.
Staying enrolled and graduating: the persistence numbers
This brings us to the question that really matters in the long term: if your child enrolls, how likely are they to finish?
For the cohort that entered in the fall of 2022, the cohort size was 269, and its members were first-time, full-time, bachelor’s-degree-seeking students. The official retention criterion was met by 206 the following year: they were still enrolled or had already graduated. That is 77 out of every 100, slightly above the midpoint compared with 930 similar schools. The other 63 were outside that count, but this does not mean they dropped out: someone who transferred and is continuing to study elsewhere is treated the same in this figure as someone who left school.
Regarding graduation, IPEDS tracked a group numbering 420 whose members entered in 2017 as full-time, first-time students. By the six-year point, 252 had graduated from Goucher: 60 out of every 100. At the four-year point, the figure falls to 52 out of every 100—a difference of 8 percentage points between the two time frames. Compared with 920 similar schools, this six-year rate falls below the group’s midpoint.
It is important to be precise here: the published rate does not make it possible to reconstruct exactly what happened to the rest of that cohort. A missing row does not become zero, and it cannot be claimed that they transferred, paused their studies, or dropped out. It simply is not documented in this count.
One additional figure, measured over eight years: for a broader cohort with a size of 430 whose members entered between July 2015 and June 2016—including full-time and part-time students—60 out of every 100 had earned a degree or certificate from Goucher as of the August 2023 reporting date. Among Pell recipients, the figure was 56 out of every 100, five percentage points below the group that did not receive Pell. Compared with 935 similar schools, it also falls below the midpoint. And for part of this cohort, the share with unknown enrollment status at that reporting date was 19 out of every 100: the report simply could not determine whether they remained enrolled anywhere.
None of these numbers tells you what will happen to your child in particular. They show how students who entered in specific years under specific conditions fared in the aggregate. When you visit the school, it is worth asking directly about specific support for staying enrolled and about outcomes more recent than these.
What this article cannot tell you
This information includes nothing about what a Goucher graduate earns, employment after graduation, or total debt upon completing the bachelor’s program. That is another piece of the puzzle, and it requires another source.
Putting the map together
You now know precisely one of the three pieces you need to make a decision: what Goucher College is, how it admits students, what it costs on paper and what it has actually cost families with incomes similar to yours, and how likely students have been to stay and graduate during the years measured by the government.
You still need to combine this with what your child wants to study and what they have accomplished so far, as well as what your family can and is willing to pay. No figure in this article makes that decision for you. What this information can do is keep you from entering an important family conversation without the right signs in hand.
If you are just beginning to build the college list, use these numbers to ask questions, not to rule the school out immediately. If Goucher is already on the short list, wait for the aid letter before becoming excited or alarmed by the sticker price. And if the essay or admission requirements seem like a lot of work, remember that writing is required here, so plan that time calmly instead of leaving it until the final weekend.
Source note: the information in this article comes from data reported by Goucher College to the U.S. Department of Education’s IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System), primarily for the 2022-23 and 2023-24 cycles, as well as the Carnegie Classification based on 2019-20 data. Best College Aid does not represent Goucher College or the United States government, and this article is not a substitute for official or personalized information that only the college itself can provide about your circumstances.