When does billing happen?

Billing for the academic year occurs twice a year:

Fall semester - early- to mid-July

Spring semester -  mid-December

The initial Spring statement in December is just an estimate. The charges will be removed in late December and recharged in January for tax purposes (so that Spring charges and payments are reflected in the same calendar year). Your official Spring statement will be published in January, the balance will only change if enrollment status changes, (full-time, part-time or overload charges), the food plan is adjusted, or the room is changed.

Updates to the current semester balance are issued throughout each semester.

• Fall semester is from late August through early December.
• J-Term takes place in January and are billed in November.
• Winter study abroad programs take place in January and are billed in October.
• Spring semester is from late January through early May.
• Summer courses are in two sessions, the first in June and the second in July and billed in May.
• Statements can only be issued after a student has registered for classes. Payment in full is payable by the due date.

How to receive statements

When new statments are available to view, an notification is sent to the student's Goucher email account. Refer to the e-billing and online payments page for more details. Students can grant anyone access to information via myGoucher. Anyone signed up by the student to access information will also receive an email. 

Does Goucher send paper statements in the mail?

Goucher does NOT send paper statements in the mail. Statements are only available, either through the student’s myGoucher or the Parent Portal. If you want any family member or friends to have access to your billing information, YOU must grant them access to information and sign them up for e-billing notification. You can also choose to enable SMS (text) messaging for statement notification.

E-billing & FERPA Forms

By signing someone up to receive e-billing and/or text notifications, you are also giving us, the billing department, permission to discuss your billing account, either by email or phone. We won’t be able to talk to anyone about any of your account details unless you have signed them up for e-billing and or the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA).

 

Online Statements

Online statements are not automatically updated with every change made to an account, whether it’s a new/revised charge or a payment. New statements are available once per month and weekly at the beginning of each semester until the add/drop date.

What can cause my balance to change during the semester?

Changes to room and food plans, credits taken (if less than 12 or more than 18), lab fees, parking or library fines, music or riding lessons added throughout the semester can always cause a balance to change. That’s why it’s important to view statements when they are issued.

When is my payment due?

The full semester amount owed has to be paid by the due date. Payment options are available.

Payments can be made by:

• a direct payment for the amount owed
• a payment plan set up for the full amount owed
• a 529 Plan payment
• or a Parent PLUS or private bank loan set up by the due date for the full amount owed. Loans are usually taken for the year, so, double the amount due for Fall or ask for help at billing@goucher.edu. 
  
  

Late Fee

Payments received after the due date will incur a $200 late fee. An unpaid balance may incur a “billing hold” added to an account. A hold will prevent a student from making any changes to their class schedule and from registering for a future semester. Unpaid balances may be sent to a Collections Agency. Fees will be the responsibility of the student account.

An account with an unpaid balance and a hold can have the hold removed:

• in 5 business days after an electronic online payment using a bank account is made
• within 48 hours with an online credit card payment
• or upon completion of a loan application (verification from the Financial Aid office is needed). To avoid delays, please complete your loan applications and documents before the due dateof the semester payment.

Payments can be mailed to (the Attn: line is very important!):

Goucher College
Attn: SFS / Student Billing - Dorcey Center Suite 103
1021 Dulaney Valley Road
Baltimore, MD 21204

Financial Aid

Financial aid is always shown on a statement as “pending” or “anticipated” until it disburses. Disbursal means when the money awarded by financial aid is “paid” to the account. This happens in mid-September for the Fall semester and mid-February for the Spring semester. If a student has not accepted aid or completed all necessary documents, it will not be shown on the statement. This can cause a change in the balance due.

Example: when a student has accepted a loan it will show on the billing statement as "pending". If, after the disbursal date there are still missing documents, the loan amount will be removed from the account, increasing the balance due. Once documents are complete, the aid can be disbursed to the account.

Financial aid, including loans, is updated once a week throughout the semester. It is not immediately added to the student account but will take several days to be reflected.

Financial aid emails are usually only sent to the student, even when it’s about a missing parent document. Please be sure to check all your emails from the Financial Aid and Billing offices.

Credit (or overpayment)

If a student has a credit balance (an overpayment, shown on the statement with a negative (-) in front of the amount or in parenthesis,) you can either:

• Leave the credit on the account to carry over to the future semester (no action is needed, that will happen automatically).
• Request a refund. We process refunds after all financial aid has disbursed. By mid- to late-September in the Fall semester and mid- to late-February for the Spring semester.
• Request that we transfer up to $600 of your credit to your OneCard Gopher Bucks for books and other supplies. Please email billing@goucher.edu with an amount. Note that Gopher Bucks can not be transferred back to your tuition account. Gopher Bucks balances do carry over from semester to semester. Balances over $10 will be refunded after the student has graduated or is no longer attending.
  
  

Refunds

Credit refunds have to be requested online. BankMobile is the processing company we use to process all credit refunds. It allows for refunds to be completed by direct deposit instead of mailing paper checks, but also means that all refunds are direct deposit through the account the student has designated.

Completing the BankMobile link does not mean you will automatically receive a refund; if you have a credit balance you want refunded, you need to submit the form found online.

Refunds can only be processed after all Financial Aid is disbursed and the add/drop period has ended. Usually by  the mid to end of September for Fall semester and mid to end of February for the Spring semester.

Set up direct deposit

To sign for direct deposit:

• log in to your myGoucher
• click on “Finances” and then “Student Refund”. You will then be able to set up the account and enter a bank account to which the refund can be deposited. It could be your account or your parent’s.
  
  

Full-time, part-time, & tuition overload charges

Students are full-time if they register for 12-18 credits. The tuition charge will not change if the registered credits remains between 12-18.

If a student is registered for less than 12 credits, they will be billed based on the number of credits being taken. Financial Aid will be adjusted according to the number of credits.

If a student registers for more than 18 credits, they will be billed based on the number of credits over 18 being taken. This includes courses withdrawn in a term after the class add/drop time frame. Financial aid is not adjusted for tuition overload charges.

Refer to the Undergraduate Tuition and Fees page for more details. 

Room & food plans

The Residential Life Office (RLO) controls charges for room and food plans both for on-campus and study abroad. For more information visit Housing Contacts and Housing Policies. Questions or concerns? Email RLO, residentiallife@goucher.edu.

Health insurance

All full-time undergraduate students are required to have health insurance coverage. Goucher College offers annual coverage which is billed upfront at the start of the Fall semester. If a student has coverage, they have the option to waive Goucher’s coverage and the charge will be removed. If the student does not complete the online waiver, or enrolls, payment for insurance has to be paid for both Fall and Spring semesters, regardless of Spring attendance.

Health insurance coverage is from August 1 through July 31 of the following year and costs vary from year to year.

Information on the cost and how to waive or enroll is sent to students at the beginning of each Fall semester.

Financial responsibility agreement

All students need to complete a Financial Responsibility Agreement each semester before registering for classes. This agreement is not issued by Student Financial Services. For questions, contact the Help Desk at helpdesk@goucher.edu.

Additional Resources

Visit the billing page for statement questions and information on how to pay.

Visit the financial aid page for general questions about financial aid, loans, grants, scholarships.

Visit the registrar for questions about registration, enrollment verification, or transcripts.

Visit the residental life page for questions about your room assignment or food plan.

Visit the Global Education page for questions about study abroad, program options and costs.

Email Communication

Be sure to regularly check your Goucher email address for important information and updates. Please use only your Goucher email in writing to Goucher offices and staff. Financial aid emails are usually only sent to the student, even when about a missing parent document. Add billing@goucher.edu to your email contacts so that you don’t miss notifications about updated balances, charges, and credits.