All students are expected to fulfill Goucher's requirements for graduation, which include writing proficiency and specified courses in mathematics, science, foreign language, and general liberal arts. The curriculum represents Goucher's definition of a sound liberal arts education, and all students are expected to make a good-faith effort to complete the requirements.

Students who cannot complete the foreign language requirement are offered two options to substitute this requirement with culture courses as an alternative.

Option 1: Language course substitution accommodation

Students with documented disabilities can apply for this accommodation via the Office of Accessibility. The process remains consistent with applying for all academic accommodations:

• Submit an Accommodation Request for New Users or Accommodation Request for Returning Users to request a meeting with our team.
• Upload documentation from a licensed provider indicating diagnosis and justification of need for a language course accommodation to our Accommodate portal. Examples of documentation include: neuropsych evaluations, psychoeducational testing, support letters from a licensed provider, IEPs, 504 plans, and/or medical documentation. It is preferred if documentation is dated within the last 4 years at the time of registration with our office.
• Participate in an in-person or virtual intake meeting with a member of our team. If approved, a decision letter will be sent, jointly, to the student and the registrar’s office. If denied, OAS will outreach the student directly.

Note: All students with a language course substitution must finish their GCR language credits via an approved culture course path. For more information, see Culture Courses.

Option 2: Good faith effort

To demonstrate a "good faith effort," (GFE) a student is expected to:

• attend class on a regular basis.
• complete all assignments.
• attend weekly supplemental instruction.
• attend weekly homework helpers.
• attend weekly office hours.

The student is expected to make these efforts for at least half of the course (seven weeks) and/or to have taken at least two major tests for a GFE to be established.

If, despite having made a GFE a student believes they cannot succeed in the course, the student may inquire about taking a good faith effort, which is approved by faculty and submitted using the Good Faith Effort Form.

This form will be received by OAS and processed as a language course substitution accommodation and communicated with the registrar’s office by OAS. Students are not required to have a documented disability for a GFE approval.

Processing of culture course credits

Students that receive a language course substitution accommodation before starting their courses at Goucher must complete 10 credits of culture courses.

Students that switch into culture courses after attempting language courses must complete the same number of culture credits as the testing platform table for foreign language.

Ex: Students that test into 110 must complete 10 credits, students that test into 120 must complete 8 credits (see table below)