Financial Aid Information for Graduate Students
Most common question from new graduate students
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.
Past-Due Balances (up to and including Fall 2024)
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@goucher.edu for additional assistance.
Most Important Steps
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.
NEW GRADUATE STUDENTS
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.
Goucher Student E-Mail Access
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.
Goucher's Online Financial Aid System: Net Partner
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.
Loan Entrance Counseling and Master Promissory Note (MPN)
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.
Graduate Student Financial Aid Application Procedures
- Complete the FAFSA. Be sure to add Goucher to receive your FAFSA. You should be able to search for us, or you may use our federal school code: 002073.
- Submit a Graduate Student Online Loan Request (login required) after working on your schedule with your academic advisor. Please plan for the entire academic year. Submission deadlines are below.
- Maximum borrowers, please think about the annual and lifetime federal loan limits.
- Please make sure you plan and report your Summer enrollment to help avoid over-borrowing in Fall & Spring.
- Once we have your FAFSA and all required documents, then you should receive financial aid information by e-mail within 5-10 business days (see Offer Notification section below).
- Contact Student Financial Services if you have any questions or if your enrollment plans change in any way.
- If you are starting to apply for financial aid any less than 3 weeks prior to the
start of term or after being billed, then please make sure you respond promptly to
any needs. Until your financial aid is processed, you may be subject to billing holds
or late fees.
FAFSA Priority Submission Dates
| 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 |
Expected Enrollment Form Submission Dates
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.
- If you are applying after being billed, then please make sure you respond promptly to all needs.
- We are almost always unable to process a federal loan for a previous term after the last day of classes.
- If it is after the drop date and we are unable to process federal student loans for any reason, then you may need to make alternative payment arrangements or apply for a private student loan.
Offer Notification
- New students please note that all official notifications go only to your Goucher e-mail.
- Because most graduate students are only eligible for federal loans, students are not offered financial aid until after choosing to enroll and submitting all required items.
- New and continuing students who have submitted everything needed will receive financial aid notifications on a rolling basis. This process will begin in July for the upcoming year. (July 2024 for the 2024-2025 year beginning in Fall 2024.)
- Please allow at least 1-2 weeks after submitting all required items.
- Graduate students in education programs may take longer if they are getting tuition discounts or employer benefits. If tuition discounts or benefit payments arrive after financial aid, then this may require the financial aid to be revised. Please clarify if you are expecting discounts or benefits on your expected enrollment form.
- Students will receive an email when their financial aid becomes available on Net Partner. Students need to use Net Partner to accept or decline financial aid.
- New students who accept federal loans will need to complete Entrance Counseling and a Master Promissory Note (MPN) online at studentaid.gov.
Financial Aid Types
- Federal aid - Direct Unsubsidized loan, Graduate PLUS loan
- PLUS loan application is only needed if you can't meet your needs with the Unsubsidized loan.
- MAT programs only (other requirements apply) - Federal TEACH Grant
- To apply for a TEACH grant, submit online TEACH counseling and the Agreement to Serve or Repay at studentaid.gov.
- The login is the same as for your FAFSA.
- Please allow 1-3 weeks after completing online for an e-mail to your Goucher e-mail with next steps.
- Goucher Scholarships
- Graduate education programs only: A limited number of scholarships are available. Scholarships are normally determined in October. (October 2022 for the 2022-2023 year.) There is no separate application and all students who submit FAFSAs are considered.
- All other graduate programs: Individual programs have a limited number of competetive scholarships that are typically determined during the admissions process. You may contact the office for your graduate program for more information
- Maryland State aid - limited scholarships for legal residents of Maryland
- Outside aid - scholarships or other tuition benefits
- Private student loans (Our suggested resource is ELMSelect.)
Eligibility Criteria
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.
Cost of Attendance
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).
Billing & Refunds
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.
Professional Development Certificate & Non-Degree Seeking Graduates
Students who are non-degree seeking or participating in Professional Development are not eligible to receive federal financial aid.
Schedule an Appointment
Still have questions? You may schedule a Zoom appointment with Goucher's financial aid counselor for graduate students using Calendly.
Final Semester Cut-Off Date Guidelines for Federal aid
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.