Goucher College
Baltimore, Maryland · Private Nonprofit · 77.7% acceptance rate
ROI Score: 43/100 · Below Benchmark
Data: 2024-25 College Scorecard release
Goucher College, a small private liberal arts school in Baltimore, lands in CampusROI's Below Benchmark tier with an overall ROI score of 43. The math is unforgiving: sticker tuition is $53,350, and even after institutional aid the average net price still runs $22,470 per year, putting the four-year cost at roughly $90,000. Median federal debt at graduation is $26,000, and 10-year median earnings of $53,023 leave alumni with a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.82, the single weakest input to Goucher's score (sub-score 13). The 12.8-year payback period reinforces that picture. There are real bright spots, though: 85% on the repayment sub-score reflects a strong 84.8% three-year repayment rate, meaning Goucher graduates do reliably service their loans even when the ratio is heavy. The bottom line: Goucher is academically respectable and graduates are credit-worthy, but the price-to-earnings gap is wide and most attendees will need significant merit aid or a high-earning major to make the math work.
How Goucher College scores under our methodology
These are the College Scorecard measures that pull this school's CampusROI score down. They describe the published figures, not the quality of the education, and they are our reading of the data. Check them against your own aid offer and intended major.
- ROI Score43/100 - Below Benchmark tier of our scale (below 45). For context, 38% of the schools we score reach 60 or higher.
Goucher College
Quick Numbers
| In-state tuition + fees | $53,350/yr |
| Out-of-state tuition + fees | $53,350/yr |
| Average net price | $22,470/yr |
| Total 4-year cost (net) | $89,880 |
| Median earnings (10yr post-entry) | $53,023 |
| Average earnings (6yr post-entry) | $31,800 |
| Median debt at graduation | $26,000 |
| Estimated monthly loan payment | $276 |
| Estimated payback period | 12.8 years |
| 6-year graduation rate | 57.3% |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 964 |
Data as of 2024-2025. Source: College Scorecard API (U.S. Department of Education).
The Full Financial Picture
The first number you'll see is the sticker price: $53,350/year, which covers tuition and fees only. After grants, scholarships, and aid, the average student here pays a net price of $22,470/year, or roughly $89,880 over four years. That's the number to plan around.
What you actually pay depends a lot on what your family earns. Families making under $30,000/year pay an average of $13,471/year here, while families earning over $110,000 pay $32,220/year.
Among graduates who borrowed, the median federal loan debt from this school is $26,000, which works out to about $276 a month on the standard 10-year repayment plan. Our debt-to-earnings ratio divides that debt by average earnings six years after entry ($31,800) and comes to 0.82, under 1.0, meaning median debt is less than a full year of those earnings.
Net Price by Family Income
What families actually pay after grants and scholarships, by income bracket.
| Family Income | Avg Net Price/Year |
|---|---|
| $0 - $30,000 | $13,471 |
| $30,001 - $48,000 | $18,066 |
| $48,001 - $75,000 | $20,403 |
| $75,001 - $110,000 | $24,781 |
| $110,001+ | $32,220 |
Cost by Income Bracket Explained
Lower-income families (under $30K)
Families earning under $30,000 pay an average net price of $13,471, which is the most defensible math at Goucher. Over four years that is roughly $54,000, well below the $26,000 federal debt median graduates actually leave with - meaning Pell-eligible students who finish are funded reasonably well. The risk is the 43% non-completion rate; for low-income students, leaving without a degree is the worst possible outcome at this price.
Middle-income families ($30K-$110K)
Households in the $48,001-$75,000 bracket pay $20,403 net, and the $75,001-$110,000 bracket pays $24,781 - meaning a typical middle-class family is looking at $80,000-$100,000 over four years before any borrowing. Combined with a 12.8-year payback period and 0.82 debt-to-earnings ratio, this is the income tier where Goucher's value proposition gets thinnest. Strong merit aid or a high-earning major is essentially required.
Higher-income families ($110K+)
Families above $110,000 in income pay $32,220 net, or roughly $129,000 over four years - only modestly discounted from the $53,350 sticker. For full-pay families this is a lifestyle choice rather than an ROI choice; the school's earnings outcomes do not justify the price on financial grounds alone, so the rationale needs to be fit, geography, or a specific program.
Earnings by Major
Top 6 most popular majors at Goucher College with available earnings data.
| Major | Median Earnings | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Psychology | $44,901 | D |
| Business Administration, Management, and Operations | $65,402 | C+ |
| Communication and Media Studies | $52,752 | C+ |
| Economics | $51,727 | C+ |
| English Language and Literature | $46,333 | D |
| International Relations and National Security Studies | $25,868 | F |
Earnings reflect median 4-year post-completion (or 1-year where 4-year unavailable). Grades based on debt-to-earnings ratio.
Program Analysis
Why these programs deliver their earnings outcomes.
Business Administration, Management, and Operations
Business is Goucher's strongest ROI program by a wide margin. Graduates earn $46,511 at one year and $65,402 at four years, against a typical debt of $25,000 - a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.54 and a C+ ROI grade. Career paths span operations, marketing, and financial services in the Baltimore-DC corridor, and the four-year earnings figure is roughly 23% above the institutional median, making this the major that most clearly justifies Goucher's price tag.
Psychology
Psychology is Goucher's largest program with 49 graduates per year, but financially the weakest of the major tracks. Graduates earn $31,463 at one year and $44,901 at four years against $26,000 in debt - a 0.83 debt-to-earnings ratio and a D ROI grade. Most bachelor's-only psychology paths require a master's or PsyD to unlock higher earnings, so families should think of the bachelor's as step one of a longer (and more expensive) credentialing chain rather than a terminal degree.
Economics
Economics graduates earn $46,774 at one year and $51,727 at four years against $25,000 in debt, yielding a 0.53 debt-to-earnings ratio and a C+ grade. Graduates typically move into analyst roles in finance, consulting, and federal/state government, with the DC market a natural pull from Baltimore.
Communication and Media Studies
Communication and Media Studies grads at Goucher post a notably strong $52,752 four-year earnings figure - a surprise outperformance for this CIP nationally - against a $26,000 debt load and a 0.49 debt-to-earnings ratio (C+). The cohort is small (11 graduates), so the figure should be read with some sample-size caution.
English Language and Literature
English graduates earn $32,545 at one year and $46,333 at four years against $26,000 of debt, producing a 0.80 ratio and a D grade. Realistic post-grad paths involve teaching credentials, communications roles, or law/grad school.
How Graduates Do
Earnings
Loan Repayment
| Metric | This School | Median of schools we score |
|---|---|---|
| 1-year repayment | 79.4% | 68.8% |
| 3-year repayment | 84.8% | 73.6% |
| 5-year repayment | 80.2% | 67.7% |
| 7-year repayment | 86.5% | 72.8% |
Completion Rate
Trends Over Time
How Goucher College’s cost and outcomes have moved across College Scorecard releases (2009-2024).
Average Net Price
Completion Rate
Median Earnings, 10 Years After Entry (as reported)
Earnings reflect borrowers measured 10 years after entry and publish on an irregular cadence with a multi-year reporting lag, so this series shows only the years the Department of Education reported - the data is never interpolated.
Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, release years shown. Net price and completion are reported annually.
Admissions Snapshot
| Acceptance rate | 77.7% |
| SAT Math (25th-75th) | 530-645 |
| SAT Reading (25th-75th) | 560-680 |
| ACT Composite (25th-75th) | 27-30 |
| Enrollment | 964 |
| Pell Grant recipients | 35.2% |
| Avg faculty salary (monthly) | $8,359 |
Goucher admits 77.7% of applicants, placing it firmly in the broadly accessible private liberal arts category. Mid-50% SAT ranges of 530-645 math and 560-680 reading, plus an ACT mid-range of 27-30, suggest students at the higher end of the band are well-prepared. Selectivity here is not the bottleneck; price and major choice are.
Compared to Similar Schools
Peer institutions matched by type, size, and selectivity.
| School | ROI | Net Price | 10yr Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Goucher College (this school) | 43 | $22,470 | $53,023 |
| Capitol Technology University | 79 | $22,102 | $85,035 |
| Washington Adventist University | 55 | $18,526 | $64,249 |
| Marian University | 45 | $21,937 | $53,501 |
| Cornell College | 42 | $23,634 | $53,460 |
| Spring Hill College | 41 | $20,449 | $51,500 |
Who Thrives Here
With just 964 undergraduates and a 35.2% Pell rate, Goucher fits students who want a small, residential, mid-Atlantic liberal arts experience and qualify for meaningful need-based aid. Outcomes look strongest for graduates of the business administration program ($65,402 at four years) and economics ($51,727), and noticeably weaker for psychology, English, and international relations. Students who arrive without a clear high-earning major in mind should be aware that the average debt load follows them regardless of program.
The Verdict: Below Benchmark Under Our Scoring
Under our methodology, Goucher College scores 43/100, which falls in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At a net price of $22,470 per year, with typical graduate earnings of $53,023 ten years after entry, we estimate the payback period at about 12.8 years. In our view that makes the financial case a hard one to make on the numbers alone, but those numbers are averages: your major, your aid package and what you want from a degree all change the picture, so run your own numbers before you commit.
What it has going for it: high loan repayment success. What to keep an eye on: weak earnings relative to cost, a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.82 (median across the schools we score: 0.61).
Median debt of $26,000 among graduates who borrowed, against average earnings of $31,800 six years after entry, gives a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.82. That is under 1.0 (a full year of those earnings); the median across the schools we score is about 0.61. Your major - and how much you borrow - really matters.
Goucher College: Common Questions
Is Goucher College worth it?
In our view, the financial case is a hard one to make on the numbers alone. Goucher College scores 43/100 on our ROI scale, in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At $22,470 a year after aid against $53,023 in typical earnings ten years out, we estimate the payback period at about 12.8 years. Your major and aid package can change the picture, so run your own numbers.
How much does Goucher College cost after financial aid?
The average net price - the cost of attendance (tuition, fees, books, supplies and average living costs) minus grants and scholarships, for full-time, first-time students receiving federal aid - is about $22,470 a year, or roughly $89,880 over four years. Because it counts living costs, it can run above tuition alone. That is the number to plan around. Actual cost varies by family income, per the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard.
What do Goucher College graduates earn?
The typical graduate earns about $53,023 ten years after enrolling, roughly $11,223 a year more than the median high-school graduate ($41,800, per NCES, 2022). That earnings gap is what has to cover the cost of the degree.
How long does it take to pay off Goucher College?
We estimate the payback period - the time it takes for the earnings bump over a high-school graduate to cover what you spent - at about 12.8 years for Goucher College. The median across the schools we track is about 12 years.
How much debt do Goucher College graduates take on?
Among graduates who borrowed, median federal loan debt from this school is about $26,000, against average earnings of $31,800 six years after entry - a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.82. That is under 1.0 (a full year of those earnings); the median across the schools we score is about 0.61. How much you borrow really matters.
What is the graduation rate at Goucher College?
The six-year graduation rate is 57.3%. The national average for four-year schools is 64% (NCES, 2022). Completion is 15% of our ROI score, since a degree you don't finish rarely pays back.
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Data: College Scorecard API (U.S. Department of Education)
Vintage: 2024-2025 · Last updated: 2026-03-25
Earnings reflect median outcomes for all federal financial aid recipients. Individual results vary by major, effort, and career path.