Frequently Asked Questions

Returning students choose rooms for the coming academic year during spring Room Draw, and new students are assigned rooms and roommates prior to their arrival on campus.

Yes, there are currently four special-interest houses located across campus. There are also on-campus apartments.

Roommate assignments are made based on the online housing application you filled out in The Housing Director (THD) self-service portal. We match students using our housing software according to students' interests, shared personal habits (neat vs. messy, morning person vs. evening person, and so on), and additional expressed considerations.

Specific roommate requests for incoming students can be sent to residentiallife@rpybbk.com as soon as possible. Current upper-class students have the ability to select their room and roommate through Room Draw.

You'll get your room and roommate assignment during the summer, typically in July, and the residence hall calendar. We encourage you to get in touch with your new roommate(s) as soon as possible to coordinate furniture and amenity issues and begin negotiating your expectations about your living experience and the use of the room. The more you can work out at the beginning of your relationship, the better you'll get along down the line.

Make sure you give this new living arrangement a chance. It's never easy adjusting to the habits of a new roommate, but give it time and don't come into it expecting the worst. We work hard to assign roommates who we think will make a good match, and most times it works out just fine. If you do run into problems, try to work it out between the two of you first. If that doesn't work, you should go first to your Resident Assistant (RA), and, if necessary, your RA will involve the professional staff in the Residential Life Office. Because we want to make sure everyone has an ample opportunity to get to know one another, we freeze the room assignments for the first three weeks of the fall semester. For more information, see our Move Process & Roommates page.

The majority of Goucher bathrooms in the residence halls are communal style bathrooms which all include toilets and shower areas. Each floor has one communal bathroom that serves all of its residents. In addition, most communal bathroom on campus have an accessible stall and/or shower.

Communal bathrooms are maintained by the College’s Environmental Services department. For houses that are all-gender, bathrooms will serve all genders that live on the floor. There are also private accessible bathrooms located on every residential floor of Pagliaro Selz Hall, Fireside Hall, and Trustees Hall, and the first floor of Gallagher House, Tuttle House, and Alcock House.

For single gender floors, residents will vote during their first house meeting on whether to keep their bathrooms single gender or switch them to all gender. On single gender floors, bathrooms can only become all gender if the vote is unanimous. If one resident prefers a single gender bathroom, the floor bathroom will remain single gender.

Students who live in suites or apartments will share an individual bathroom with their suitemates. Students in suites and apartments will be responsible for cleaning their bathrooms and providing their own toilet paper.

See the webpages about residence halls and special interest housing, and check out our virtual tour to get a sense of what your new home will be like.

Each student room comes furnished with a dresser, bed, desk, chair, Venetian blinds, and overhead lighting. You should get together with your roommate to discuss the other items you think you'll want or need. Each room also comes with a MicroFridge unit that includes a refrigerator, freezer, and microwave all in one!

There is a common room or lounge in each house, which can be a great place to hang out with friends, study, or watch TV. Common rooms are generally equipped with sofas, chairs, tables, and televisions.

Most houses have a kitchen area for light food preparation. Kitchens generally have a stove, refrigerator, and sink. It is your responsibility to clean up after you use the kitchen.

All halls also include study areas and card-operated laundry facilities. Mary Fisher and Heubeck Halls also include music practice rooms.

The bulletin boards in each residence hall lobby are usually filled with posters about events on and off campus, notices from the various student-life areas, and other information. Each individual floor has a bulletin board that Resident Assistants uses to keep students informed of current events, housing issues, and Baltimore and community agency resources.

Cool and not really anything! All students have the option to identify as transgender/non-binary on their housing application. The Office of Residential Life will work with students individually to best address their needs.

All requests and approvals for medical and religious accommodations on campus are initially managed through the Office of Accessibility Services. This includes requests to host an emotional support or service animal in the residence halls. More information about policies and procedures for housing-specific accommodations are available on the Housing Accommodations page.

Each residence hall has a laundry room.

The Goucher College post office is located in the Facilities Management Services (FMS) building, just beyond the North Parking Lot. More information about mail and packages can be found on the Campus Post Office page.

Check out our list of what to bring (and not to bring).

The standard dorm bed is a "Twin XL" so be sure to check your linens before purchasing them. Most common store outlets such as Target, Walmart, and Bed Bath and Beyond offer linen options, as well as online vendors like Dormify. 

No. Each room comes with a MicroFridge unit that includes a refrigerator, freezer, and microwave all in one!

A limited amount of storage space is available through the Office of Residential Life for students who will be temporarily away from campus (summer breaks, study abroad semesters, etc). More information about storage is available on the Break Storage page.

Storage is not available to students while they are residing on campus.

See residence hall schedules.

Students residing on campus during the Fall and Spring semesters are permitted to stay in their assigned residence hall room during the in-semester breaks (Thanksgiving and Spring Breaks). Students with both a Fall and Spring semester campus housing assignment are also permitted to stay in their assigned residence hall room during the Winter Break and J-Term. More information about housing during the breaks can be found on the Break Housing page.

Students are permitted to stay on campus during the summer if they will be enrolled in classes for the following Fall semester or are participating in a Goucher College-sponsored program. More information about summer housing is available on the Summer Sessions Room and Board page.

Housing costs can be found on the Billing website.

Students who feel that their damage bill is incorrect have the opportunity to appeal their bill at the end of the academic year. Damage appeal submissions can be submitted to the Office of Residential Life. Appeal forms are available when damage bills are updated through our online system.

All damage appeals are based upon the written documentation of the condition of a room. If the documentation shows that a charge is inappropriate, your student account will be credited. If, however, the documentation shows that the damage was appropriate, the charges will remain. Once a determination has been made, outcome letters will be sent to students via Goucher College e-mail. All decisions regarding appeals are considered final. Common area damages are not subject to appeal.

Deadlines for Submitting Appeals
Appeals for damage bills must be received within 21 days of the date of the bill being emailed.

There are a number of staff members and systems in place to answer your questions and address your concerns. Your first and closest resource in the residence halls is your Resident Assistant (RA), a student who lives on the hall and serves as a peer advisor and primary contact point between students and the Residential Life staff. Resident Assistants organize educational programming in the halls, work with roommates who experience conflicts, provide documentation of policy violations, and serve as liaisons to Facilities Management Services and academic channels.

The Office of Residential Life is also available to assist you and discuss any concerns you have. All staff take part in conflict mediation and the adjudication of alleged policy violations, serve as short-term counselors, and can offer on- and off-campus referrals when necessary. If you need to talk to anyone on the Residential Life staff, you're welcome to drop by the office on the first floor of Heubeck Hall or call 410-337-6424 (x6424 on campus).

Visit the Residential Life webpage for more information.

The help desk helpdesk@rpybbk.com is available throughout the year to assist with any internet or technology related issues. Click here to visit the Information Technology website

If you have any maintenance issues, a ticket can be submitted using the web form at: 5suc.rpybbk.com/fixit.

Whether you have questions about what to bring or you want to become a Resident Assistant, the Office of Residential Life oversees all aspects of life in the residence halls.

Goucher is primarily a residential campus, and all students are required to live on-campus as part of the College's On-Campus Residency Policy. Only students who receive prior written approval from the Office of Residential Life will be released from the residency requirement.

See the college's residential life policies, which includes information on guests and visitation.

No. Goucher College is a smoke-free and tobacco-free campus, including the residence halls. For more information, see the smoke-free webpage.

See the Residential Life Policies webpage.

For more information on becoming an RA, click here.

Students in good academic standing may request a leave of absence by contacting the Office of the Registrar.

For students considering withdrawing from the college, more information is available from the Office of the Registrar.

Students who withdrew from Goucher College and wish to be reinstated, must contact the Office of the Registrar.

There are a number of staff members and systems in place to answer your questions and address your concerns. Your first and closest resource in the residence halls is your Resident Assistant (RA), a student who lives on the hall and serves as a peer advisor and primary contact point between students and the Residential Life staff. RAs organize educational programming in the halls, work with roommates who experience conflicts, provide documentation of policy violations, and serve as liaisons to Facilities Management Services and academic channels.

The Office of Residential Life is also available to assist you and discuss any concerns you have. All staff take part in conflict mediation and the adjudication of alleged policy violations, serve as short-term counselors, and can offer on- and off-campus referrals when necessary. If you need to talk to anyone on the Residential Life staff, you're welcome to drop by the office on the first floor of Heubeck Hall or call 410-337-6424 (x6424 on campus).