Tuition refunds

Schools did best to provide courses during pandemic

If a college or university has to shut down its campus and offer just a fraction of the services and activities that students are normally provided, should that school be charging full price?

That’s the central question in lawsuits being filed by college students nationwide who say they should get a refund after the coronavirus pandemic diminished their college experience.

University officials would be wise to look at the issue from the perspective of cash-strapped students who were not able to make full use of campus services and make refunds where they can.

Some schools have decided to refund prorated portions of fees that were charged for the spring semester for items such as housing, food-service costs, fitness center fees and health care services. If the fees are charged for using these resources and students couldn’t use them because the campus was shuttered, refunds are in order.

The question of tuition is trickier and, obviously, involves a lot more money. While classes that had to be hastily adapted to be online-only partway into the spring term likely were less satisfying or frustrating for students, they were credit classes nonetheless.

It wasn’t an ideal circumstance for anyone, but hopefully instructors were patient with students trying to adapt just as students were patient with instructors. If the class continued, and grades and credits were awarded, then keeping tuition is fair.

Looking ahead to the fall, though, professors who struggled to teach online courses this spring should up their game and be ready to teach a distance-learning class as rigorous and rewarding as any in-person course. Unlike this spring, everyone will have time to prepare.

Likewise, students who register for fall classes should do so with the understanding that the coronavirus pandemic is likely to interrupt their education for some time to come.

The crisis has created massive budget woes for most colleges nationwide, many of which are likely to hike tuition and fees in the future.

The funding problems created by the pandemic mean that universities likely could not afford to make wholesale tuition reimbursements. And as long as students got the best possible online class this spring, tuition refunds are not warranted.