Can COVID-19 rule-breakers at schools still get refunds?
College students returned this fall to find rigid COVID-19 prevention rules that take away from college’s social appeal. And noncompliance can be costly.
Northeastern University, for example, suspended 11 students who broke COVID-19 protocols. The school initially said it wouldn’t return the $36,000 each paid. Later, Northeastern announced it would credit each student $27,760 toward the spring.
An attorney representing at least two of the families, Brett Joshpe, says Northeastern kept roughly $9,000 in room and board.
“I’m not optimistic that next semester things will go back to normal,” Joshpe says. “I think we’ll see rules in place that are legacy to COVID, well beyond the time COVID passes.”
To meet this new normal, know your school’s COVID-19 policies and how they can affect tuition money and financial aid if you don’t comply.
Schools nationwide added clauses to enforce COVID-19 safety rules, including social gathering limits and mask mandates. Noncompliance can warrant expulsion, suspension, removal from campus housing or probation. Expelled students can’t return to the school. Suspended students can return after a set period.
Rules like those at Purdue University require students to participate in community testing and get the flu vaccine.
“If a student is suspended midsemester and is receiving federal financial aid, we are required to perform a federal calculation called Return of Title IV Funds,” explains Liz Mccune, spokesperson for the University of Missouri.
And any money returned is money you could owe the school.
Mccune also explains that if students receive a renewable scholarship, the semester they’re suspended could count against the maximum number of semesters they’re eligible for the award.
Students with loans have more to worry about. Student loans go into repayment if you’re suspended for longer than your grace period.
If you’re suspended for COVID-19 violations, you probably won’t get a tuition refund.