‘Some sort of reparation’: Should colleges refund tuition, fees after coronavirus?
As Dalton Shoan scrolled through Facebook recently, he spotted a petition demanding the University of Miami refund its students for dining, housing, tuition and other fees, considering the school abandoned the traditional college life nearly a month ago, before the spring semester wrapped up, to mitigate the spread of the novel coronavirus.
“Oh, wow, they read my mind,” the senior said he thought while studying Spanish at UM while reading the document.
He immediately stamped his name on it and forwarded the change.org link to classmates so they could, too.
“There should be some sort of reparation for the change to an online format,” said Shoan, 22. “This is not what we paid for. It’s unfair.”
It’s not only Shoan and his friends at UM. Disgruntled students and parents across South Florida are asking colleges to give them money back for unused meal plans and unoccupied dorms; online classes instead of in-person instruction; additional campus fees, like parking, athletics and student involvement, and charges related to specific majors, like clinical labs.
Florida International University students haven’t created any petitions, but they are stumbling through the transition as well, especially those wanting class reimbursements.
Meanwhile, university administrators scramble to figure out how to best handle the unprecedented situation. Some have announced they will issue partial refunds, for commencement, housing and dining, on a prorated basis. Most aren’t reimbursing for tuition. Others have not made any promises, regardless of the type of charge.
For Shoan, tuition refunds are crucial. Because of his attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, he already struggled focusing with in-person lessons. Since he started learning from his bedroom in Detroit, he has found it harder to focus.
That, coupled with Wi-Fi connectivity issues that cause his professors to get cut off and make him miss entire sentences during lectures, is frustrating. He feels he deserves compensation.
However, his parents, who pay for his studies, disagree.
In March, his mom tuned into a Zoom call in which UM President Julio Frenk explained the school couldn’t return any money because it still needed to pay its faculty and staff members. She understood.
Shoan sees why that could be a valid argument, he said, but still feels the university probably has enough money to pay both its personnel and students.
According to the UM website, “the possibility of refunds will be determined by a student’s individual financial circumstances.”
The university is reviewing accounts for any outstanding balances before issuing prorated refunds for housing, dining, and parking. But not for tuition.
Online learning doesn’t always click
Aaron Bissoondial, a jazz performance student at UM, said he’d like partial refunds for his classes because his learning has been considerably impacted by the online shift.
“My ear training class and jazz history have translated well,” he said. “Everything else has been absolutely ruined. It’s been a mess.”
His rhythm professor sometimes asks the class to clap all at once to examine synchronicity and feel the beat. Try to imagine 30 students clapping at once in a video call.
For his film class, they were due to shoot their own video as an end-of-semester project. But now they don’t have access to the school’s cameras so they’ll only turn in the synopsis and script instead.
And that’s not even the toughest part: The 19-year-old sophomore said what has been affected the most are his two ensembles, in which he performs with other musicians, and his private lesson with his professor. The screen freezing and the audio lagging are only two of the mounting challenges.
“I don’t blame UM,” he said. “Professors are trying their best. They’re trying to give us the best education. This is just something that’s happening in the world, and they can’t control it. But the fact is the quality of the education we’re getting now is not the same as before.”
FIU art student’s struggle
Jennifer Williams is facing a similar dilemma at Florida International University, where officials are refunding students for commencement tickets, housing and meal plans on a prorated basis — but nothing associated with classes.
The art education junior said in her figure drawing class, for instance, in which she’s supposed to draw nude models, she’s looking at pictures online now. She’s also only getting feedback after she submits the final work virtually, instead of getting comments from faculty in real time.
The 22-year-old emailed the university on April 4, asking if she could possibly get partial refunds for the fees she paid for her classes, including one for the art studio on campus, that add up to about $300.
She got a reply April 6 with the subject line: “Your case is now closed.” FIU Student Financials wrote she could drop her classes entirely this semester, she said, and request a refund. That’s not an option for her because she wants to graduate on time.
“It sucks,” Williams said. “I quit my after-school care job in December because it conflicted with my course schedule this spring. So I’m out of a job, and nobody’s hiring. In my case, even having a couple dollars back in my account would’ve helped.”
Nova Southeastern undecided
FIU and UM have at least publicly given an idea of their plans. Other schools, on the other hand, have yet to announce anything at all. At Nova Southeastern University in Broward County, officials have only said they’re discussing the issue.
La Shawn Soto, the mother of a sophomore who’s studying psychology and lives on campus in Davie, said she’s hoping to get the $1,100 left on her daughter’s meal plan.
She said the school didn’t address refunds at first, until people started asking, and the lack of communication bothers her. She said she feels the administration should at least share what it is they’re discussing regarding refunds and provide a timeline for a decision.
“At this point, I’m happy to be healthy and at home,” she said, “but if I don’t get that money back, I’ll be extremely disappointed.”
Can universities afford to give refunds?
So, are refunds in such a large scale even possible in the financial realm of higher education institutions?
The short answer is it depends on the school, said Megan Coval, vice president of policy and federal relations at the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators.
“It’s a great question,” she said. “And it is the question every school is having to ask themselves right now and weigh from a budgetary standpoint. Different institutions have different levels of resources, so it varies.”
Asked if a big-picture trend is available, Coval said data on how many colleges have issued refunds is not yet available, because some school officials haven’t made decisions.
All universities tend to keep a pot of emergency financing for these situations, Coval said, but because the COVID-19 effects are so massive and unprecedented, it’s unlikely any fund will cover it to its full extent.
However, the federal government might be able to bail some out.
The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, approved by Congress in late March, provides about $14 billion for higher education institutions. At least 50% of the money each school receives must go directly to students, Coval said.
What “directly to students” means is yet to be determined because the Department of Education has not issued any guidance. It could mean transferring money via direct deposit or issuing checks.
“But this is evolving every day,” she said. “We don’t have all of the answers.”
