by Zach Seymour ’20

In the wake of the Coronavirus pandemic, the education system has seen massive change through the introduction of strictly online learning. This has left college students in a predicament which no one could have foreseen or planned for.

While the health benefits are clear in stopping the increased spread of COVID-19 across university campuses, the detraction from the education which these students have paid for is painfully apparent. Without the on-campus, in-class experience of the use of the facilities that their tuition helps fund, many students across the country have been speaking out about possible partial reimbursement.

At New York University a petition calling for partial reimbursement of tuition has gained 12,000 signatures. This petition stated that since students are not receiving the same experience as they had paid for their first semester that some of that money should be returned but the university has denied the idea of tuition refunds. Instead, NYU Executive Vice President, in an email to students, stated that “If students had not and will not receive the services, supplies or equipment for which the fee was paid, they will receive a full refund.”

This move is satisfying for students at the university who will receive reimbursement on some funds, but many colleges around the country are yet to make a statement saying they will refund any more than room and board fees.

Adelaide Dixon and Grainger Rickenbaker, who attend the University of Miami and Drexel University respectively, have each filed class-action lawsuits against their colleges in South Carolina federal court. The two are represented by the same law firm and are looking for reimbursement of fees that go towards services that the newly off-campus students no longer have access to, such as activities and athletics fees, which are added onto tuition as mandatory fees. In their complaint, the plaintiffs argued that “The value of any degree issued on the basis of online or pass/fail classes will be diminished for the rest of the students’ lives,” and claimed “breach of contract” and “unjust enrichment.”

These two students are not alone, however. Twenty-four other American universities have been hit by class-action lawsuits looking for reimbursement for tuition and campus fees after students being unimpressed by the caliber of education they are receiving in new remote courses.

Looking toward the fall semester, many colleges are still unsure and reluctant to make a statement. Several universities are waiting to make a decision until mid-June. This move would allow teachers and students to prepare and universities to gauge the situation closer to their prospective opening.

Some universities such as the California State University of Fullerton have already stated that they will start the fall semester online, with Pamella Oliver, the university’s provost, saying that “We will at least start virtually” but that decision is subject to change. At this point, it seems likely that if distance learning continues students will have to continue paying the full tuition as colleges face financial trouble and many do not see a lowering of tuition as an option.

The University of California at Berkeley has already announced that even if online schooling is to continue it is not possible for tuition to drop below normal rates, and with students not feeling that Zoom classes are giving them the same caliber of education that they paid for, there will likely be continued pushback against full tuition if the fall semester comes around with continued remote learning.