Coronavirus CT: Refunds OK'd For UConn, State System Students

ACROSS CONNECTICUT — Students attending state-run universities in Connecticut will be reimbursed for unused room and board in the aftermath of coronavirus-related closures. Officials in the Connecticut State Colleges and Universities system made the decision Tuesday. The University of Connecticut Board of Trustees approved refunds on Wednesday.

In consultation with whom he called "institutional leaders," CSCU President Mark Ojakian directed the four Connecticut State Universities — Eastern, Southern, Central and Western — to credit student accounts for "unused room and board." The action will be completed by next week, he said.

Any credit balance will be refunded to students and each institution is currently in the process of "reaching out to students to outline the timeline and procedures," he said.

Amounts will vary based on university, type of housing, and other factors, but students who paid room and board fees should expect a credit covering the period beginning with the closure of residence halls through the end of the spring 2020 term, according to the announcement.

"This is a complex process, but our universities are working to issue credits and refunds as expeditiously as possible," Ojakian said. "We understand that these housing refunds are important monetary sources for our students as they begin to adjust to a new normal of online learning. I applaud the leaders of our universities for taking this important action."

Said Board of Regents Chairman Matt Fleury, "The Board of Regents is committed to ensuring all students have the tools necessary to continue their education during this turbulent time. By ensuring students and their families quickly receive refunds for unused housing fees, our universities are helping ease the financial burdens caused by the COVID-19 outbreak and ensuing economic downturn."

At UConn, the trustees voted to give students pro-rated refunds or credits for housing, dining plans and study abroad programs that were discontinued due to the coronavirus pandemic, which has forced the university to send students home and offer academics and "other services" remotely.

The payments will be credited on the fall semester’s fee bills, and those who graduate or do not return to UConn for other reasons would receive refunds, according to UConn officials.

"It certainly is consistent with our values and will be well-received," UConn President Thomas C. Katsouleas said.

The refunds are estimated to cost about $30 million and will represent the pro-rated amounts for the time when students no longer could use their university housing and dining plans. That's about seven weeks dating from March 23-forward, school officials said.

For those whose housing and dining were covered, in part or full by financial aid, the money would return to the financial aid and scholarship accounts for future use, school officials said.

The room and board refunds will range from about $1,600 to nearly $3,200 for students on the Storrs campus, depending on which style of on-campus housing they had. They will likely be between $1,200 and $1,400 for dining plans, officials said.

Students who lived in Stamford residence halls will be refunded about $2,800 to $3,100, according to the plan.