College Students Are Tired Of Paying Full Price For Remote Learning

As colleges across the country shift to online classes during the coronavirus pandemic, students are fighting for breaks on tuition.

Michigan State University and Rutgers University are charging full price for students to learn remotely. They are just two of dozens of universities where students have started petitions that call for tuition cuts.

“You’re paying that price tag because colleges bring students from all over the country together, to experience different cultures,” Michigan State senior Tyler Weisner, who started a petition, told The Associated Press. “People don’t just choose strictly off education or the professor. They want a nice place to live and a new experience.”

Students have argued that online classes don’t meet the standards of in-person learning. In addition to less effective classes, students are forced to pay for things that they can’t use when they aren’t on campus.

“I think it’s ridiculous,” UNC freshman Mackenzie Holland said, via The AP. “All of those funds go to things that are specifically on campus, and I can’t utilize any of those things.”

Notre Dame and the University of North Carolina planned to have students on campus this year until spikes in coronavirus cases. Notre Dame suspended classes for at least two weeks Wednesday because 146 students and a staff member tested positive for the coronavirus. UNC canceled in-person classes Monday amid an outbreak that included 135 positive tests in the first week of school.

One Rutgers petition that had over 31,000 signatures as of Saturday afternoon called the school’s offer of a 15% reduction in campus fees “laughable.”

“We need a clear breakdown of fees to understand where our money is going if the tangible resources will not be available,” the petition reads. “KEEP SHARING AND KEEP ASKING QUESTIONS! We cannot sit back and allow for this to be the final decision they make.”

Getting a refund after leaving school during the coronavirus pandemic can be difficult. Students that withdrew from UNC this week, for example, were only entitled to an 80% refund, CNBC reports. If a student decides to withdraw from the UNC after Oct. 13, they won’t get any money back.

The average four-year private college cost $49,870 for tuition, fees and room and board in the 2019-2020 school year, according to the College Board.