Marina Prestenbach

@tmarinalee

photo courtesy of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette

The University of Louisiana at Lafayette offered to provide refunds and credits to students who paid for a full semester of housing and meal plans.

As a precaution to COVID-19, UL-Lafayette transitioned to remote course delivery on March 18 and encouraged the practice of Governor Edwards’ stay-at-home order. As a result, many students left their on-campus housing mid-semester after having paid for the full term. 

According to an email sent to students by the UL Housing Office, “Residents who move their belongings out of residence halls or apartments and complete an official checkout by Sunday, March 29, will receive a 25-percent credit of their spring housing and meal plan charges. This credit will be applied to their student accounts.”

Students who checkout after the deadline will “receive a prorated credit based on the date they check out and return their key,” according to the email. 

Students who paid for their housing and meal plans with specific scholarships and financial aid packages may have limits on the credits and refunds that are available to them. 

“I called and the scholarship office told me that students on the 4-year housing scholarship would get no refunds and students on the 2-year partial housing scholarship could get a prorated refund on the amount leftover after the scholarship was subtracted from the cost of housing,” said UL Lafayette student Kayla McGee.

Not all UL students are able to leave campus and return home. 

“Most students were able to leave, but some can’t leave due to the area they’re from being highly infected with the virus, and some students are international,” said Alyssia Dennis, a junior at UL.

According to the housing office, moving out is not mandatory and students who continue to stay on campus for the remainder of the semester will be responsible for their full semester room rate. 

“Once all resident accounts have been adjusted, residents will be notified by email of refund dates,” said UL Housing in an email to students who live on campus.

For students who are unable to move out of their campus housing, the housing office asked that they email for further instruction.