Can students booted for breaking COVID-19 rules get refunds?

College students returned this fall to find rigid COVID-19 prevention rules that take away from college’s social appeal. And noncompliance can be costly.

Northeastern University, for example, suspended 11 students who broke COVID-19 protocols. The school initially said it wouldn’t return the $36,000 each paid. Later, Northeastern announced it would credit each student $27,760 toward the spring.

An attorney representing at least two of the families, Brett Joshpe, says Northeastern kept roughly $9,000 in room and board.

“I’m not optimistic that next semester things will go back to normal,” Joshpe says. “I think we’ll see rules in place that are legacy to COVID, well beyond the time COVID passes.”

Leading health professionals also believe we’ll have to maintain some COVID-19 precautions through 2021. Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, stretched the timeline even further at a recent address at Thomas Jefferson University, saying public health measures will be necessary into 2022 before a vaccine can push herd immunity.

To meet this new normal, know your school’s COVID-19 policies and how they can affect tuition money and financial aid if you don’t comply.

WHAT ARE THE NEW COLLEGE COVID-19 POLICIES?

Schools nationwide added clauses to enforce COVID-19 safety rules, including social gathering limits and mask mandates. Noncompliance can warrant expulsion, suspension, removal from campus housing or probation. Expelled students can’t return to the school. Suspended students can return after a set period.

Many schools notified students of new policies via social campaigns, according to a survey by EAB, an education services, technology and research firm. Forty percent of colleges planned to have...