If you have been sent home with unfinished classes, you may be seeking a refund for uncompleted classwork or unused food budgets and dorm rooms. When do colleges offer refunds? And what should you do if your college refuses to give you one?
Generally, you can get a 100% refund before a class starts, or if the class is canceled before the semester begins. If you drop the class outside of the refund time frame, then you may lose the money.
Technically, each college can decide if they will refund unused services or not. Many do not have plans in place for unpredictable and extended time off of school for students. Illnesses, unsafe campus conditions, or natural disasters can change a school's ability to function normally. This can leave school boards scrambling to determine new policies.
Since the majority of classes can be handled online, some colleges elect to switch to video or interactive chat learning formats when faced with unexpected campus closures.
Classes that need hands-on time, such as mechanical or medical skills, may be canceled or offered during another time (such as summer). Some universities may even graduate their students early without completing the final weeks of schoolwork.
Most colleges do not offer money back for classes that are completed online, as the students still get the class credits they paid for.
If you are being charged for a class that was not completed, you may have grounds to fight back with the help of an education law attorney.
Paying for food and dorm rooms that are no longer in use is frustrating. While some colleges immediately refund this money, others make the process more complex. Some schools do not have the financial security to refund the money and stay afloat for the coming academic year.
With room and board costing well over $10,000 for the school year, a conservative estimate, it is no wonder that people want their money back. For example:
However, you may have rights to unused services that you paid for in tuition fees. Colleges could face class action lawsuits for not refunding money to their students.
There are student housing laws for all students, so knowing your rights when you cannot live in your dorm is the first step.
Pay attention to your schools' emails and policies during natural disasters or a pandemic. They may choose to:
It may be challenging to get a refund in some of these situations because the dorms and meals are technically still an available service.
While frustrating, the answer to these concerns is that it depends on your school's individual responses and policies. If you are sent home from college, you should consider the following financial matters:
If you are sent home and are worried about a room and board refund, you should:
Students and parents may form class action lawsuits against various universities and colleges. If you need help fighting for refunds, there are skilled attorneys who know the educations laws in your state.
I bought a couch in 1992 from Rhodes Furniture, since went out of business 6 years ago.
within a year the couch was falling apart and I called and disputed the sale. I paid for a year
on the account and told them to come and get it, They told me they do not pick up the furniture.
So I dumped it on their dock! I quit paying on the account and they never came after me. Because they knew the problem I had. Now 20 days ago I get a notice from a collection company wanting
me to pay and responed to the debt. I bought a house 4 years ago. Are they trying to get me to pay?
This was 17 years ago and they want me to respond. Should I AND HOW CAN THEY COME
ASK FOR MONEY 17 YEARS LATER.
Commercial Landlord-Tenant
I am a tenant. In my opinion, the landlord has been in default. I'm going to send a letter giving him 30 days to take action. However, I want to just get out of the lease. The conditions are horrible. However, the lease has this clause in it:
''In no event shall Tenant have the right to terminate this Lease as a result of Landlord�s default or offset any claimed amount against any Minimum Rent, Percentage Rent, Additional Rent or other sum then or thereafter due Landlord, and Tenant�s remedies shall be limited to damages and/or an injunction.''
My question is, is there a law in California that prohibits such a clause?