Amidst the growing pandemic in the United States, Tarleton State released an announcement on March 24, 2020 regarding updates to the university’s response to COVID – 19.

This announcement includes the decision to refund housing and dining fees to students.

“Housing and dining are considered services and are based on usage, so refunding those for unused portions is appropriate,” Chief Financial Officer and Vice President of Finance and Administration, Lori Beaty, said.

Since students will be participating in virtual classes for the remainder of the Spring Semester, it opened an option for students to make the decision to return to their homes and be with family during the pandemic.

With that in mind, the university made the decision to refund housing and dining fees for students who will no longer utilize such services.

“Students will be given a refund based on their request to be released from their housing/dining contract,” Beaty said.

How much students will be refunded will be based on when they submitted their request to leave their contract.

“All students requesting release from their housing contract by April 1 will receive a prorated refund for March 23 through the end of the semester,” Beaty said. “Students requesting release after April 1st will receive a prorated refund based on the date of request or move out.”

There has yet to be a timeline as to when the refund will become available, but Beaty did say that refunds will follow the same procedure for tuition reimbursement through Bank Mobile.

Students who expect to receive a refund during this time are encouraged to visit Bank Mobile through Texan Bill Pay to ensure that they receive their refund in the method that they prefer.

While students are able to receive a refund following their request to leave their contract, students who wish to remain in their Resident Hall and continue to utilize dining services can continue to do so.

“Students who continue to receive services will not be eligible for refunds,” Beaty said.

With regards to other fees, Beaty says that there are no plans to refund those fees for those services. Due to the other services associated with those fees still planned to continue to provide service, no refund will be provided.

This decision to not refund fees also includes tuition. With the continuation of the spring semester in an online format, Beaty says that the university will not distribute a tuition refund.

“Students are receiving online instruction and academic credit so a refund of tuition is not being considered,” Beaty said.

As the situation continues to develop, Tarleton will continue to monitor the situation and provide updates to how the university will respond to the changes and how the semester will continue.