Clare students who were forced to leave their campus accommodation at the University of Limerick (UL) due to the Covid-19 outbreak still do not know if their fees will be repaid – six weeks after the Governing Authority indicated they would “consider the matter”.
Local Fine Gael TD Joe Carey wrote to UL President, Dr Des Fitzgerald, again this week to urge the university to follow the example of other colleges across the country in giving partial refunds to students who are no longer living on campus.
A spokesperson for Dr Fitzgerald replied that: “The Governing Authority is still considering the matter of refunds of student accommodation fees and those deliberations have not concluded yet. I would like to assure you that we will be in touch to provide you with an update in due course.”
Deputy Carey wrote to Dr Fitzgerald early last month and again this week after he was contacted by several Clare students who have paid thousands in fees for campus accommodation but remain in limbo over whether or not they will be refunded.
Deputy Carey said: “Some students I’ve spoken to find themselves in a very worrying position, with many losing part time jobs they were using to pay off their fees.
“I would urge the Governing Authority to take this into account and to let the students know when they are going to be refunded for their unused accommodation. This would take a significant financial burden off their shoulders during this extremely difficult year.”