Students around the country are realizing that online courses could cost them thousands in lost expenses. Students at the University of Maryland claim that the university is refusing to refund thousands in housing costs to students that will be taking online courses this fall.
According to a local news report, students at the University of Maryland may lose thousands of dollars over strict leasing agreements.
Grace Goodenough, a University of Maryland student, may lose nearly $5,000 over the university’s decision to keep courses online for the fall semester. Goodenough signed a lease agreement with an on-campus housing facility in April. The facility is managed by a private company that partners with the university to provide on-campus housing.
“Now, if we can’t find someone to take our lease, we’re going to be forced to pay $4,800 for the fall semester and possibly the spring when we don’t even know if we’re going to be there in the spring,” Goodenough told a reporter.
Although Goodenough is confident that she will follow social distancing and mask guidelines, she is concerned that her on-campus neighbors may not.
“Those rules and regulations are kind of hard to enforce so, I could be following them, but maybe my neighbor in the apartment next to me isn’t,” Goodenough added. “I don’t want to put my safety in the university’s hands.”
The University of Maryland announced earlier in July that many courses will be offered online in the fall. However, courses that require interaction such as labs and artistic performance courses will continue in person.
Stay tuned to Breitbart News for more updates on this story.