As I shared last week, the University has been working closely with the South Carolina Commission on Higher Education to address the important issue of providing reimbursement for certain student fees as result of the unprecedented COVID-19 outbreak.
I am pleased to announce that Clemson’s Board of Trustees this afternoon voted unanimously to give the University administration the authority to provide prorated refunds for a range of student fees. Those fees include unused portions of housing and dining plans, as well as student activity, recreation, parking and transportation fees.
The refunds will reflect the unused portion of each fee-based service as of March 23, the first day of classes following spring break. Those students who remain in Clemson’s on-campus housing will not receive a refund for their housing or dining plans.
Our finance organization will begin the refund process this week and we expect to have completed all refunds by April 10. Clemson students can expedite their refunds by setting up a direct deposit account through the “Student Billing” section of iRoar. Detailed instructions on how to establish a direct deposit account and answers to other questions about the refund process can be found at the Student Resources portion of the University’s COVID-19 web site.
I very much appreciate your patience as Clemson’s administrative team has worked through what has been a very complex set of issues. Our guiding principle is always to do right by our students and their families; in this case we first wanted to coordinate with the state and our partner institutions of higher education across South Carolina and ensure that we understood the full scope of the situation before finalizing our plan.
On a personal note, I hope that you and your families are doing well during this difficult time. The measures we are taking as a society will hopefully help reduce the spread of the COVID-19 outbreak and save lives, but that doesn’t make it any easier to be separated from our students, especially during this time of year.
To our degree-eligible students, finish strong and know that we will find a way to mark your achievements. To those students who will be returning to resume your studies when the situation allows, we can’t wait to see you.
Stay safe and healthy – and Go Tigers!
Jim Clements
President
