Many students in Ireland are worried they may not be able to afford college next year and are "extremely stressed" over the lack of refunds for accommodation that they now cannot use.
That's according to the Union of Students in Ireland, which says it has been inundated with messages from students who are losing thousands of euro in rent that they had prepaid.
In the Dáil last week, the Minister for Education criticised the University of Limerick’s refusal to refund students for on-campus accommodation that they have left as a result of the pandemic.
Joe McHugh appealed to UL to make the refunds as other third level colleges had. UL’s governing authority have said they are reviewing the decision and an announcement on foot of that review is expected next week.
Around 2,000 UL students are owed rent that they had prepaid for the remainder of the academic year. Those UL students are owed up to €1,000 each, according to the UL student's union, or the equivalent of twp months' rent.
Private providers of student accommodation have also not refunded tenants who had prepaid rent for their final semester.
USI has called on the operators of all student accommodation - private and college - to refund students for accommodation that they now cannot access.
The union has cited the case of one student attending St Angela’s College in Sligo. Orla says she paid over €1,000 for accommodation that she can no longer use.
"Now I have to start paying a deposit for next year's accommodation, not knowing if I’ll be able to afford it," she said.
"My usual summer job doesn’t look like it will be operating as normal and so I’ll have no income. I don’t qualify for the Covid payment as I was not working prior to the date in February. My parents' pay has been cut - this time is a very big struggle financially and mentally."
The parent of a UCC student has told RTÉ News that her son’s private accommodation provider has refused a refund and has also refused to offset the amount against rental fees for next year.
Calling the situation "a rip-off", this parent, who does not want to be identified, is also concerned that the same situation may happen again in the new academic year.
"I have a deposit paid on his accommodation with this accommodation provider since February", she said.
"I will be asked to sign a lease in August and now I read some colleges will not be going back until late September. How can I sign this when we could be put on lockdown at any stage next year, but yet if I don't sign it he has no accommodation?
"I could lose out on a substantial amount of money again."
USI president Lorna Fitzpatrick has called for a national response to the situation, with all students treated equally, regardless of whether they were living in private or college-run accommodation, or which third level institution they attend.
"We are calling for every student to be treated the same, and every organisation that has been paid rent for accommodation that cannot now be used, to give full refunds," she said.
