University of Limerick’s board has approved rent refunds to students forced to leave their accommodation when the campus closed in March due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The University’s governing body had recommended that thousands of students living on the campus who have not been able to return should reimbursed.
The total amount of the refund will cost the university €3.45 million.
Campus Life Services,(Plassey Campus Centre) was established by the University of Limerick in 1985 to develop facilities and services which support the development of a vibrant campus community which includes the running of on-campus student residences.
There are seven residential villages providing 2,800 rooms.
In a post on it’s official Facebook page the University said: "Students will be refunded rent from the date they vacated their student residence to the end of their semester licence term. The full amount being refunded is €3.45 million.
“Students will be refunded from the date they vacated the accommodation regardless of the date they checked out.”
In terms of accommodation costs for the next academic year starting in September, the university said: “The details of UL’s offer of student accommodation next semester will be based both on the nature of the academic offering and the public health advice.”
The university was only one of the seven in the country which that did not issue pro-rata refunds to students who had to vacate their student accommodation.
Students normally pay up front for accommodation.
Comments by the public on social media welcomed the move, with one saying, “Well done UL lots of happy students and parents today”.
Last month it was announced that the university was to review it’s earlier decision not to refund student accommodation fees.
A petition by students had been launched appealing to the university’s governing body to review that decision.