The university previously announced it wouldn’t give any of the money back and while the students appealed the decision, the student conduct board upheld the original sanctions, including the loss of tuition, room and board, according to a new statement from the university Thursday night. The school will now keep $8,774 of the pre-paid fall expenses from each student.
“Nevertheless, the university retains discretion to modify the sanction and, in the case of all 11 students, the tuition portion of their fall semester expenses ($27,760) will be credited toward the spring semester at Northeastern,” according to the statement. “While the students remain dismissed from the NUin Program, they will continue to have access to academic advising, mental health and other support services.”
An attorney who represents two of the students’ families told The Boston Globe the university’s response is still not acceptable.
CNN has reached out to attorney Brett Joshpe for comment.
The decision comes as colleges and universities across the country attempt to cope with coronavirus, with many schools switching to online learning from in-person instruction after hundreds of students have tested positive for Covid-19.
The N.U.in Program is a study abroad experience for first-year students, according to the university. The program was modified because of the coronavirus pandemic, and over 800 students are staying in two-person rooms at a Westin Hotel less than one mile from the school’s main campus in Boston, Massachusetts.
The 11 students were found together in a room at the Westin on September 2, the school said. The students and their parents were told two days later they must vacate the hotel within 24 hours and that they were required to undergo Covid-19 testing at Northeastern.