St Andrews students offered halls of residence refunds after being told to stay at home

The University of St Andrews is offering refunds to students who stay in halls of residence.

The Scottish Government has revealed a range of changes in a bid to curb the spread of the new coronavirus strain.

Teaching will be online in January and February, with students being asked to remain at home until they are told that in-person teaching is resuming.

A piece on the St Andrews University website said: “These new restrictions are not because our classrooms or the university more generally are unsafe. We know from last semester that our classrooms are a safe, fully risk-assessed environment for teaching, and that there has not been a single instance of Covid being passed on in class, laboratory, or any educational setting.

“The action the government is taking now, with the support of universities, is to limit travel and people changing households, which are both considered major risk factors for spreading Covid.”

The second semester is due to begin on January 25, but it will not be until March, at the earliest, that in-person teaching could resume.Students have been advised not to return to the town. The university has warned that it is against government rules to travel back just to take up a place in term-time accommodation.

Those staying in halls of residence can ask for their rent to be paid back from January 25 up to when in-person training restarts.

The university, however, has no powers to compel private landlords to offer a refund. If you live in private accommodation, you may ask your landlord for a refund on the basis that the Scottish Government has requested that you delay your return to university and therefore cannot occupy your accommodation for a specified time.

The piece added: “The Scottish Government says that international students may currently return as planned, and will not be asked to cancel existing travel bookings, but you must follow government advice on travel and quarantine requirements. Please check the Scottish Government’s list of exempted countries before you plan your travel.”

Find out more at – www.st-andrews.ac.uk.