Boston University says it will now refund room and board for students forced to leave residence halls amid the coronavirus crisis, after the school’s initial non-committal drew the ire of students and parents as other major Massachusetts colleges pledged to pro-rate costs.

The university, which initially told students to stay home only through April 13, announced Tuesday night that students would need to leave on-campus residences by March 22 and that “room-and-board refunds will be pro-rated for the remainder of the semester.”

The University of Massachusetts system, which also did not say in an initial statement Tuesday whether it would reimburse students, issued a follow-up statement after this article was published saying “room and meal plan accounts will be adjusted.”

Ina Patel of Maryland, whose daughter is a senior at BU, told the Herald Tuesday afternoon that room and board is “a big financial hit.”

Patel said she’s grateful her daughter is safely completing her coursework and social work internship from home. But she was frustrated by the university’s lack of communication with thousands of dollars on the line.

“Whether you have the means or not, that’s quite a bit of money,” Patel said. “I would like to think they would do the right thing and pro-rate that.”

Boston College, Harvard University, MIT, Northeastern University, Tufts University and Suffolk University are among the schools that already said they will pro-rate or refund room and board costs for all students leaving campus as the COVID-19 outbreak worsens.

MIT officials said Tuesday that all undergraduate students departing on-campus housing “will receive a refund for any housing or meal plan costs they paid for but will not use.”

But BU said on its website as recently as Tuesday evening that, “At this time, the university will not be refunding room and board charges for students who choose to stay off-campus.”

That response prompted some students and parents to sign a change.org petition calling on BU to partially refund housing and dining costs. Room and board for the current academic year ranges from approximately $16,160 to $20,360 depending on the type of housing and dining plan, according to the university’s website.

BU spokesman Colin Riley told the Herald Tuesday afternoon that the decision “will be reconsidered at the end of the month when we know more, if not earlier.”

The university said it would refund students in an email sent at 8:34 p.m. Tuesday.

In response to a reporter’s inquiry Tuesday afternoon about whether UMass campuses would be offering refunds, a spokesman said, “The university is fully focused on the health and safety of our students, faculty and staff and helping our students transition to remote learning so they can successfully complete their semester.”

The university followed up Tuesday night with another statement adding, “Please know that room and meal plan accounts will be adjusted and will take into consideration financial aid guidelines.”

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