Students are protesting after the University of Malta refused to refund payments for lodging despite the fact they are not residing on campus because of the coronavirus outbreak.

Schools and universities have been shut since mid-March, days after the first COVID-19 cases were reported, and are only set to reopen in September.

Despite this, Erasmus students who were in Malta when the pandemic hit are now struggling to get a refund from the university for payments for lodging which they never used.

One student, Enora Perrot from France, described how she had paid the university some €3,000 in advance to cover lodging for the whole semester.

While initially unsure whether the semester would continue after the schools’ closure, Perrot said she reached out to the university after it was confirmed lessons would only resume online.

“I sent an e-mail to the university residence asking for the refund. They only refunded my deposit (€350), but they said they had to wait for instructions from the government about the refund of the rent of the other months,” Perrot said.

The student has yet to hear back from the university.

Perrot says she has been working “for two-and-a-half years” to be able to pay for the Erasmus trip.

“It is a lot of sacrifices and it is very unfair to get no refund, we’re just students... moreover, the university residence is old, everything is broken,” the student lamented.

Another student from Spain, who only wanted to go by her first name Carmen, said she paid up for the entire scholastic year when she came to Malta in September. This totalled over €5,000.

According to Carmen, the students were “encouraged to leave”, with letters and e-mails sent to them saying they would be kicked out if a mandatory lockdown was imposed.

“We can’t understand, if they encouraged us several times to leave the residence, why they claim they are not responsible for the situation. This makes us think that they were looking for benefits by having everything paid and saving the costs of electricity, water and services,” Carmen said.

Another student, who did not wish to be named, also said the residence manager was visiting regularly, urging the students to go home. A third student said that while the manager would regularly be at the residence before they left Malta, he has now been impossible to reach.

Paying double

Student Marie-Anna Sedlinska from the Czech Republic, who attends the University of Stirling, said she is forced to pay two rents – in Scotland and Malta.

“I am now forced to pay double rent as I moved back to Scotland where my home university is. This caused me financial discomfort as I am paying three extra months of accommodation in Malta which I am not using.

“The monthly rent in the university residence is €450,” Sedlinska said.

Questions sent to the University of Malta on the matter have remained unanswered.

Meanwhile, in a joint statement, the students’ council KSU together with the Erasmus Student Network called on the university to reimburse the funds.

“KSU and ESN call for the reimbursement of any unused credit. Alternatively, the possibility to transfer any unused credit to the following academic year for those who are opting to return should be made available.

“This issue affects many international students studying in Malta. We ask all parties who have not done so to take a humanitarian approach and consider the financial burden this places on students,” the two organisations said.

University: The company cannot accede to refund requests

In a reaction, the University of Malta said accommodation at the University Residence in Lija is managed by its commercial company, Malta University Residence Limited (MUR). From the outset the company took steps to inform residents of the local developments related to the coronavirus epidemic.

"Many international students residing at the University Residence opted to return home. The UM would like to clarify that international students were never asked to leave the island and in fact, the University Residence has remained fully operational during the past weeks providing a comprehensive service to its remaining occupants, since a number of international students have opted to remain in Malta."

The university said those booking a stay at the residence are aware of the terms including the provision that no claims for refunds are entertained once prepayment is effected.

"In the light of these circumstances, the company cannot accede to refund requests. Caution money (deposits), on the other hand, are refundable save for some exceptions."

It said the company has continued to support students who have left the island but need further assistance such as in compiling insurance claims or to retrieve their personal belongings since the majority of the early leavers left personal possessions in their rented rooms.