Penn State students to see discounted spring room and board rate due to delayed in-person classes
Penn State students are set to receive a prorated discount on spring room and board, weeks after the university announced it was pushing back the start of in-person classes.
The board of trustees voted unanimously Wednesday to reduce the average cost of total room and board by $957, or 16.3% off the original price, since students will spend only 90 days on campus as opposed to the usual 112 days. The cost for the standard double room with the Tier 2 meal plan is now $4,919 — compared to the original $5,876.
The move comes after the university announced Dec. 18 that it would start the spring semester fully remote. Although online classes will still start Jan. 19, in-person classes will not resume until Feb. 15 due to the state’s COVID-19 outbreak.
According to John Papazoglou, associate vice president of Auxiliary & Business Services, the university’s financial impact from shortening the spring semester is estimated to be about $26 million.
The university outlined the changes via a brief slideshow during a virtual trustees meeting. Cost of a standard double room was reduced 19.6% — to $2,754 from $3,427 — as was the cost of the base meal plan, to $1,161 from $1,445. (That percentage reflects the same percentage of days students will miss on campus.)
The cost of the three-tiered meal plans, which are purchased in addition to the base meal plan, will remain the same — Tier 1 ($655), Tier 2 ($1,004), Tier 3 ($1,287) — since students have the option to reduce or increase their dining dollars at any time.
The Committee on Finance, Business and Capital Planning met briefly Wednesday to formally accept the recommendation. The entire board then voted to move forward with the recommendation.
Both meetings lasted about a combined 10 minutes.
The board of trustees’ next meeting is scheduled to be held virtually from Feb. 18-19.
