LYNCHBURG Liberty University offered $1,000 credits to students who decided not to return to campus residence halls because of the coronavirus pandemic, the university announced Friday.

For students returning in the fall, the credit will be available for tuition and room and board costs.

Graduating students will be provided a refund for any money left over after the credit is applied to their accounts in late April. Students not returning in the fall are not eligible.

Students had until Saturday to leave their dorms to qualify for the credit, according to the universitys online announcement Friday.

The offer could help incentivize some students who remained on campus to return to their hometowns. On Tuesday, a Liberty representative said about 1,900 were back on campus.

Liberty faced a flood of criticism from state and local officials after President Jerry Falwell Jr. invited students to return to campus even as most classes moved to an online format in response to the coronavirus threat.

I think we have a responsibility to our students who paid to be here, who want to be here, who love it here to give them the ability to be with their friends, to continue their studies, enjoy the room and board theyve already paid for and to not interrupt their college life, Falwell told The News & Advance on March 22.

During a news conference Wednesday, Gov. Ralph Northam called on Falwell to reconsider his decision to invite students back to campus.

Fridays announcement made Liberty the first institution of higher learning in the Lynchburg area to announce specific plans to reimburse students.

Leaders at Randolph College and Sweet Briar College have pledged to offer reimbursements in the future but had not yet released details about the exact size of the refunds.

The University of Lynchburg, meanwhile, has a policy against providing refunds in response to a pandemic, but administrators have said they are considering changing that policy.

Robert Lambeth Jr., the president of the Council of Independent Colleges in Virginia, said most private institutions in the state were considering offering refunds to students but are taking different approaches.

Some independent colleges and universities, including Liberty, are offering refunds at a flat rate, while others are prorating refunds based on the amount of time students spend on campus and the level of financial aid they receive, Lambeth said.

Theyre all over the map as to how the amount is calculated, Lambeth said. Everybody is making their own decisions.

Lambeth said several institutions were waiting to see how much assistance they would receive from the federal government as part of a $2 trillion emergency stimulus package.

Colleges and universities across the country are expected to receive about $14 billion in total relief.

Private institutions in particular are taking a huge financial hit from this whole crisis, he said. Its very difficult for all colleges, but particularly private colleges that dont get any direct state assistance.

Housing costs at Liberty range from $2,300 to $3,750 a semester, depending on the residence hall.

Richard Chumney covers Liberty University for The News & Advance. Reach him at (434) 385-5547.

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Liberty University to offer $1,000 credit to students who leave dorms by Saturday because of coronavirus - Richmond.com