Dear Undergraduates,

As promised, I am writing with an update about room and board charges, parking and rec center fees and student hourly employment.

The university will be providing certain refunds and payments to undergraduates. All payments will be made by direct deposit or mailed check for those not on direct deposit and the amount paid will be net of any outstanding amounts owed on the student’s account.

Room and Board. Students who are moving out of their residential college, will receive a credit on their student accounts for the prorated amount of their families’ contribution to the fee for room and board charges for the 45 days remaining in the spring term as of March 23. A payment will be made to the student of the credit amount net of any unpaid student bills. Students who had room and board fully paid by need-based financial aid or other scholarship will not see a credit for room charges but will see a credit for board. Credits will appear on student accounts as soon as possible but no later than by March 31. Depending on the amount a family has contributed to the fee for both room and board, the credit will be up to $2,722. For those receiving only a credit for board, the credit amount will be $855.

Off-Campus Meal Plans. The off-campus meal plan refunds will vary by plan. The refund will be based on the balance of meals remaining as of March 26.

Parking. Undergraduate students with on-campus parking decals who are moving out of residential colleges and off-campus undergraduate students with Rice parking decals will receive a credit of 38.5% of the spring contract amount, including the semester surcharge. The amount will vary by lot and will appear as a credit on student accounts no later than March 31.

Rec Center. All undergraduate students will receive a credit of $20.00, which is 38.5% of the spring semester amount. The amount will appear as a credit on student accounts no later than March 31.

Student Hourly Jobs at Rice including Work Study

Off-campus students remaining in Houston, and those approved to remain on campus, may carry out their on-campus job consistent with social distancing protocol and will be paid under normal procedures.

For students with current work study jobs who are leaving campus, Rice will pay a lump sum amount, anticipated to be in the April 3 payroll, based on an estimate of what the student would have earned through the rest of the semester up to the maximum stated in the financial aid package.

• The estimate is based on the average hours worked and hourly rate for each job for the period January 13 (first day of classes) through the pay period ending March 14.

For all other students who are leaving campus and who have Rice jobs that are not work study, supervisors are encouraged to assign remote work where possible, but in general these students will be paid only for work done based on documented hours of work and signed remote employment agreements. If as a result of losing paid work at Rice, students are facing particular financial hardship for the semester, they can submit a request through the Dean of Undergraduates portal.

Bridget K. Gorman, Dean of Undergraduates

Bridget K. Gorman
Dean of Undergraduates and
Professor of Sociology

Rice University, MS-6
Lovett Hall, Entrance A, Suite 101
Houston, TX 77005

email: ugdean@rice.edu, bkgorman@rice.edu
Office phone: 713-348-4996