This really boils down to speculation on everyone’s part unless we know what school you went to and/or you re-read the contract that you signed. I find it suspect that the housing office would inform you that you owe them money if there were some way to nullify the contract you signed. Again, I could be wrong.
The real world can be cruel. It’s a hard lesson to learn, particularly this way in your situation. I’m not sure if you are reaching out to us for advice or empathy at this point because we’ve clearly laid out what you should do next. Debating how much you owe is completely and totally moot since you are at the mercy of the university and its policies.
And I know for sure that if they gave you the key to a room somewhere, you signed something somewhere that outlines what happens if you move out. Lawyers are everywhere and there’s absolutely no way this situation has never come up before at your school, or any school.
People withdraw from college all the time. They don’t owe the college for preparing the room. They owe them if they don’t follow proper withdrawal procedures in a timely manner. If OP properly cancelled the dorm, meal plan, and class registration she shouldn’t owe any money. If she didn’t, then she does. It’s not a moral obligation and nobody cares that the college prepared the dorm room. It’s just business.
My concern would be the procedures and dates outlined in the contract. If it says students will be billed half the dorm charges unless they cancel before the move in date, then OP will owe the money.
You may have moved out very early, and notified them just around the time classes started…BUT…that was not enough time for them to have notified another student who could take that room. Likely, they turned DOWN students who then contracted off-campus because the school believed that YOU would using that room based on your accepting and taking possession of the dorm room.
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, I moved into the dorms on August 17th. I stayed the day, the night, and part of the next day and I decided it wasn't for me at all. That is another story to tell but I came back home the 18th and stayed at home until the 25th.
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On the 25th my mom and I drove down to the school and moved all of my stuff out. Take in mind, I withdrew from all classes and all things related to the school on that Friday…the 22nd. I cancelled my financial aid, I cancelled my books, I cancelled my parking permit. Everything. No penalty because school didn’t start until that Monday the 25th.
The 26th my mom and I drove down there yet again to fill out a form to cancel my stay at the dorms.
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You seem to keep focusing on the “one night stay,” but YOUR things were there from Aug 17 thru Aug 25…and you didn’t cancel your dorm until Aug 26…which was one day AFTER classes began.
It doesn’t matter that you were sleeping elsewhere, your things were in that dorm, and you didn’t notify the school that you were canceling your dorm until AFTER classes started. That was likely too late for them to move anyone in for this semester.
You should have cancelled your dorm and moved your stuff out the day after you moved in…the school may have been able to put someone in that dorm.
However, they may end up moving someone in either this semester or next semester.
I understand that you don’t have the money. This may be a painful lesson for you. Contracts mean something…even if you can’t pay.
Have your parents talk to the Housing Director and see if something can be worked out. Plead for mercy. find out if there are ANY circumstances that they cancel payment requests…such as medical withdrawals.
What you’re going to have to do is probably take out a loan to cover the cost of 3450 and then fight it later on. They can do that, because accepting an admissions offer into a college is signing a contract. Accepting placement into a dorm (by moving in) is signing a contract. You enter into a housing agreement with the university, and leaving your things there probably violated that agreement.
I’m sorry this happened to you, but every university is just out to make money. They will bleed you dry of every cent you have, because universities are businesses.
You contracted for the room, even if you did not stay in it. You needed to cancel the contract per the terms of the contract. Did you? That’s your real query. Find out. Then you’ll know if you are free and clear by the contract or if you’ll have to seek a special exception to the contract, which might not be granted. Adulting.
You can probably work out a payment plan with the school. This is a lesson, not only for you, but others who may think it is so easy to change your mind. It is perfectly American to have the right to change your mind about things, but when you do there are often costs involved.
@mom2collegekids do you think that the school would take the medical withdraw for family reasons? they take them in general and all they require is documentation. but would they take it for family member and not me? if this could possibly remove the $3,450…all i would be losing is the $200 deposit that i put on the room before school started.
At my daughter’s school, the housing refund is as such. It took me 2 seconds to find.
Prior to April 15: full 16 week refund
April 16 – July 1: 15 week refund
July 2 – August 15: 14 week refund
August 16 – September 3: 13 week refund (Classes have started)
September 4 – September 16: 12 week refund
September 17 – September 30: 8 week refund
October 1 and after: 0 week refund
You’ve said repeatedly that you “don’t have $3450.”
But you agreed to spend the semester in a dorm-- where would that money have come from had you stayed?
I hope you find a legal way to get out of paying this.
But think for a moment of how you would feel had the situation been reversed: had they decided at the last minute that there wasn’t room for you after all. You would have been outraged, right?? You had a signed contract that guaranteed a room in return for the agreed upon price.
Their point of view, as others have explained, is that until the day your mom withdrew you, they assumed that you were abiding by the terms of the contract you had signed. They were unable to offer your room to someone else as a result.