St Andrews students won't face extra fees if they choose to leave university

Students in St Andrews have been told they will not face extra fees if they choose to leave the university amid tightened coronavirus restrictions

Principal Professor Sally Mapstone emailed students today - with a total of 25 Covid-19 cases confirmed at the uni so far.

She wrote: "The government’s advice to students is to remain at university if you can, so that you benefit from in-person teaching as we phase it in, and avoid the risk of carrying the virus to people in your home. 

"If you do wish to go home, however, you can do so if you follow the advice and specific instructions set out in the guidance. Please familiarise yourself with it.

"Since the start of semester, I know that a small number of you have asked to go home and give up your accommodation contracts. Although those numbers are small - fewer than 25 requests to date - we do not want financial considerations to get in the way of a need to go home.

"For that reason, we are foregoing the clause in your accommodation contracts which requires you to give 28 days’ notice to leave. If you wish to leave, you can do so whenever you want, and you will only be billed for the period you have spent in halls.

"And if you decide that St Andrews is really not for you and want to withdraw definitively from your studies with us, you may do so without being liable for course fees, until December 1 2020.

"We very much hope you decide to stay with us, however. We are confident that if we work together and recognise our responsibilities to each other and the possibilities of our small community, even in the midst of a worldwide pandemic, this can be a semester to remember for all the best reasons."

Updating on options to study remotely, she wrote: "In St Andrews, in-person teaching will continue to be phased in over the next few weeks, and dual mode delivery of teaching will continue through a blend of traditional, in-person classes, pre-recorded content and live, interactive online provision.

"Whilst we are still keen to welcome students to St Andrews, and we are currently phasing in teaching in person for students who are physically here with us, we recognise that there are local, national and international restrictions which will continue to make it difficult for some of you to attend St Andrews in person.

"I know that about 1,000 of our students are currently not with us in St Andrews, and are studying entirely remotely, either by choice or circumstance.

"We will be continuing to provide dual-mode delivery of teaching in semester two (for subjects other than medicine) and to cater for those who can’t make the journey to St Andrews at this time, or may need to self-isolate."

She thanked the "vast majority" of students for behaving in an "exemplary way" and says they are not to blame for the current crisis.

Prof Mapstone added: "Let me make clear that our request for voluntary restrictions applied to the weekend only. It’s my hope that we, and other Scottish universities, will not have to repeat it, but we will all have to remain vigilant, pragmatic and aware that even small numbers of cases of Covid can have very far-reaching consequences at present.

"In St Andrews, we have recorded a total of 25 cases since September 1. This total includes four new cases notified over the weekend and yesterday. Comparatively, this is a smaller issue in scale than the outbreaks which you may have seen reported at other universities, but it does not allow us to relax.

"Our Covid rapid response team means that we are able to move quickly to support people who have a positive test, and those around them who may have to self-isolate.

#"The faster we are able to intervene, the lesser the threat and disruption to others. Please remember to call the Covid helpdesk if you think you have symptoms, or have been notified of a positive test.

"The rapid response team is one of the reasons that we have been able to keep case numbers in St Andrews lower than is the case elsewhere."