In light of the COVID-19 global pandemic, Sweden has declared a state of emergency. Per state laws, the University of Uppsala had wisely decided to initially offer all classes of the first period of the fall semester 2020 online which unfortunately is expected to go on for the better part of 2021. We completely understand the significance of the measures being taken for the safety of everyone but the monetary cost of it is affecting our mental wellbeing now and thus, we would request the university administration to advocate for our cause and help us in getting a partial monetary relief in these stressful times.

Despite the high-quality method of instruction that UU is striving to establish, the limitations in distance learning practices have greatly reduced the quality of deliverance of education and the learning outcomes are not at par with on-campus studies. The student body does not have access to resources that are required to fulfill the needed credentials/ experience for many programs, internships, and jobs, including but not limited to: labs, facilities, equipment, valuable face to face guidance, and professional in-person critique and advising from faculty. We believe that these are essential factors of the university learning experience, and therefore, in their absence, we are seeking a partial monetary concession for the spring 2021 semester.

International students, who are paying an immense amount of fees, are especially losing hundreds of valuable hours by not being able to adapt locally which would have helped them in acquiring jobs and internships. Many of them are dependant on our families, have taken loans, and left their full-time jobs to pursue education here and now they are experiencing great financial distress due to numerous job closures throughout the city and university. Thus, we believe that a partial refund of the tuition fee would greatly assist in alleviating the financial stress and uncertainty of the situation. Many universities across the globe have followed suit and thus we respectfully implore the administration to rightfully grant us monetary concession.