Ohio State University has returned nearly $1 million to 20,000 summer school students after it introduced an annual fee increase by mistake. Officials had earlier promised that it wouldn't happen again.
Ehsan Ghane, a 30-year-old graduate student noticed the fee increase in February and alerted the student government leaders that the pupils had been overcharged for the summer semester.
Although the tuition remained the same, fees were hiked from $81 to $323 to pay for access to campus gyms, rides on city buses and for the university's student union.
When the university decided to change its curriculum operation from a quarterly system to a semester system, the officials vowed that they will not introduce any tuition and fee hikes.
"Ohio State University made a pledge to students that tuition and fees for an academic year would not cost more under the semester system than under quarters," said Gary Lewis, the university's spokesman.
They kept their word for the first two semesters under the new calendar but erroneously increased fees for the summer.
Lewis said that students who took summer classes received repayment of up to $81.
Praising Ghane's presence of mind, Josh Coy, president of the graduate-student government said, "He had this down and figured out in March. It's a brilliant piece of detective work."
