Originally Posted by MSPeconomist

If the school is kicking kids out of its own dorms (note that some campuses have privately owned dorms), I would think that a pro-rata refund would be required. Some kids will have no choice but to try to find a storage place for their stuff and maybe rent a car/truck to get it there, although there are a few colleges that permit students to store belongings over the summer so that should be possible also for returning underclass persons. (Fraternity and sorority houses typically also permit summer storage, even for members not currently living in the house, but the storage can be of questionable qualify, for example in a basement which is musty.)

Students living off campus in apartments or rented houses presumably will have no recourse but to pay rent through the end of their leases, although of course they could continue living there in their college towns and move out or store stuff at their convenience. Sublets could be difficult, although they could offer to store belongings for other students; if they charge for this, there could be legal implications.

IMO there should also be partial tuition rebates since the online experience is not the same as having interaction on campus and access to campus facilities, although of course there's an argument that the institution's expenses increase when there is a sudden transition to all online courses.