Should colleges discount tuition when they go remote?

Coronavirus outbreaks on campus following the arrival of students have caused a number of major universities to abandon their plans for in-person classes for the fall semester and join the ranks of schools offering exclusively online instruction.

The shift to remote education has left many students and parents upset that they’re asked to pay the same amount for what they see as an inferior learning experience. Students at dozens of universities have started petitions demanding tuition discounts. A petition at Rutgers University received more than 30,000 signatures.

A handful of...