College of Washington to pay $4M settlement to college students in COVID-19 tuition lawsuit
The College of Washington has agreed to a $4 million settlement after being sued by college students who claimed they had been unfairly charged for in-person schooling they by no means obtained through the COVID-19 pandemic. A King County decide granted preliminary approval of the settlement, with ultimate approval anticipated in July, based on The Seattle Occasions.
The lawsuit arose from UW’s determination to maintain tuition and charges unchanged regardless of transitioning to distant studying in March 2020. College students argued that they had paid for entry to campus services, labs, and in-person instruction however had been as a substitute confined to on-line courses from their houses, The Seattle Occasions additional reported.
Doctoral scholar Alexander Barry initially sued the college in 2020, and in 2023, a decide expanded the case to incorporate tens of 1000’s of scholars as plaintiffs, Campus Reform reported.
UW has denied any wrongdoing, sustaining that it acted responsibly through the pandemic by prioritizing scholar security whereas persevering with to supply schooling. A college spokesperson said that UW had invested in know-how, distant studying platforms, and scholar well being providers to assist college students throughout campus closures, based on The Seattle Occasions.
The criticism argues that the college “didn’t present [certain] on-campus experiences and in-person programs” and refused to supply refunds for the shift to on-line studying in early 2020. When UW transitioned to distant schooling, it said in a COVID-19 FAQ part that “tuition and required charges for spring quarter 2020 aren’t altering,” Campus Reform reported.
By April 2020, all of Washington’s public four-year universities had introduced that courses would stay on-line for the remainder of the tutorial 12 months. Group faculties and most non-public establishments within the state adopted swimsuit, with many extending distant studying by way of spring 2021.
Underneath the settlement phrases, college students can decide out of the category motion if they don’t want to take part. Those that stay a part of the category will obtain compensation, although particular person payouts will depend upon the variety of eligible claimants, The Seattle Occasions famous.
This lawsuit displays a broader development of scholars suing universities over pandemic-related tuition insurance policies. A number of establishments throughout the nation have reached comparable settlements after college students argued they had been overcharged for an insufficient faculty expertise, stories The Seattle Occasions.
