University of Chicago Settles COVID-Era Remote Learning Suit for $5M

• University of Chicago students enrolled during the spring 2020 semester may soon be eligible for cash.
• The institution recently settled a lawsuit with former students for just under $5 million.
• Students alleged that they were deprived of most services they paid for during the COVID-19 campus closure.
• The university says the claims are without merit but settled anyway.

A nearly four-year lawsuit will soon end in a $5 million settlement benefitting eligible current and former University of Chicago students.

Students filed a class-action lawsuit against the University of Chicago in May 2020 in response to the institution's pivot to remote learning during the initial months of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Most colleges and universities went remote during the onset of the pandemic, but students across the country argued that they shouldn't be paying full tuition and fees for an entirely online learning experience.

"[Students] were deprived of fully utilizing services for which they already paid, including, but not limited to, access to campus facilities and other opportunities," the lawsuit initially stated.

Nearly four years later, University of Chicago students finally made their breakthrough.

U.S. District Judge Jeremy Daniel preliminarily approved a settlement agreement between the institution and students recently. The University of Chicago agreed to pay $4.95 million as part of the settlement.

A university spokesperson told Axios that it believes the students' claims are "without merit," but that the institution "looks forward to putting this matter behind us."

Students must have been enrolled in an undergraduate or graduate program at the University of Chicago from Jan. 1, 2020, through the end of the spring 2020 quarter to qualify for a cash award. Award amounts will be based on the out-of-pocket tuition and fees paid by a student during the spring quarter, excluding all university grants, scholarships, or stipends.

Amounts may vary, but the lawsuit states that all eligible students will qualify for at least $25.

A final settlement approval hearing will take place April 10.

Students covered under this lawsuit do not need to take any action to receive their cash award. The university will mail students a check using whatever address it has on file for each student. If that address is no longer suitable, students must specify the best way to receive their award.

People can also opt out of receiving their award if they want. The deadline to be excluded from the settlement is March 11.

The University of Chicago isn't the first institution to reach a settlement with students over the COVID-19 campus closures. According to various reports, similar settlements have been reached at:

• American University — $5.4 million
• George Washington University — $5.4 million
• John Hopkins University — $6.6 million
• Quinnipiac University — $2.5 million
• University of Delaware — $6.3 million
• Cornell University — $3 million
• University of Pennsylvania — $4.5 million

Students filed similar class-action lawsuits across the country in the aftermath of COVID-19 closures. Therefore, it is possible that more settlements are yet to come.