COVID-19: Colleges And Universities Facing Class Action Lawsuits Over Refunds

The impacts of COVID-19 closures in the United States first began to materialize a few months ago, in mid-March 2020.  Since then, however, over fifty lawsuits have been filed against colleges and universities on behalf of students seeking refunds for tuition and fees due to campus closures in response to COVID-19.  The number of such filings is unlikely to stop with fifty:  U.S. News and World Report ranks approximately 1,400 schools that are regionally accredited and that offer four-year undergraduate degree programs.  The U.S. Department of Education, however, counts over 4,000 colleges and universities nationwide.

These lawsuits involve schools large and small, and from coast to coast.  Schools that already have been sued include major public universities like the University of California, Penn State University and Rutgers University.   Many private institutions have also been sued for tuition refunds within mere months of the COVID-19 outbreak, including the