As of early this week, nearly 70 class actions have been filed by students against colleges and universities challenging their institutions’ responses to the COVID-19 crisis. The students argue they are entitled to refunds because the institution failed to provide them with all the benefits of an on-campus education for which they paid. These putative class action lawsuits generally allege: (i) the students paid for amenities such as room and board, dining plans, and access to facilities, which they cannot receive because they are not on campus; (ii) the quality of their education has been lessened by the forced, online curricula because studies show that students learn better in classrooms than online and because they are unable to gain the benefit of personal connections with faculty and classmates; (iii) their degree will be less valuable to them in the marketplace because a degree from an online program is not as valuable as a degree from an in-person program.

To read more about these cases, including potential defenses, please click here.

Jackson Lewis’ team dedicated to defending these claims for higher education clients nationwide consists of members from the Class Actions and Complex Litigation and Higher Education Groups. Our team includes seasoned class action litigators, as well as higher education attorneys with decades of experience defending claims brought by students against colleges and universities. If you have any questions, please reach out for more information.