Columbia University has reached a settlement with students who sued over unfair tuition and fees after classes moved online during the pandemic.

When the novel coronavirus prompted a national lockdown, Columbia University along with other universities throughout the nation shut down in-person learning and transitioned to online classes in an effort to mitigate the spread. Following this transition, a group of students sued the University for failing to refund tuition and other fees after in-person classes were canceled. The students argued that their payments should have been refunded because portions of their tuition and fees covered the expenses of on-campus amenities and facilities that they no longer had access to.

The class-action lawsuit faced a hurdle in March 2021 after U.S. District Judge Jesse M. Furman shared the opinion that the students’ argument that they were promised in-person classes was not supported. Despite this, Judge Furman allowed the class action suit to continue and gave the green light for students to pursue what they described as an unfair charge of campus fees.

As the suit continued, Columbia wrote to the New York courts explaining that a preliminary settlement had been reached, but the details of the settlement were not revealed. In the letter, Columbia University explained, “The parties will now turn to the work of finalizing their agreement and submitting a motion for preliminary approval for the Court’s consideration.”

Last week, the University announced that it would be paying $12.5 million to end the suit. As part of the deal, the University will pay students back over $8.5 million in fees. The university will also pay an additional $4 million to keep the plaintiffs from reviving any legal disputes regarding tuition. Columbia has also denied any wrongdoing as part of the settlement.

Following the settlement, the university shared in a statement, "The pandemic has imposed serious challenges on sustaining the teaching, research, patient care and public service at the core of Columbia's mission. Throughout this period, we have been committed to meeting the needs of our students. The proposed settlement filed with the court will provide additional support to students who attended the University during the spring semester of 2020.”

After the coronavirus was detected in the states and prompted the closure of in-person classes throughout the nation, at least 261 lawsuits were brought forward by students claiming unfair tuition and fees charges. Many of these tuition reimbursement suits are still in litigation; however, schools like Harvard University, Loyola University in Chicago, and New York's Fordham University have all won cases that were brought against them which alleged unfair tuition and fee charges.