Student lawsuits asking for COVID-19 refunds pile up against universities

The San Diego Union-Tribune

Kristina Davis

October 18, 2020

A federal lawsuit against the University of San Diego is the latest asking for prorated tuition and fees to reflect the switch to online learning

Hands-on learning. Face-to-face interactions. Study sessions in the student union. Workouts in the student gym.

That’s what students said they signed up for — and were required to pay for — when they attended universities across the country last spring.

But, they argue, it’s not what they got once the coronavirus drove them off campus. And now they want their money back.

Class-action lawsuits calling for partial reimbursement of tuition and fees are continuing to amass nationwide — from Ivy League institutions to goliath state university systems to small private colleges — with potentially hundreds of millions of dollars at stake.

Lawsuits challenging the entire University of California and California State University systems — which encompass UC San Diego, San Diego State University and Cal State San Marcos — are already deep into litigation. If certified as class actions, the cases could incorporate more than 750,000 students combined.

And the University of San Diego is facing similar claims in a case filed on Oct. 1.

The lawsuits don’t begrudge the universities for abruptly closing campuses to prevent the spread of COVID-19. But they are asking courts to weigh who should bear the financial burden of any fallout.