Drexel agrees to $2.2 million settlement over tuition payments during COVID-19 shutdown
As many as 16,576 students who paid Drexel tuition for the spring 2020 term could claim a portion of the settlement.
Drexel University has agreed to pay $2.2 million to settle a class-action lawsuit on behalf of students who paid tuition for the 2020 spring term when the school transitioned to virtual learning and shut down its campus because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
U.S. District Judge Joshua D. Wolson granted the initial approval of the settlement last week, more than two years after a former Drexel student filed the lawsuit in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.
As many as 16,576 students who paid Drexel tuition for the spring 2020 term could claim a portion of the settlement, according to court records.
The university did not respond to a request for comment.
Drexel transitioned to online learning in March 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the public health guidance at the time. The university also closed all campus facilities.
Joshua Deller, a former Drexel student, sued the university in 2023 alleging he paid tuition and fees for “in-person education, experiences, access to campus, and services” that were denied of him and his classmates due to the pandemic.
“It is unfair and unlawful for Drexel to retain tuition and fees for campus based in-person education and services not being provided and to pass the financial losses on to its students,” the suit says.
The university said in court filings that students knew ahead of the spring term that classes would be virtual, and had the option to get a full refund of their tuition.
Drexel operates on quarterly basis and the decision to transition to remote learning was announced at the end of the 2020 winter term, according to court records. The school gave students the option to withdraw for the spring term and receive a full refund.
In agreeing to settle the case, Drexel is not admitting wrongdoing and continues to deny the notion that the university violated its contract with students, according to court records.
Lawyers for Deller called the settlement “fair, reasonable, and adequate” in court filings. Their fee will be up to a third of the settlement amount.
Wolson will hold a final approval hearing for the settlement in August, after which former Drexel students would receive an email informing them about the eligibility requirements for compensation.