Schools
Student Sues University Of Texas Over Tuition Amid Online Classes
A class-action lawsuit claims in-person learning is more "hands-on," and students should not have had to pay full tuition for spring 2020.
AUSTIN, TX — As courses at colleges and universities throughout the country went online only last spring, should students still be on the hook for the full tuition rate?
A University of Texas student says no, and is filing a lawsuit on behalf of other students at the state university in Austin in hopes of being reimbursed.
The class-action lawsuit was filed by the University of Texas student in Travis County court last week "on behalf of herself and all others similarly situated," according to a report from KVUE.
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It says students paid for a full tuition for the spring 2020 semester for "an in-person, hands-on education," the report states, but classes were moved online due to the coronavirus pandemic. It aims for "just compensation" for the time the school switched to online learning.
It's not the first legal case of its kind. Students at DePaul University in Chicago last May filed a similar lawsuit, WBEZ reported at the time, and another one against Cornell University made similar arguments as well. In all, more than 150 lawsuits involving college tuition and coronavirus-related school closures have been filed, according to the JD Supra content website.
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A case involving Howard County Community College was heard in January, as a Maryland judge rejected the student's breach of contract and unconstitutional takings claims.
A specific dollar amount sought was not stated in the University of Texas case.
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