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A judge for the federal district of Rhode Island dismissed several class-action lawsuits filed by students seeking tuition refunds for the spring 2020 semester from four universities in the state, according to a court decision and order filed March 4. The students’ contracts with the colleges did not guarantee an in-person educational experience, the court concluded.
Students sued Brown University, the University of Rhode Island, Johnson & Wales University and Roger Williams University after the institutions closed their campuses and moved instruction online last spring due to the coronavirus pandemic. The students sought refunds for tuition and other fees associated with in-person attendance, such as room and board fees, according to the ruling by John McConnell Jr., chief judge for the federal district court.
McConnell dismissed all the student claims that sought tuition refunds. He wrote that the policies of "all four universities explicitly reserved the right to unilaterally alter the administration of their academic offerings."
However, McConnell allowed the claims seeking some campus fees to proceed because some students were denied services such as recreational programming and room and board. Which services and how much in fees the students forfeited during the shortened spring 2020 semester will be determined in future court proceedings, he wrote. Brown officials released a statement saying the university already refunded unused room and board and recreation fees to students last year.
