$4.8M Carnegie Mellon Settlement Over COVID-19 Tuition Refunds Seeks Preliminary Approval from Court

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Carnegie Mellon University has agreed to pay a $4.8 million settlement that, if approved by the court, will resolve a consolidated class action lawsuit that alleged the college owes tuition and fee refunds to students whose Spring 2020 semester was shifted to remote learning in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

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According to an unopposed motion and memo filed on February 14, 2025, the proposed $4,800,000 Carnegie Mellon settlement aims to cover a class of approximately 13,337 students who were assessed tuition and/or fees to attend at least one in-person course during the Spring 2020 semester at Carnegie Mellon but had the class transitioned to remote learning.

If the proposed class action settlement is approved, class members will automatically be issued a Carnegie Mellon settlement cash payout by check to their last known mailing address on file with the university’s registrar, the agreement says. No action will be required to receive a settlement rebate, the document shares.

Related Reading: Carnegie Mellon Student Seeks Tuition, Fee Refunds for Spring Semester Cut Short by COVID-19

According to the settlement agreement, individual payout amounts will be pro-rated based on how much each individual was charged in tuition and fees, minus financial aid and any refunds already distributed in relation to the Spring 2020 semester.

“To the extent the distribution formula results in an individual payment amount of less than $50, the payment amount will be adjusted upwards so that no Settlement Class Member shall receive less than $50,” the document notes.

Per the agreement, class members may provide an updated mailing address if needed or elect to receive their cash payout via an electronic method through the official Carnegie Mellon settlement website once it is launched.

ClassAction.org will update this page if and when the official Carnegie Mellon settlement website goes live.

Notice of the settlement will be issued to eligible class members by mail or via email within 45 days following the date the deal receives preliminary approval from the court, the plaintiffs’ memo relays.

Are you owed unclaimed settlement money? Check out our class action rebates page full of open class action settlements.