$4M University of Washington Settlement Ends Class Action Lawsuit Over COVID Tuition Refunds

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University of Washington (UW) has agreed to pay a $4 million settlement to resolve a proposed class action lawsuit that claimed the college owes partial refunds of tuition and fees to students whose Winter and Spring 2020 academic quarters were affected by the March 2020 transition to remote learning amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

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The court-approved website for the University of Washington class action settlement can be found at UniversityOfWashingtonCOVIDLitigation.com.

The UW settlement covers a class of roughly 56,000 students who were enrolled in and paid for the university’s in-person educational programs, services and courses for the Winter Quarter 2020 or Spring Quarter 2020 academic term.

According to the University of Washington settlement website, eligible class members are entitled to receive equal shares of what remains of the $4,000,000 settlement fund after payment of attorneys’ fees, service awards and administration costs.

Eligible students do not need to do anything to receive their UW settlement cash payment, the website says.

Per the site, University of Washington settlement rebates will be mailed by check to each class member’s last known mailing address. Those who prefer to receive their UW cash payout by Venmo or PayPal, or who want to update their mailing address, must submit a payment election form by May 30, 2025, the site shares.

Class members can file a payment election form online on this page or download a PDF copy to return by mail.

The settlement agreement, which will resolve the University of Washington class action lawsuit, was preliminarily approved by the court on March 4, 2025. Next, the court must determine whether to grant final approval to the terms of the deal at a hearing scheduled for July 11, 2025.

If the settlement receives ultimate approval, and after any appeals are resolved, payments will be issued to eligible class members within 60 days following the date the deal goes into effect, the website relays.

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