Class Action Alleges USC Misrepresented Online Social Work Master’s Program

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The University of Southern California (USC) faces a proposed class action that claims the school has falsely marketed its online Master of Social Work (MSW) program as “exactly the same” as its in-person counterpart.

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The 48-page lawsuit says that the online program, offered since 2010, is “aggressively” represented on the USC website as having the same instructors and curriculum and providing the same clinical experience and career development services as the renowned in-person program. In truth, however, online MSW students receive a vastly different experience than the one touted by USC, in large part because it outsources significant aspects of the online program to for-profit company 2U “in exchange for splitting the tuition,” the suit alleges, calling the school’s online MSW representations “egregiously false and misleading.”

In addition, the university is accused of “reverse redlining,” namely in that it specifically targets the alleged MSW program misrepresentations at minority groups, including people of color and veterans, to persuade them to enroll in the “inferior” online program, the case shares.

Not only does USC charge students the same lofty tuition for an in-person or online MSW degree, it also heavily promotes the online program on its website, which is “replete” with claims that the two programs are the same, the complaint says.

For instance, the website states that “[m]any students find the [online] experience even more interactive and fulfilling than a traditional classroom,” the filing relays. In the FAQ section, when asked about the difference between the online and in-person MSW programs, the university’s answer is “[virtually,] nothing,” the lawsuit adds.

In reality, the suit charges, USC does not facilitate this remote program but instead outsources its administration to 2U—a fact the case claims the university does its best to conceal. According to the complaint, USC’s arrangement with 2U has purportedly transformed the online MSW program into “an enormous degree mill” that has seen enrollment numbers skyrocket since 2010.

“USC’s websites and advertisements hide the connection [with 2U] and inaccurately portray USC’s online MSW program as being entirely administered in-house, just like USC’s in-person program,” the complaint reads. “In addition, 2U employees … are provided USC email addresses and instructed not to reveal that they work for 2U rather than USC.”

Despite USC’s representations, online and in-person MSW students do not receive the same course content, are not given the same access to clinical placement and career services and are not taught by the same instructors, the filing explains. In fact, many instructors who teach the online courses have no association with USC’s social work programs or faculty and often live outside of California, the lawsuit relays.

Further, rather than live, seminar-style lectures taught by “esteemed faculty,” as represented by USC, many of the online MSW courses apparently consist of “pre-recorded, ‘asynchronous’ content, mostly of PowerPoints and YouTube videos” that are sometimes outdated or directly contradict contemporary research or the material itself, the suit claims.

What’s more, the case takes issue with USC’s recruitment training, which allegedly makes use of an “offensive” graphic that “caricature[s] potential recruitment targets according to their race, age, gender, socioeconomic status, and veteran status” and lists “conversion probability”—that is, how likely a candidate is to enroll.

In spite of “multiple scandals,” the university still “steadfastly” maintains that the two MSW programs are the same, the complaint shares.

The plaintiffs, Los Angeles and San Diego residents who graduated from or are currently enrolled in the online MSW program, were each misled by USC’s representation that the program was the same as the in-person version, the filing says.

The lawsuit charges that, like other online MSW students, the plaintiffs paid “inflated” tuition fees for a program that was “not remotely what USC told them they were getting.” As the case tells it, each plaintiff has more than $100,000 debt thanks to the university’s “completely different and decidedly unequal” online program.

The lawsuit looks to represent any California residents who are or have been students in the online Master of Social Work degree program at the USC School of Social Work at any time since May 4, 2019. The suit also looks to cover California residents who are people of color or veterans and who are or have been students in the online MSW program.

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