Rutgers COVID-19 Tuition Refund $5M Class Action Settlement

RUTGERS SPRING 2020 TUITION REFUND SETTLEMENT UPDATE:

• The Court granted final approval to this class action settlement Jan. 28, 2021.
• Let Top Class Actions know when you receive a check in the comments section below or on our Facebook page.

Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, will pay $5 million to resolve claims it overcharged students for spring 2020 tuition during the COVID-19 pandemic and owes them a tuition refund. 

The settlement benefits Rutgers students who paid the university fees for the spring 2020 semester and did not receive a refund.

Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, has three locations in the Garden State, with campuses in New Brunswick, Newark, and Camden. According to the university’s website, Rutgers touts one of the largest academic health centers in the country. 

Despite these accolades, Rutgers was hit with a tuition refund class action lawsuit from its students during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Due to New Jersey state mandates, the university was forced to close its in-person buildings in March 2020 and transition solely to remote learning for the duration of the spring semester.

According to the students, they were overcharged for tuition in spring 2020 when Rutgers transitioned to remote learning. The students claim they should have been charged less for their education since they did not have access to “in-person educational services, facilities, access and/or opportunities” during remote learning.

Rutgers has not admitted any wrongdoing but agreed to resolve the class action lawsuit with a $5 million settlement.

The tuition class action settlement provides monetary benefits to both active and inactive students.

Exact payments will vary but are estimated to be $50 to $70 per person. 

Active students still enrolled in Rutgers will automatically receive their settlement payment as a credit to their next tuition or fee bill after the settlement becomes final.

Inactive students who are no longer enrolled at Rutgers will receive their share of the settlement fund in the mail as a check. 

If they would rather receive their settlement payments electronically via Venmo or PayPal, they can fill out an election form to provide this information. 

Inactive students also have the option to donate their settlement payment to Reutgers’ COVID-19 Dean of Students Emergency Fund.

Payments will be distributed by the settlement administrator after the court grants final approval. If no appeals are filed, cash payments may be distributed within 60 days of the final approval hearing, scheduled for Jan. 28, 2022.

The deadline for exclusion and objection to the Rutgers COVID-19 spring 2020 tuition refund settlement was Jan. 7, 2022.

The settlement website does not list a deadline for filing an optional election form. However, Class Members who wish to submit an election form may want to do so as soon as possible to ensure their decisions are honored by the settlement administrator.

Who’s Eligible

Rutgers students who paid the university fees for the spring 2020 semester and did not receive a refund.

Potential Award

Estimated to be $50 to $70

Proof of Purchase

No proof of purchase applicable

Election Form

NOTE: If you do not qualify for this settlement do NOT file a claim.

Remember: you are submitting your claim under penalty of perjury. You are also harming other eligible Class Members by submitting a fraudulent claim. If you’re unsure if you qualify, please read the FAQ section of the Settlement Administrator’s website to ensure you meet all standards (Top Class Actions is not a Settlement Administrator). If you don’t qualify for this settlement, check out our database of other open class action settlements you may be eligible for.

Election Form Deadline

04/08/2022

Case Name

Rocchio, et al. v. Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Case No. MID-L-003039-20, in the Superior Court of New Jersey, Middlesex County

Final Hearing

01/28/2022

Settlement Website

RutgersStudentFeesSettlement.com

Claims Administrator

Rutgers Student Fee Settlement
c/o JND Legal Administration
PO Box 91345
Seattle, WA 98111
info@rutgersstudentfeesettlement.com
877-379-5989

Class Counsel

James E. Cecchi, Esq.
James A. O’Brien, Esq.
Caroline Bartlett, Esq.
CARELLA BYRNE CECCHI OLSTEIN BRODY & ANGELLO PC

Philip L. Fraietta, Esq.
BURSOR & FISHER PA

Steve W. Berman, Esq.
Daniel J. Kurowski, Esq.
Whitney K. Siehl, Esq.
HAGENS BERMAN SOBOL SHAPIRO LLP

Defense Counsel

Jeffrey S. Jacobson
Andrew B. Joseph
Kristen N. Roshto
FAEGRE DRINKER BIDDLE & REATH LLP