Northwestern University has agreed to a $4 million class-action settlement to compensate students who paid in-person tuition for 2020 terms that shifted online during the COVID-19 pandemic. The deal has received preliminary court approval, but it still needs a final green light before anyone sees a check. Key dates are already on the calendar: March 30, 2026 is the deadline to opt out or file objections, and a final approval hearing is set for May 19, 2026.
What the settlement pays
According to the settlement website, the agreement creates a $4 million gross fund. From that pot, costs and attorneys’ fees come off the top, and whatever remains in the Net Settlement Fund will be distributed to class members.
The notice breaks down the net money this way:
- 75% of the net fund goes to Spring 2020 enrollees, which is estimated at roughly $153 per student
- 7% goes to Summer 2020 enrollees, about $61 each
- 18% goes to Fall 2020 enrollees, about $35 each
Students who were enrolled in more than one covered term are expected to receive a payment for each qualifying term.
Who qualifies and how payments are handled
Anyone who was a full-time student enrolled in a degree-conferring program at a Northwestern campus in the United States for Spring, Summer or Fall 2020, and whose tuition was not fully funded, is part of the settlement class, as reported by NBC Chicago.
The agreement carves out several exceptions. It excludes relatives or spouses of the presiding judges, the judge’s law clerk, and certain Northwestern trustees, officers, directors, agents, attorneys or employees.
If the court gives final approval, most class members will not need to do anything to get paid. They will be included automatically unless they successfully opt out.
How this fits a national pattern
The Northwestern deal is part of a broader wave of lawsuits over universities’ pandemic-era shift to remote instruction. Similar cases have led to settlements at schools across the country, as students argued they paid for on-campus experiences they never received.
Closer to home, the University of Chicago reached roughly a $4.95 million settlement in 2024, according to reporting by the Chicago Sun-Times. Together, these agreements show how universities and plaintiffs have often decided that compromise is preferable to years of drawn-out litigation.
Key dates and next steps
Class members who want to be excluded from the settlement - and keep the option to sue Northwestern on their own - must submit exclusion requests by March 30, 2026. Written objections are also due that same day, per the settlement website.
Anyone who files an objection can ask to speak at the final-approval hearing, which is scheduled for 10 a.m. on May 19, 2026. The settlement site also offers an election form for class members who prefer electronic payments or need to update their mailing addresses.
Distributions will be made only after the court grants final approval of the settlement and after attorneys’ fees and costs have been deducted.
Legal note
The lawsuit alleged breach of contract and unjust enrichment tied to Northwestern’s switch from in-person to virtual instruction in 2020. Northwestern denies those allegations but agreed to the settlement to avoid further expense, as reported by NBC Chicago.
Court records identify the case as Quiroz et al. v. Northwestern University, Case No. 1:20-cv-04798, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, according to court documents. The settlement will remain preliminary until the judge gives final approval.
