Settlements totaling $35,250,000 with Caltech and Johns Hopkins will provide payments to students who received need-based financial aid to cover some but not all costs (tuition, fees, room, and/or board) to attend Brown University, California Institute of Technology, University of Chicago, Columbia University, Cornell University, Dartmouth College, Duke University, Emory University, Georgetown University, Johns Hopkins University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Northwestern University, University of Notre Dame, University of Pennsylvania, William Marsh Rice University, Vanderbilt University, or Yale University.
Important Dates
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The Court has preliminarily approved proposed settlements (“Settlements”) with California Institute of Technology (“Caltech”) and the Johns Hopkins University (“Johns Hopkins”).
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The Court has also certified for settlement purposes only a Settlement Class of students who attended the following seventeen schools (during certain time periods set forth below): Brown University, Caltech, University of Chicago, Columbia University, Cornell University, Dartmouth College, Duke University, Emory University, Georgetown University, Johns Hopkins, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Northwestern University, University of Notre Dame, University of Pennsylvania, William Marsh Rice University, Vanderbilt University, and Yale University (the “Defendants,” or “Universities,” or “Defendant Universities”).
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Persons who are members of the Settlement Class may participate in the Settlements as explained in more detail in the Notice.
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As part of the Settlements, Caltech has agreed to pay $16,750,000 and Johns Hopkins has agreed to pay $18,500,000.
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In addition, Johns Hopkins has agreed to complete certain discovery in this antitrust class action lawsuit, called Henry, et al. v. Brown University, et al., Case No. 1:22-cv-00125, which is pending in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois (the “Action”).
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This Action was brought by certain students who attended the Defendant Universities while receiving partial need-based financial aid. The Action alleges that the Defendant Universities conspired in violation of the federal antitrust laws regarding principles, formulas, and methods of determining financial aid. The Action also alleges that as a result, the Defendant Universities provided less financial aid than they would have provided had there been full and fair competition. The Defendant Universities have asserted that Plaintiffs’ claims lack merit; that the Defendant Universities’ financial aid policies were legal and pro-competitive, and financial aid awards were not artificially reduced; that the Universities have valid defenses to Plaintiffs’ allegations; and that Plaintiffs’ claims would have been rejected prior to trial, at trial, or on appeal.
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The Caltech and Johns Hopkins Settlements are in addition to the $284 million in settlements approved by the Court by Order dated July 20, 2024.
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The case continues against the following five Defendants who have not settled: Cornell University, Georgetown University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of Notre Dame, and University of Pennsylvania.
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The Settlements are for the benefit of the “Settlement Class,” which is composed of the following persons:
- All persons who have during the Class Period (a) enrolled in one or more of Defendants’ full-time undergraduate programs, (b) received at least some need-based financial aid from one or more Defendants, and (c) whose tuition, fees, room, or board to attend one or more of Defendants’ full-time undergraduate programs was not fully covered by the combination of any types of financial aid or merit aid (not including loans) in any undergraduate year.1 The Class Period is defined as follows:
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For Chicago, Columbia, Cornell, Duke, Georgetown, MIT, Northwestern, Notre Dame, Penn, Rice, Vanderbilt, Yale—from Fall Term 2003 through February 28, 2024.
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For Brown, Dartmouth, Emory—from Fall Term 2004 through February 28, 2024.
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For Caltech—from Fall Term 2019 through February 28, 2024.
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For Johns Hopkins—from Fall Term 2021 through February 28, 2024.
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Excluded from the Settlement Class are:
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Any Officers2 and/or Trustees of Defendants, or any current or former employees holding any of the following positions: Assistant or Associate Vice Presidents or Vice Provosts, Executive Directors, or Directors of Defendants’ Financial Aid and Admissions offices, or any Deans or Vice Deans, or any employees in Defendants’ in-house legal offices;
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any person who was not a U.S. citizen or permanent resident at the time such person attended a full-time undergraduate program and received at least some financial aid from one or more Defendants; and
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the Judge presiding over this action, his or her law clerks, spouse, and any person within the third degree of relationship living in the Judge’s household and the spouse of such a person.
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- All persons who have during the Class Period (a) enrolled in one or more of Defendants’ full-time undergraduate programs, (b) received at least some need-based financial aid from one or more Defendants, and (c) whose tuition, fees, room, or board to attend one or more of Defendants’ full-time undergraduate programs was not fully covered by the combination of any types of financial aid or merit aid (not including loans) in any undergraduate year.1 The Class Period is defined as follows:
- The Settlements offer cash payments to members of the Settlement Class who submit valid and timely claim forms later in the process. Payments for claims will vary depending on a number of factors as set forth below. Assuming that about half of the estimated 200,000 Class members submit timely claims, and that the Court awards the attorneys’ fees and costs as requested, the average claimant will receive about $250 from the Johns Hopkins and Caltech Settlements combined. Because the Plaintiffs allege an antitrust conspiracy where Plaintiffs allege that Defendants would be joint and severally liable, the amount of money any member of the Settlement Class receives is not directly related to the amount of money that the institution that person attended paid in settlement or whether it settled at all. Each member of the Settlement Class is entitled to make a claim, whether the school such Settlement Class Member attended was part or any settlement or not. The parties have agreed to ask the Court that any funds remaining after an initial distribution to the Settlement Class that are unable to be efficiently distributed to the Settlement Class be given, with the Court’s approval, to charitable causes that promote access to higher education for disadvantaged students and families.
- Please check this website for any updates relating to any of the Settlements or the settlement approval process.
- The Notice has important information. It explains the Settlements and the rights and options of members of the Settlement Class in this class action lawsuit.
- For the full terms of the Settlements, you should look at the Settlement Agreements between Plaintiffs and Caltech and Johns Hopkins, which are available on the Important Documents page.
1 For avoidance of doubt, the Class does not include those for whom the total cost of attendance, including tuition, fees, room, and board for each undergraduate academic year, was covered by any form of financial aid or merit aid (not including loans) from one or more Defendants.
2 For the avoidance of doubt, the Columbia University “Officers” excluded from the Class are members of the Senior Administration of Columbia University, and do not include exempt employees of Columbia University who are referred to as officers.