Oglethorpe sued for tuition refunds from pandemic

Attorneys for student suing have filed similar lawsuits in federal court.

A federal lawsuit contends Oglethorpe University owes students a prorated refund of tuition and fees after the private Brookhaven school transitioned to online learning in the middle of the spring 2020 semester.

The suit was filed March 14 in U.S. District Court in Atlanta on behalf of Brandi Kochan of Norcross. She attended Oglethorpe when the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted and closed campuses around the country.

Kochan is represented by attorneys who have filed similar lawsuits against several other universities, including some who have agreed to pay settlements. The legal team wants to bring the case as a class-action lawsuit, saying in court filings that roughly 1,500 students attended Oglethorpe when classes moved online. The suit says that online classes lacked “classroom interaction” and students lost the chance to learn collaboratively or benefit from in-person dialogue and feedback.

“Rather than offer partial refunds, credits, or discounts to students like (the) plaintiff and balance the financial difficulties associated with COVID19, the university has instead elected to place the financial burden entirely upon its students by charging and retaining the full tuition and full fees when the services the university provided were not the full educational opportunities, experiences, and services that plaintiff and the class agreed to or paid for,” the suit states.

Oglethorpe spokesman Lance Wallace declined to comment, saying the school has “not been officially noticed on this lawsuit and are not in a position to discuss the matter further at this point.”

The lawsuit does not explain why it was filed now.

More than 300 class-action lawsuits seeking tuition refunds were filed in the 20 months after the pandemic forced colleges to move classes online, said the American Council on Education. The association, whose members include colleges and universities, has argued schools should be celebrated, not penalized, for their responses to the pandemic.

In a court filing in a case involving American University, the council said switching to online learning was a costly endeavor for schools; they faced unexpected expenses such as purchasing software licenses and technology upgrades, training faculty and making resources available virtually.

In 2021, Inside Higher Ed reported that judges dismissed many of the lawsuits but others have proceeded.

AJC FILE Oglethorpe University faces a federal lawsuit that seeks to have the school issue refunds to students because of the move to online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic.