$1.5M Ithaca College Settlement Ends Lawsuit Over COVID-19 Tuition Refunds

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Ithaca College has agreed to pay a $1.5 million settlement to resolve a class action lawsuit that alleged the private New York institution owes tuition refunds to students whose Spring 2020 semester was switched to remote learning in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

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The court-authorized website for the Ithaca College class action settlement can be found at IthacaRefundLawsuit.com.

The deal covers a class of approximately 5,200 individuals enrolled as undergraduate or graduate students on campus at Ithaca College during the Spring 2020 semester who did not withdraw prior to March 23, 2020, for whom any amount of tuition and fees were paid from any source (other than a scholarship or grant from Ithaca) to the college for that semester, and whose tuition and fees have not been fully refunded.

The Ithaca College COVID refund settlement does not include students who were enrolled in online-only classes at the beginning of the Spring 2020 semester, who paid no tuition or fees or who left the school prior to March 23, 2020.

Eligible class members do not need to do anything to receive a payment and other benefits from the Ithaca College settlement. If the deal receives final approval from the court, a settlement check will be issued automatically to each person’s last known mailing address on file with the school, according to the settlement agreement.

Those who need to update their address, or wish to receive an Ithaca College settlement payment electronically, must submit an election form by October 5, 2025.

Class members can file an election form online on this page, which requires providing a unique Apex ID that can be found in the personalized settlement notice issued about the deal.

Alternatively, individuals may complete and mail in the election form included in the notice.

According to the official Ithaca College settlement website, eligible class members will receive a pro-rated share of the $1,500,000 settlement fund after deductions are made for administrative costs, service awards and attorneys’ fees.

The settlement agreement says that payments will be based on the total amount of tuition and fees all class members paid to the college during the Spring 2020 semester compared with how much each individual was charged.

“Any Ithaca-backed aid, grants, or other tuition and fee reductions that do not require repayment, as well as any unpaid balances, shall not be counted as tuition and fees paid,” the website adds.

On top of a settlement payout, class members will also receive an $800 tuition credit per student if they attend graduate school at Ithaca College (excluding physician assistant graduate programs), the website states. To collect this credit, the individual must inform the Student Financial Services office that they are a class member and wish to use the graduate school credit toward their program, the site says.

Moreover, as part of the Ithaca College tuition settlement, class members will receive a complimentary ticket to Alumni Weekend, which can be requested from the Advancement office during the registration process, the website shares.

The settlement, which resolves the lawsuit against Ithaca College, received preliminary approval from the court on June 5, 2025. Next, the court will decide whether to grant final approval to the terms of the deal at a hearing on October 28, 2025.

According to the agreement, should the deal be ultimately approved, payments will be issued to eligible class members within 30 days following the date it goes into effect. The graduate school credit and Alumni Weekend ticket will be available to students for two years after that date, the website says.

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