‘In‐tuition’ problems: Consider rulings on students’ breach‐of‐contract claims

Students and parents have initiated a flood of lawsuits against colleges and universities due to the sudden, unexpected shift to remote learning during the pandemic. There have been hundreds of such cases to date, many of them class‐action lawsuits. However, the thrust of the claims remains largely the same in that plaintiffs demand tuition refunds from their college or university under a breach‐of‐contract theory. Plaintiffs allege virtual learning served as an inferior substitute for the in‐person instruction promised in institutions’ handbooks, catalogs, and literature.