College students petition and sue for tuition refunds
NEW YORK - NYU student Matthew Harnick has started a petition asking the university to reimburse at least part of the $26,000 tuition for the spring semester.
"The teaching is not at the same level it was like when we were in person," he said.
Harnick and thousands of college students across the country say that online classes are not comparable to learning in a classroom.
"It's not what we're paying for," he said.
Online petitions have been posted by students at Columbia University, Long Island University and many others across the country in addition to lawsuits being filed against dozens of universities since the institutions moved to a distance-learning model during the coronavirus pandemic.
Attorney Jennifer Kraus-Czeisler in New York City is representing several students in a class action lawsuit.
"They're furious," she said. "They're absolutely furious."
Kraus-Czeisler said that online classes are normally cheaper and they should be now as well. "The school is profiting at the expense of the students," she said. "How is that fair?"
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Columbia University told FOX 5 NY that it does not comment on pending litigation.
Long Island University did not respond.
NYU issued a statement saying, in part, that it will not reimburse tuition.
"Class discussion is carrying on, course work is being assigned, student work is still being assessed, academic credit will still be awarded, and students are still making progress towards their degrees," NYU said.
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NYU student Adi Singhal said he does not expect, nor is he asking for a tuition reimbursement for the spring semester. But he said the university should readjust if this continues in the fall.
"The people who are having classes online are definitely not getting the bang for their buck," Singhal said. "Then the tuition should be reduced for sure."