In the past year, several federal appellate courts have breathed new life into lawsuits accusing universities of contract breaches with students. These institutions made the switch to remote learning amidst the COVID-19 pandemic’s peak, a decision that left students grappling with unchanged tuition and fees despite the altered learning format. Among these is a class-action suit claiming that the University of Rhode Island violated its contract with its students.
In response to these allegations, the University of Rhode Island awaits the judgement of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit. Expected to be an unprecedented ruling, the university cites ‘the impossibility doctrine’ as its primary defence. Essentially, it contends that the pandemic-induced campus shutdowns rendered it incapable of fulfilling its initial contract with students.
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to affect educational institutions worldwide, the outcome of this case and its implications on university-student contracts could set precedent for similar disputes across the globe.