Some Northwestern and University of Chicago alumni to receive class-action lawsuit payouts

Kate Perez, Chicago Tribune on Jul 22, 2026

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CHICAGO — Northwestern University and University of Chicago alumni involved in a class-action antitrust lawsuit regarding the schools’ tuition practices could soon see settlement payouts, according to a recent court order.

The payments result from a combined $284 million settlement that several elite universities reached after they were accused of violating antitrust laws by colluding in a “tuition price-fixing cartel.” The 2022 lawsuit alleged the schools illegally overcharged students on tuition rates and conspired to limit their financial aid packages. The lawsuit further claimed that these practices resulted in less financial aid offered to students than they would have seen in a fully competitive environment.

Northwestern and U. of C. were among the universities that settled the suit while maintaining that the lawsuit’s claims are without merit, defending their financial aid policies as legal and “pro-competitive” and saying they did not unjustly reduce their financial aid award amounts, the Tribune previously reported.

Included in those reached settlements are the U. of C., which agreed to pay $13.5 million to settle in 2023, and NU, which agreed to pay $43.5 million in 2024. Both schools did not immediately respond to the Tribune’s request for comment.

According to the July 2 court order, this is the first round of settlement fund distributions. The payment amount each class representative receives depends on multiple variables, including the net price of the university, the dates attended at the institution and how many of the estimated 200,000 class-action members submitted timely claims, according to the Financial Aid Antitrust Settlement’s webpage.

If half of those members submitted a timely claim, the average claimant could receive around $2,000 from the settlement, the website estimates.

Electronic payments through channels like ACH, PayPal, Zelle, Venmo, or Virtual eMasterCard were initiated on July 20, according to the site. For those receiving their settlement payment by physical check, checks are expected to be mailed by July 24. Those receiving payments will have 90 days to cash their checks after issuance before it becomes void, the court order states.

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Tribune reporter Zareen Syed contributed.

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