For-profit college Walden University settled a lawsuit Thursday for $28.5 million after being accused of intentionally deceiving Black and female students.
According to the suit, the online school advertised the ability to get a Doctorate in Business Administration in just 18 months and targeted those ads toward Black people and women.
But as students came close to completing their degrees, their capstone projects were delayed for months and months on end, forcing them to rack up additional tuition costs, the suit claimed.
“After the coursework phase, Walden then intentionally trapped (and continues to trap) DBA students in the capstone phase, which Walden purposefully prolonged to ensure ongoing enrollment and make more money,” the suit read.
Walden did not admit wrongdoing in the settlement. However, the initial lawsuit sought at least $28.5 million in damages, which turned out to be the settlement amount.
An estimated 41% of Walden’s doctorate program students were Black when the suit was first introduced in January 2022, according to the National Student Legal Defense Network, which filed the case. That was seven times the national average.
“Students alleged that Walden masked deception as diversity by targeting their DBA degrees at Black and female students who were hoping to advance their careers,” said the group’s president, Aaron Ament.
Around 3,000 students are expected to be eligible for the settlement money.
Walden has faced similar accusations in the past, and for-profit universities across the country have been accused of deception. Grand Canyon University was slammed last year with the largest fine in the history of the Education Department, $37.7 million, for lying to students about its own programs.
With News Wire Services
