Posted on 10/27/2025 9:24:21 AM PDT by karpov
Picture this: You’re a high-school senior who just scored early admission into your dream university. You’re elated … until you realize you’ve also locked yourself into whatever financial-aid package the school decides to offer, with no ability to shop around or negotiate.
Congratulations, you’ve just become Exhibit A in a new class-action lawsuit (well, not literally) that accuses America’s most elite universities of running what amounts to an admissions cartel.
Four students filed a federal lawsuit in a Massachusetts federal district court in August, targeting Duke University and other top-tier institutions, as well as the Consortium on Financing Higher Education. Their claim? That the early-decision system, intended to reward enthusiastic applicants, actually serves as cover for an anticompetitive scheme that drives up tuition and guts financial aid.
The plaintiffs want the defendants held “jointly and severally liable,” legalese meaning that any one university can be on the hook for the full damages regardless of its individual role (though it can later seek money from its co-defendants).
The plaintiffs seek to represent a class, pursuing legal action on behalf of other students who experienced similar circumstances. Class-action lawsuits enable a group of plaintiffs to sue on behalf of a larger collection of individuals facing comparable harm (to address situations where individual damages may be minor but collectively significant).
(Excerpt) Read more at jamesgmartin.center ...
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I don’t get it.
You choose to apply for early admission.
The school agrees to offer early admission to you.
You are not forced to attend. You can choose to be a hobo instead, or You can choose to accept the school’s offer.
After you accept the offer from the school, you sue the school because you’ve been treated unfairly? Is that how it works?
Life is unfair. Live with it and get gov’t OUT of our lives!!!!
> I don’t get it. <
Your analysis is correct.
Unfortunately, in this day and age literally everyone is a victim. And there are armies of lawyers standing by to “make things right”.
🙁
These college kids are learning some life lessons. Among those, are that there are trade offs and compromises in life actions.
Early decision has its benefits. If you are rejected by your favored college, you still have time to apply elsewhere. With these financial aid impacts to the early decision process, it would make sense for these applicants to know there can be a downside to early admission.
It sounds like some major life lessons are to be learned. You dont always get everything you want, when you want it.
FTA
Four students filed a federal lawsuit in a Massachusetts federal district court in August, targeting Duke University and other top-tier institutions, as well as the Consortium on Financing Higher Education.
<><>they claim the early-decision system, intended to reward enthusiastic applicants,
<><>actually serves as cover for an anti-competitive scheme,
<><>a scheme that drives up tuition and guts financial aid.
<><>they want the schools to be held “jointly and severally liable.”
That’s legalese, meaning that “any one university” can be on the hook for the “full damages”
regardless of its individual role (though it can later seek money from its co-defendants).
So don’t take early admission.
If it is truly your “dream school” then you do what you can do to attend it.
No one ever said this stuff was “fair.”
unless the early admission process has been corrupted by the terrible racism/anti-Christian/anti-Jewish/anti-Caucasian/anti-Asian discrimination at the colleges,
I can’t see the logic to this litigation.
(I can’t see anything wrong with “early admission” itself)
Free markets are FREE markets, however collusion between competitors to stifle free competitive markets stands in moral and ethical opposition to free markets.
Not all antitrust actions are worthy, but some are.
However, collusion that works by a mere wink and a nod and no agreement of any kind to collude, presents a moral and ethical issue but likely not legal one.
I think what the suit could achieve is a “settlement” decision (1) admitting no wrong doing, (2) an agreement to change practices, but (3) no financial penalties or compensation to any students.
The suit by publicly highlighting the schools anti-competitive practices over early admissions, could win a public victory by getting the practices changed, without a legal victory of any kind.
Well, yeah. That’s how it’s supposed to work. An “early decision” commitment to a school means that you’re only applying to one school. If you want to shop around for a better deal, then you don’t pursue this course of action.
What you said.
They are already ripping everyone off. Add some collusion between universities and you get the shaft as well, for what might be a worthless degree.
For what it’s worth, the NCAA has done away with National Letters of Intent (somewhat similar to Early Admission).
So maybe the colleges should offer a financial aid package, then students can ask for more or they’ll go elsewhere.
If the schools are coordinating their admission selections, then these guys have a case and I wish them the best.
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