Temple University’s Online MBA Ranking

January 2019: A federal judge preliminarily approved two settlement agreements that would provide class members with monetary and injunctive relief. According to the settlement terms, the school agreed to, among other things:

• Create a $5,000 ethics scholarship,
• Use an independent auditor for at least three years,
• Consult with the Dean’s Student Advisory Council and the Ethics & Data Integrity Committee for at least three years,
• Give class members free access to videos of its online MBA educational materials for three years,
• Host at least one networking event for alumni, and
• Provide twelve months of career counseling to class members.

The university also agreed to establish a settlement fund that will be used to pay class members after the attorneys’ fees, class representative awards, and other expenses are paid. The plan for distributing the funds to the class members has not yet been filed in the court.

2018: A class-action action lawsuit was filed against Temple University alleging that the university misreported certain data to organizations – including U.S. News – and, as a result, achieved higher rankings, which led to students paying higher tuition. The complaint was originally filed in February and amended in December. (Smith et al v. Temple University, Case No. 18-cv-590, E. D. PA.)