CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) — Northwestern, the University of Chicago, and University of Notre Dame are among a network of elite schools who allegedly conspired to tilt the admissions playing field toward wealthy applicants by holding down financial aid.
On Monday, a judge rejected arguments that the schools named in the lawsuit were protected by a partial antitrust exemption.
Lawyers alleged that the schools set financial aid according to a common formula, instead of trying to attract students with the most generous aid packages.
Among the allegations in the complaint are that each of the named universities artificially decreased financial aid while increasing the tuition prices.
“Over almost two decades, Defendants have overcharged over 200,000 financial aid recipients by at least hundreds of millions of dollars collectively,” the complaint states.
It also said the schools gave preferential treatment to wealthy applicants.
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