Xavier University in Cincinnati has agreed to settle a lawsuit filed on behalf of nearly 500 nursing students for $750,000, the Cincinnati Enquirer reported May 1.
The lawsuit, filed in July 2020, alleged that the private university failed to provide proper education to students enrolled in its accelerated bachelor's degree in nursing program in the spring and summer of 2020. The suit claims the entire program was moved online amid the pandemic — and laboratory work and clinical placements were canceled — even though the university's marketing materials previously stated that it was "impossible to earn a BSN 100% online."
The settlement was finalized last month with the help of a mediator.
"Xavier remains proud of the education that we were able to offer students during that time," university spokesperson Doug Ruschman told the Cincinnati Enquirer. "Because the ABSN students were already enrolled in an online nursing program, the only in-person instruction they were not able to take advantage of was clinical instruction due to the worldwide pandemic. Xavier’s substitute instruction offered during that time was approved by the Ohio Board of Nursing, and the students enrolled during those terms were able to graduate on time."