Columbia University agreed to pay $9 million to settle a proposed class action by students who claimed it submitted false data to boost its position in U.S. News & World Report’s influential college rankings.
A preliminary settlement, which requires a judge’s approval, was filed on Monday in Manhattan federal court.
Students said Columbia artificially inflated its U.S. News ranking for undergraduate schools, reaching No. 2 in 2022, by consistently reporting false data, including that 83% of its classes had fewer than 20 students.
