A federal judge in Illinois dismissed a college student’s request for a partial refund after a European study abroad program was cut short because of the COVID-19 pandemic, concluding a clause in the organization’s contract offered “no refunds.”
In a Monday opinion, U.S. District Judge Joan B. Gottschall for the Northern District of Illinois granted study abroad organization, the Institute for the International Education of Student’s motion to dismiss breach of contract and unjust enrichment claims brought by then-University of Virginia student, Kristen Galban. Galban sought a refund after her semester-long study abroad program in Vienna, Austria was cut short and moved online in spring 2020, due to the global pandemic.
