Taxpayers Avoid Footing the $17.6 Million Legal Bill for UNC ‘Paper Class’ Scandal

The bill for legal fees continues to rise at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill after the university was sued for holding “paper classes” to help their student pass fake courses. According to Inside Higher Ed, the legal costs sit at $17.6 million. But will taxpayers foot the bill? As of right now, the answer is no.

The university produced at least 1.7 million records related to the investigations and lawsuits filed on behalf of the students. Yet, the $17.6 million will not be paid off with tuition or state funding.

The scandal allegedly spanned eighteen years and involved over three thousand student athletes at UNC, half of whom were student-athletes. These “paper classes” meant that the courses were not taught by university faculty members, classes did not meet in-person, grades were based on a single assignment and it was a pass-fail grade “regardless of accuracy or quality,” Inside Higher Ed reported.

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