Elite Colleges Fight Back in Early-Decision Collusion Lawsuit

More than 30 top colleges jointly filed a motion to dismiss a case accusing them of using early decision admissions policies to inflate the cost of higher education, arguing the student plaintiffs lack antitrust standing and haven’t alleged direct evidence of a conspiracy.

“No Plaintiff offers factual allegations showing they would have paid less tuition or received more financial aid absent any alleged agreement,” according to the motion filed Wednesday by the colleges in the US District Court for the District of Massachusetts. “Plaintiffs’ theories of harm simply layer implausible speculation on top of implausible speculation and thus fail to ...