Montana Students Suing Over Tuition Fail in Class Action Bid

A group of University of Montana professional degree program students lost their bid to certify as a class action their lawsuit alleging the state’s residency policy wrongly denies them in-state tuition rates.

Judge Donald W. Molloy, of the US District Court for the District of Montana, rejected the students’ effort, saying Monday that they don’t meet several of the requirements of Rule 23, the federal procedural rule that guides class action certifications.

The plaintiffs are students and former students who enrolled in professional degree programs including law, pharmacy, and physical therapy at the University of Montana at Missoula. The plaintiffs ...