Opinion ID: 6321084
Heading Depth: 5
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: George Washington University’s Fees

Text: The Shaffer Plaintiffs aver that “[a] material term of the bargain and contractual relationship” between the parties “was that [GW] would provide . . . access [to] on-campus facilities and services.” Shaffer Compl. ¶ 109, J.A. 43. They allege GW refused to reimburse them for “the fees they paid for services they are not being provided, events they cannot attend, and programs and activities that have been curtailed, discontinued, or closed.” Id. ¶ 5, J.A. 16. However, their pleading contains few specific factual allegations about these purported fees. See, e.g., id. ¶ 50, J.A. 28. In their briefing, Plaintiffs point to a page of the GW Bulletin – attached as an exhibit to their complaint – that refers to “Additional Course Fees” and a student association fee. Id. Ex. A, J.A. 103. Because the Shaffer Plaintiffs highlight no other specific fees, we confine our analysis to the additional course fees and student association fee. As to the additional course fees, the GW Bulletin states that “[s]ome courses carry additional fees, such as a laboratory or material fee, charged by semester as indicated in course descriptions.” Id. We draw the reasonable inference from this description that at least some of these course fees were associated with access to on-campus facilities or services. The scope of this fee is a factual issue for the District Court to resolve. Therefore, the Shaffer Plaintiffs state a claim for breach of contract with respect to the additional course fees. 18 The Bulletin provides the following description of the student association fee: “The student association fee is fixed, in keeping with the fixed-rate tuition plan. Undergraduate students entering in the fall 2019 semester and all graduate students are assessed a nonrefundable student association fee of $3.00 per credit to a maximum of $45.00 per semester.” Id. These express terms do not tie the Student Association Fee to the provision of on-campus services, activities, and programs, and Plaintiffs’ pleading is devoid of any specific factual allegations to the contrary. Accordingly, the District Court did not err by dismissing the breach-of-contract claim with respect to the student association fee.