CollegeNET and The Common Application Agree to Settle Antitrust Case

Common Application agrees to modify various practices

Settlement ends 5-year battle in federal court

PORTLAND, Ore.--()--CollegeNET, Inc. and The Common Application, Inc. released the following joint statement today:

The Common Application and CollegeNET have agreed to resolve and dismiss the lawsuit brought by CollegeNET in May 2014. The matter has been resolved in a way satisfactory to the Parties pursuant to a confidential settlement agreement whereby, without admitting liability, Common Application has agreed commencing with the 2019-2020 application season to modify certain of its challenged practices.”

This antitrust litigation was filed by CollegeNET in federal court almost five years ago. The lawsuit alleged that Common Application had violated federal antitrust law by maintaining its monopoly through anticompetitive business practices in the market to process online undergraduate applications.

The case was first filed in May 2014 in the federal district court in Portland, Oregon. In May 2015, the judge hearing the case dismissed it, but CollegeNET successfully appealed that ruling. Since October 2017, when the court of appeals sent the case back to the district court, both sides were vigorously litigating the case. Trial was not scheduled until August 2020.

Following settlement, CollegeNET CEO Jim Wolfston said, “CollegeNET is grateful for the hard work The Common Application applied during our settlement discussions. I appreciate the fact that Common Application officials were thoughtful, open, and willing to work through the practices challenged in the lawsuit. In this divided age where gossip, nicknames, and recriminations now prevail, it is important that Higher Education can provide this example where all parties exit with graciousness even after having engaged vigorously in a high stakes disagreement.”

About CollegeNET, Inc.

CollegeNET, Inc. builds on-demand SaaS technologies that help institutions improve operational efficiency, enhance communication with constituents, and save money. The company's systems are used by 1,300 institutions worldwide for event and academic scheduling, recruitment and admissions management, web-based tuition processing, instructor and course evaluation, and web-based career services for students. The company publishes the Social Mobility Index www.socialmobilityindex.org which ranks colleges according to how successfully they enroll economically disadvantaged students and graduate them into good paying jobs. CollegeNET.com has awarded more than $2 million in scholarships to date. The company is headquartered in Portland, Oregon.

Contacts

Media Contact:
Tiffany Souza
tsouza@collegenet.com
503.973.5258

Contacts

Media Contact:
Tiffany Souza
tsouza@collegenet.com
503.973.5258