University of Phoenix Has Agreed to Pay $25 a Claim in Its $8.75 Million Website-Tracking Settlement — but Only to Students Who Use the Login ID and PIN Emailed October 6 and File by November 5, 2026

If you were enrolled at the University of Phoenix at any time from April 1, 2023 to October 6, 2026 — or, if you were in Illinois, from April 1, 2020 to October 6, 2026 — you are in the class of this Phoenix website tracking settlement, and you can claim $25.00. The money is not automatic. The settlement site says plainly that submitting a claim form “is the only way to receive a cash payment,” and the deadline for filing online or by mail (postmark) is November 5, 2026. The agreement allows “a maximum of one claim” per class member, no matter how many terms you were enrolled.

The lawsuit claims the school “disclosed its students’ personally identifiable information (‘PII’) to Meta Platforms, Inc. and other third parties without consent,” in violation of the federal Video Privacy Protection Act, the Electronic Communications Privacy Act and the Illinois Eavesdropping Act. The released claims are described as those arising from “cookies, pixels, code, analytics tools, and/or tracking technologies, including, but not limited to the Meta Pixel, on Defendant’s websites.” The University of Phoenix “denies that it violated any law” and settled to avoid the cost and uncertainty of litigation. Beyond the cash, it agreed to tell new U.S. enrollees through a banner and its privacy policy that phoenix.edu “uses cookies and similar tools.”

What is the current status of the University of Phoenix lawsuit? As of October 15, 2026, the settlement has preliminary approval (granted September 22, 2026), the claim period is running, and Judge Gail L. Noll will decide on final approval at a hearing at 9:30 a.m. on November 20, 2026, held by Zoom. The case moved unusually fast: according to the settlement agreement, the parties mediated on June 3, 2026, signed a term sheet on July 16, 2026, and only then filed the lawsuit, on July 21, 2026, in Sangamon County, Illinois.

This is not a fund split evenly among everyone who files. The agreement promises a set amount — “Each Approved Claim shall be for $25.00 subject to pro rata reduction should the Gross Maximum Funding be reached.” That cap, $8,750,000, is “the most that Defendant shall have to pay,” and it includes claim payments, the class representatives’ service awards (no more than $5,000 each), administration costs and class counsel’s fees, which may not exceed 35% of the cap, or $3,062,500. The agreement is built around a class of 350,000 people: if the class turns out to have 385,000 or more members, the school adds $25 for each person above 350,000 and the cap rises accordingly.

By our arithmetic, after the maximum fee and both service awards, about $5,677,500 is left for claims and administration. At $25 a claim that covers roughly 227,100 approved claims — about 65 percent of 350,000 — before the pro rata cut would start, and somewhat fewer once administration costs are deducted. Unless an unusually large share of students files, the payment should stay at the full $25. The flip side: money that is not claimed is simply never paid out, and the agreement says that “Unpaid funds from uncleared checks will revert back to Defendant.” A check not cashed within 180 days of issuance is forfeited.

Timing: the official FAQ says approved claimants “will receive their cash payment approximately 100 days after the settlement has been finally approved and/or any appeals process is complete.” If Judge Noll approves the deal on November 20, 2026 and nobody appeals, 100 days later is February 28, 2027 by our count — so no money arrives in 2026. A check is the default; you can choose Zelle, Venmo or PayPal instead, but the paper claim form notes that electronic payment has to be chosen by filing online.

1. Find the email. Simpluris sent notice by email on October 6, 2026. The school gave the administrator “last known personal email addresses (not email addresses issued by Defendant)” — so search the personal inbox you gave the university, including spam folders, not your student account. Bounced messages are re-sent once where reasonable.

2. Use the Login ID and PIN. They are your proof of membership: “You must provide proof of your Settlement Class membership when filing a claim by providing the unique LoginID and PIN on the notice you received by email.” If you never got one but believe you qualify, email info@UOPPixelSettlement.com to request it, and do it well before November 5, 2026.

3. Read the statement you sign. The claim form asks you to declare under penalty of perjury that you visited a University of Phoenix website during the class period and that “my browser settings were not set to prevent or block cookies or tracking, and I did not use privacy extensions to prevent or block cookies or tracking.” If you routinely blocked trackers, you cannot truthfully sign it.

4. File online at UOPPixelSettlement.com or mail the paper form, postmarked by November 5, 2026, to University of Phoenix Pixel Settlement, c/o Settlement Administrator, P.O. Box 25191, Santa Ana, CA 92799.

Other choices. To keep your right to sue the school yourself, mail an exclusion letter with your name, address, signature, the case name and number and a statement that you want out, to Attn: Exclusion Requests at the same P.O. box, by November 5, 2026. Objections go to the court, with copies to class counsel (Arisohn LLC and Drury Legal, LLC) and to defense counsel (Baker & Hostetler LLP), by the same date. If you do nothing, you get no money but still give up the claims.

The genuine notice comes from the administrator, Simpluris, points to UOPPixelSettlement.com, and carries a unique Login ID and PIN. The administrator’s contact points are (866) 675-2696 (toll-free, 24/7), info@UOPPixelSettlement.com, and P.O. Box 25191, Santa Ana, CA 92799. The paper claim form asks for your name, address, email, phone number and Login ID, plus your signature. If a message about this case sends you anywhere else, verify it through the official site before entering anything.

Can I track my settlement check? Not in this case, because none has been issued: payments can only start after final approval, and the FAQ points to roughly 100 days after that. Questions about a filed claim go to the administrator’s phone line or email above.

Why did I receive a check from Phoenix Settlement Administrators? Not because of this settlement. Phoenix Settlement Administrators is an unrelated company that describes itself as a class action administration firm; the University of Phoenix settlement is run by Simpluris and has paid nothing. A check from that company belongs to a different case, and the case name on the check or its cover letter, or the company itself, is the place to start.

One more mix-up the search results invite: the $85 million settlement the Arizona Attorney General announced with Google in October 2022 was about Google’s collection of smartphone location data, not the University of Phoenix. That money went mostly to Arizona’s general fund, so it has no claim form for individuals.

The claims rest on the federal Video Privacy Protection Act, the federal Electronic Communications Privacy Act and the Illinois Eavesdropping Act — the laws the complaint cites for the Meta Pixel and similar trackers on the school’s websites. Three features of this deal matter most to students: the per-person amount is fixed at $25 rather than a share of a fund; by our arithmetic the cap is unlikely to be reached; and uncashed check money goes back to the school rather than to a second distribution. The non-cash part is modest — a cookie banner and privacy-policy disclosure for new enrollees on phoenix.edu.

What could still change: the judge can approve, reject or ask for changes on November 20, 2026, and the hearing “may be postponed to a different date or time without notice.” We will follow the hearing and the payment date. Our full case page covers this settlement alongside the school’s other litigation.