The University of Arizona has settled a gender pay lawsuit from former female staff members who claim they were paid less than their male counterparts, according to a report from The Sacramento Bee. Payout of the $2.6 million settlement will be split between the university and the state of Arizona’s department of risk management.
Filed in Southern California in May 2025, the lawsuit alleges that, from 2022 to 2026, women working in enrollment services at the University of Arizona Global Campus were paid less than men working in the same capacities. Plaintiffs say female staff members were paid $14,425 less, on average, than their male colleagues. One woman claims some men performing “substantially equal jobs” as her were paid upwards of $50,000 more than she was. University of Arizona officials deny the claims of pay discrimination, but agree that the settlement is in the university’s best interest. Some 185 people may be eligible for payouts.
The University of Arizona purchased the University of Arizona Global Campus, formerly known as Ashford University, in 2020 and fully acquired it in 2023. It is a separate institution from the University of Arizona’s existing online offerings via the University of Arizona Online.