Are you a current or former student of the University of Minnesota? If yes, you may receive a payout from a settlement—which resulted from a class action lawsuit filed against the UMN with the allegation that it failed to protect sensitive personal information of students, employees, and applicants in the 2021 data breach and didn’t even notify them promptly.
Someone accessed the Legacy Data Warehouse of the university back in August 2021, and in September 2023, the UNM confirmed publicly that the breach happened in 2021, which involved personal data of many individuals, dating back to 1989. After that, many lawsuits were filed; later, they were compiled into one class action lawsuit.
Between 2024 and 2025, many negotiations led to a settlement of $5 million. The University of Minnesota agreed for the settlement to benefit the individuals whose personal information was leaked, and shortly after, the portal was launched and the filing of the online claim form began, which is still taking place, but the deadline to file is arriving soon.
How to get payment from the University of Minnesota Settlement?
If you are among the students, employees, and applicants whose personal information was compromised in the University of Minnesota 2021 data breach, you can get a payout. For this, you are required to file a claim form through the portal; the deadline for the same is December 24, 2025.
It is highly recommended to each individual who was affected by the UNM 2021 data breach to file a claim at least a few days before the deadline so you don’t have to face any last-minute rush. Make sure you file the claim form accurately, because even a single mistake will result in rejection of your application.
Can I file a claim form?
To file a claim form for this UNM data breach settlement, it is mandatory that you meet the following requirements:
- Your personal information was stored at Legacy Data Warehouse, University of Minnesota, on or before August 2021.
- You were a student, employee, applicant, or program participant at the UNM any time between the years 1989 and 2021, and
- You have received a notice on email or via mail from the settlement administrator that carries a Class Member ID.
Note that you can’t submit a claim form if you are among the University of Minnesota executive, trustee, or court officials involved in the case, or you have opted out from the class members’ settlement.
How to file an online claim form?
Filling an online claim form for the UNM data breach settlement is quite easy; the step-by-step instructions are available below.
- Visit the University of Minnesota data breach settlement portal at https://uofmdatasettlement.com/.
- Find and click on the option that reads ‘Submit Claim,’ and get redirected to another webpage.
- Now, you need to enter your Class Member ID and click on the Next button to access the claim form.
- Fill in all the required details, and choose the payment gateway to receive the payout from settlement.
- Lastly, you have to review your claim form and hit the Submit button to file it.
When and how much will I get?
The payout amount for each claimant will vary; note that the settlement administrator will distribute the fund of $5 million after deducting the attorney fee and administration cost. Note that the amount you can expect to get is likely to be around $30 or even below.
The settlement payment will be distributed on the pro rata basis; if the settlement administrator receives a number of claims less than the expectation, you may expect a big payout amount. If many claim forms are filed, you will receive a small amount.
The payout will come shortly after the final approval. Note the hearing in the court for this settlement will take place on January 28, 2026, at 9:00 a.m. CT. If it gets the final approval on this date without any appeal, the payment will surely come by April 2026.
Disclaimer: This is about the University of Minnesota Settlement. Visit the official website for full details.
