12 students file suit against Troy University

Twelve students filed a lawsuit against Troy University, alleging the university misled them about a master’s degree in artificial intelligence and failed to notify them for months after withdrawing its proposal for the program.

The lawsuit, filed Oct. 1 in Montgomery County Circuit Court, named Troy and five university officials as defendants. The plaintiffs alleged they were recruited into the Master of Science in Artificial Intelligence program before the degree ever received state approval.

Troy University declined an interview request but did provide a statement to the Tropolitan. The statement states:

“Troy University takes students’ concerns about their academic programs seriously. We recognize the significant investment of time, effort and resources that students make in pursuing a graduate degree.

“The University is aware of the lawsuit and will address the allegations through the appropriate legal process. We have no further comment at this time.”

According to the complaint, students attended an orientation for the program in January 2025 and began classes in February.

The lawsuit alleges Troy submitted its degree proposal to the Alabama Commission on Higher Education in October 2025, about eight months after classes began.

According to the complaint, Troy withdrew the proposal Dec. 16, 2025, before the commission voted. An email reproduced in the filing indicates the university planned to pursue a graduate certificate instead.

The plaintiffs allege they were not informed the degree would not be offered until April 7, 2026, nearly four months after the withdrawal.

The lawsuit also alleges university officials changed students' academic records without their consent to reflect enrollment in other programs, including a Master of Science in Management with an artificial intelligence concentration.

The plaintiffs claim they continued taking classes believing they were pursuing the original degree.

According to the lawsuit, students suffered financial and professional losses, including tuition expenses, lost job opportunities and coursework they could not transfer to other institutions.

The plaintiffs also alleged university officials initially told them the commission denied the program's proposal, although Troy had withdrawn it before a vote.

The lawsuit includes claims of fraud, fraudulent suppression, breach of contract, promissory estoppel and statutory deceit.

The plaintiffs seek compensatory damages and, for certain claims, punitive damages, along with interest and court costs. The complaint does not specify a dollar amount.

Troy University announced its Center for Artificial Intelligence Research and Education at its Montgomery campus in April 2025. The center is separate from the master’s degree proposal at issue in the lawsuit.