Troy University Students Sue Over Secretly Scrapped AI Master's Program
Twelve students say Troy University let them keep enrolling and paying tuition for months after quietly killing the AI master's degree they'd signed up for.
What happened: Twelve students in Troy University's new Master of Science in Artificial Intelligence program have sued the Alabama school, alleging it secretly shut the program down while letting them keep paying for classes. According to the complaint filed in Montgomery County Circuit Court, the group started orientation in January 2025 and coursework the following month, around the same time Troy held a campus ceremony publicizing its entry into AI education. The students say Troy quietly ended the degree program in December 2025 but didn't tell them until April 2026 — months later. When they were finally informed, the university reportedly offered an online certificate instead, which the students say wasn't the degree they'd signed up for.
Why it matters: The case lands as colleges nationwide rush to launch AI-related degrees to meet demand from students and employers chasing the technology boom. If the allegations hold up, it suggests a university built and marketed a flagship AI program faster than it could sustain it — leaving enrolled students holding course credits and tuition bills for a credential that, internally, no longer existed. For anyone weighing a pricey, newly created master's degree in a fast-moving field like AI, the lawsuit is a reminder to check how established and accredited a brand-new program really is before committing a year or more of tuition and career plans to it.
What the lawsuit claims: The students' complaint accuses Troy of negligent, intentional, deceptive, and fraudulent conduct for continuing to enroll and teach them after the program was reportedly already terminated internally. They are seeking compensatory damages — covering tuition, lost time, and career setbacks — plus punitive damages, which courts award to punish especially reckless or dishonest conduct. The students say the fallout has hit their finances, job prospects, and professional reputations, since an AI master's credential from a scrapped program carries very different weight than a live, accredited one. Troy's own account of events isn't part of the reporting so far.
What happens next: The case now moves through Alabama's civil court system, where Troy could contest the claims, negotiate a settlement, or let a judge or jury decide whether its handling of the program amounted to fraud. No public response from the university has been reported yet. Students elsewhere enrolled in newly launched AI degree tracks may watch the outcome closely, since a ruling here could shape how freely universities can market unproven programs — and what they owe students if those programs collapse.