Educational Computer Systems Data Breach Settlement, Check If You Qualify — Hood, et al. v. Educational Computer Systems, Inc., No. 2:24-cv-00666-CCW

There’s an estimated $100 waiting for you if your personal information was potentially accessed in the ECSI cyberattack between October 29, 2023 and February 12, 2024. Educational Computer Systems agreed to a $6,500,000 settlement fund to resolve the claims. You have until December 21, 2026 to file. This is Hood, et al. v. Educational Computer Systems, Inc., No. 2:24-cv-00666-CCW, in the Western District of Pennsylvania.

Educational Computer Systems Data Breach Settlement — Key Facts

Item	Details
Settlement Amount	$6,500,000.00 settlement fund
Claim Deadline	December 21, 2026 (online, or postmarked if mailed)
Who Qualifies	All persons residing in the United States whose Personal Information was potentially accessed in the October 29, 2023 to February 12, 2024 cyberattack
Estimated Payout	Up to $5,000.00 for documented losses, or approximately $100.00 Alternative Cash Payment (pro rata). One option only
Proof Required	Yes for documented losses. No for the Alternative Cash Payment
Settlement Status	Preliminarily approved August 5, 2026. Final approval hearing set for January 11, 2027
Court & Case Number	U.S. District Court, Western District of Pennsylvania — No. 2:24-cv-00666-CCW
Law Alleged	Negligence, including negligence per se under Section 5 of the FTC Act (15 U.S.C. § 45)
Administrator	Angeion Group
Official Claim Site	datasettlementecsi.com/submit-claim
Last Updated	October 3, 2026

Who Is Educational Computer Systems and Why Are They Being Sued for a Data Breach?

Educational Computer Systems, Inc. (ECSI) is a Pennsylvania company that, according to the complaint, handles student loan servicing and tax paperwork for more than 1,750 colleges and universities. It generates the Form 1098-E and Form 1098-T tax forms that carry students’ names and Social Security numbers, the details identity thieves go after. Your school hired ECSI, not you.

What Did ECSI Allegedly Do to College Students and Borrowers Between October 29, 2023 and February 12, 2024?

Here’s what the complaint says. ECSI’s website had a guest tax search feature that let people pull tax forms without logging in, and criminals started using it on October 29, 2023. ECSI, in the complaint’s words, “failed to notice the theft for approximately four months” (Consolidated Amended Class Action Complaint, ¶ 1).

Around February 12, 2024, ECSI saw an unusually high volume of access attempts and eventually shut the feature down. Notice letters started going out on or about April 19, 2024, more than two months after that. That’s a long time to wait.

The suit claims negligence, and it points to Section 5 of the FTC Act, the federal law that bars unfair business practices and that the FTC reads to cover failing to protect personal data. ECSI denies everything. The court hasn’t picked a side, and it tossed two of the original claims in May 2025, breach of implied contract and invasion of privacy, before the case settled.

Documented costs sit at the center of deals like this, and the AllTrust Networks data breach settlement we covered pays them too. Did your school use ECSI? If so, that exposure window covers you.

Who Qualifies for the Educational Computer Systems Data Breach Settlement?

If you’re asking “do I qualify for the ECSI settlement,” here’s exactly how to know.

Who is included:

• People living in the United States whose Personal Information was potentially accessed in the cyberattack
• Current and former students at colleges that use ECSI’s services
• Anyone who received a settlement notice or an earlier breach letter from ECSI

Who is not included:

• The judge on the case, plus the judge’s staff and immediate family
• Anyone a court has found guilty of taking part in the attack, or who pleaded no contest to it
• Those who timely and validly opt out

Plaintiffs told the court the class has 2,577,994 potential members, so you’re in a very large group if a notice reached you. You don’t have to prove a thing to be in it. Proof only matters for the bigger payment.

Not sure whether you’re included? Call the administrator at 1-877-726-4268 or visit datasettlementecsi.com.

Educational Computer Systems Data Breach Victims Outside Pennsylvania — Are You Still Covered?

Yes. This is a federal case, and the class covers anyone residing within the United States. The named plaintiffs alone come from New York, Massachusetts, Virginia, Rhode Island and Michigan.

Not sure if you qualify for the Educational Computer Systems data breach settlement? A free legal consultation with a data privacy attorney can help before the December 21, 2026 deadline.

How Much Can Educational Computer Systems Data Breach Settlement Class Members Get? Up to $5,000 Per Person

How much will I get from the ECSI settlement? Data breach compensation here comes in two forms, and you can only take one.

ECSI Payout With Proof — Up to $5,000

Keep every statement. If you can document losses caused by the incident between October 29, 2023 and December 21, 2026, you can claim up to $5,000.00, but never more than you can prove. Covered items include bank fees, postage, gas for local trips, per-minute phone charges, and fees for credit reports, credit monitoring or identity theft services you bought in that window.

You have to show the amount and why you believe the incident more likely than not caused it. Bank statements, invoices, emails, receipts and phone records count, but handwritten receipts alone get rejected. That’s a real hurdle.

ECSI Payout Without Proof — About $100

No receipts? Take the Alternative Cash Payment, estimated at approximately $100.00. It’s pro rata, so the final number could rise or fall once the administrator counts every approved claim. You can’t take this and the documented-loss payment together.

How and When ECSI Payments Arrive

Pick PayPal, Venmo, Zelle or a mailed check on the claim form. Don’t expect it soon. The hearing is January 11, 2027, and the notice says the judge has no deadline to decide, so payment waits on that ruling and any appeals.

Taxes matter here. Payments over $600 may appear on a 1099, so check with a tax professional before you file your return.

What Pro-Rata Means for Your ECSI Check

The fund pays others first. Per the claim form, court-approved attorneys’ fees and costs, service awards and administration costs come out before the net remainder funds your benefits. Class Counsel plans to ask for up to $2,166,666.66, one-third of the fund, and each of the five class representatives may receive $2,500.00.

The judge noted that a 33% fee is “on the higher end for data breach cases,” but let the deal move forward at this preliminary stage (Opinion re Preliminary Approval, Aug. 5, 2026). Uncashed checks aren’t wasted. After 180 days, leftover money goes to class members who cashed their checks if everyone would get at least $5.00, and otherwise to a charity the parties pick.

Here’s my math, not the administrator’s. Take $6,500,000, subtract the maximum $2,166,666.66 in fees and costs and $12,500.00 in service awards, and you’re left with about $4,320,833.34 before administration costs. Spread across 2,577,994 potential class members that’s roughly $1.68 each, and paying $100 apiece would use up the money with only about 43,208 claimants.

That’s about 1.7% of the class. If more people file, your roughly $100 shrinks, and if fewer file, it can grow, because the fund is split among approved claims.

How to File Your Educational Computer Systems Data Breach Settlement Claim — Step by Step

1. Go to datasettlementecsi.com/submit-claim, the official claim site.
2. Enter your name, mailing address, phone number and email address.
3. Choose one option: documented out-of-pocket losses or the Alternative Cash Payment.
4. Upload proof if you’re claiming losses, such as bank or card statements, invoices or phone records.
5. Pick how you want to be paid (PayPal, Venmo, Zelle or check), then sign and date. You’re attesting under penalty of perjury.
6. Submit and save any confirmation you get. Prefer mail? Print the form and postmark it by December 21, 2026 to: ECSI Security Incident Settlement Administrator, ATTN: Claim Forms, 1650 Arch Street, Suite 2210, Philadelphia, PA 19103.

Pull your statements first. The claim itself is the easy part.

Should Educational Computer Systems Class Members Opt Out or Object Before November 20, 2026?

What Opting Out of the ECSI Settlement Actually Means

Opting out means no payment. You keep your right to sue ECSI yourself, and most people shouldn’t opt out without legal advice. Mail a letter or postcard, postmarked by November 20, 2026, with the case name and number from the table above, your full name, postal address, email address, your physical signature and a clear statement that you want out.

ECSI Security Incident Settlement Administrator ATTN: Exclusion Requests P.O. Box 58220 Philadelphia, PA 19102

Leave anything out and the request is invalid, so you’d stay in the settlement.

How to Object to the ECSI Settlement

Objecting keeps you in the class. You tell the court why you think the settlement isn’t fair, but the judge can only approve or deny it, not rewrite it. Your written objection must be postmarked or filed by November 20, 2026, with your name, address, email, proof you’re a class member, your grounds and the other items listed in the notice, and it goes to the court clerk, Class Counsel and ECSI’s lawyers.

Clerk’s Office, U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania Joseph F. Weis, Jr. U.S. Courthouse 700 Grant Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15219

Talk to a class action lawsuit attorney before November 20, 2026 if you’re considering either option. If you’ve lost real money to identity theft, ask whether an identity theft lawsuit of your own makes sense.

Educational Computer Systems Data Breach Settlement — Key Dates, 2026

Milestone	Date
Settlement Proposed (tentative deal reported to court)	October 9, 2025
Motion for Preliminary Approval Filed	January 16, 2026
Preliminary Approval Granted	August 5, 2026
Claims Period Opens	UNVERIFIED — start date not stated in the documents reviewed
Class Counsel Fee Application Due	November 5, 2026
Opt-Out Deadline	November 20, 2026 (postmarked)
Objection Deadline	November 20, 2026 (postmarked or filed)
Claim Filing Deadline	December 21, 2026
Motion for Final Approval Due	December 21, 2026
Final Approval Hearing	January 11, 2027, 9:30 AM EST, by telephone
Expected Payment Date	UNVERIFIED — follows final approval and any appeals; no date given

One catch. The notice says fees, costs and expenses together can’t top one-third of the fund, but the court’s opinion describes one-third in fees plus documented costs. If it’s the second version, the pool for your payment could be smaller than my math shows.

What Should ECSI Data Breach Class Members Do Before December 21, 2026?

You have 79 days from today to file and 48 days before the opt-out and objection deadline. Most people should simply file a claim.

Educational Computer Systems Data Breach — Frequently Asked Questions, No. 2:24-cv-00666-CCW

Do I need a lawyer to file an Educational Computer Systems data breach settlement claim?

 No. You can file online at datasettlementecsi.com or mail the claim form to the settlement administrator in Philadelphia. The court appointed Nicholas Colella of Lynch Carpenter LLP and Nickolas Hagman of Cafferty Clobes Meriwether & Sprengel LLP as Class Counsel, and they’re paid from the settlement fund if the court approves.

Is the Educational Computer Systems data breach settlement legitimate? 

Yes, it’s court-supervised. Judge Christy Criswell Wiegand of the Western District of Pennsylvania granted preliminary approval on August 5, 2026, and a final approval hearing is set for January 11, 2027. You can also check the case docket through PACER.

When will ECSI settlement payments be sent?

 Only after the court grants final approval and any appeals are resolved. The final approval hearing is January 11, 2027 at 9:30 AM EST by telephone, and the notice says the court has no deadline to decide. No payment date has been published.

What if I missed the ECSI claim deadline? 

The December 21, 2026 deadline covers online claims and mailed claims, which must be postmarked by then. Miss it and you get no money, but you still give up the right to sue ECSI over the released claims. Check the settlement website, since the court can change deadlines.

Will my ECSI settlement payment go on a 1099?

 The documents I reviewed don’t address taxes. Payments over $600 may appear on a 1099, and documented-loss claims can reach $5,000.00. Ask a tax professional about your own situation before you file your return.

How much will I get from the ECSI data breach settlement?

 Up to $5,000.00 if you document out-of-pocket losses, or approximately $100.00 as a pro rata Alternative Cash Payment. The fund is $6,500,000.00 before fees, costs and awards. You get one benefit, not both, and the notice lists no credit monitoring.

Can I claim both the documented loss payment and the $100 payment from ECSI? 

No. The notice says you can receive only one of the two. If you claim out-of-pocket losses, you can’t also select the Alternative Cash Payment on the claim form, so pick based on whether you can prove roughly $100 or more in losses.

Am I part of the ECSI lawsuit if my college used ECSI for my tax forms?

 Likely yes, if your information was potentially accessed. The complaint says ECSI serves more than 1,750 colleges, and the named plaintiffs attended Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Hofstra University, Rhode Island College and Calvin University. Not sure? Call the administrator at 1-877-726-4268.

Sources Used in This Educational Computer Systems Data Breach Article

• Settlement Administrator (Angeion Group) — Settlement website home page, accessed October 3, 2026: https://www.datasettlementecsi.com/
• Settlement Administrator — Long Form Notice, accessed October 3, 2026: https://angeion-public.s3.amazonaws.com/www.datasettlementecsi.com/docs/ECSI_Long%20Notice.pdf
• Settlement Administrator — Claim Form, accessed October 3, 2026: https://angeion-public.s3.amazonaws.com/www.datasettlementecsi.com/docs/ECSI_Claim%20Form_FINAL.pdf
• U.S. District Court, W.D. Pa. — Consolidated Amended Class Action Complaint (ECF No. 30), filed September 13, 2024: https://angeion-public.s3.amazonaws.com/www.datasettlementecsi.com/docs/2024-09-13%20-%20030%20-%20Consolidated%20Amended%20Complaint.pdf
• U.S. District Court, W.D. Pa. — Opinion re Preliminary Approval (ECF No. 63), August 5, 2026: https://angeion-public.s3.amazonaws.com/www.datasettlementecsi.com/docs/2026-08-05%2063%20Opinion%20re%20Preliminary%20Approval.pdf

Researched and written by Israr Ahmad, legal content researcher and founder of AllAboutLawyer.com. All facts verified against the court filings and official settlement documents posted on the settlement website, including the complaint, the court’s preliminary approval opinion, the Long Form Notice and the Claim Form, on October 3, 2026. Last Updated: October 3, 2026.

This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Laws vary by state and individual circumstances differ. For advice about your specific situation, consult a qualified attorney.