IES Abroad $250 Vienna Settlement, You Paid for Vienna. IES Sent You Home. Now There’s $250 Waiting

If you enrolled in the IES Abroad spring 2020 study abroad program in Vienna and paid the company directly for tuition and housing, a $250 check is coming your way — automatically, no claim form required. A federal court in Illinois has preliminarily approved a class action settlement in Galban v. Institute for the International Education of Students, Case No. 1:22-cv-4917. You just need to make sure IES has your current address, and decide whether to stay in or opt out before May 4, 2026.

Field	Detail
Settlement Amount	$21,500 class fund (all payments to class members)
Who Qualifies	Spring 2020 IES Abroad Vienna program students who paid IES directly for tuition and housing
Payout Per Person	$250
Claim Form Required	No — payment is automatic
Settlement Status	Preliminarily Approved
Opt-Out / Objection Deadline	May 4, 2026
Final Approval Hearing	June 24, 2026
Expected Payment Date	30–60 days after final approval
Administrator	American Legal Claim Services
Official Website	austriastudyabroadsettlement.com

Where things stand: The court has granted preliminary approval. IES Abroad has agreed to pay $250 to each eligible class member. The final approval hearing is set for June 24, 2026 — payments go out 30 to 60 days after that, assuming the court signs off. If you want to opt out and preserve your right to sue separately, you must act by May 4, 2026.

IES Sent Spring 2020 Students Home Mid-Semester — Then Kept the Money

When COVID-19 hit in March 2020, IES Abroad pulled the plug on its Vienna program and moved instruction online. Students who had paid thousands of dollars for an in-person semester in Austria — including housing, meals, field trips, and classroom instruction in one of Europe’s most storied cities — suddenly found themselves doing Zoom classes from their childhood bedrooms.

Plaintiff Kristen Galban filed a class action lawsuit in 2022 in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, alleging that IES Abroad breached its contract by failing to deliver the in-person experience students had paid for. The lawsuit claimed IES was unjustly enriched by retaining payments for tuition, room and board, meals, and field trips that students paid for but never received.

The case hit a wall at the district court level. The district court agreed with IES and dismissed the case based on language in the IES contract that provided authority for IES to change its program at any time. Galban appealed that decision to the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals. Before the appeals court ruled, the parties agreed to settle.

IES Abroad denies all wrongdoing and maintains it had the contractual right to modify its programs. The settlement is not an admission of liability.

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Did You Pay IES Directly? Then You’re Likely In.

The class in this settlement is intentionally narrow. Not every student affected by the 2020 Vienna cancellation automatically qualifies.

• You may qualify if you were enrolled in IES Abroad’s spring 2020 study abroad program in Vienna, Austria.
• You may qualify if you paid IES Abroad directly for tuition and housing related to that program.
• You likely do not qualify if your home university paid IES on your behalf and you paid the university — in that case, your school may be the proper party, not you personally.

IES Abroad has identified class members from its own business records, so most eligible students have already been identified and will receive payment automatically. If you believe you qualify but haven’t received a notice, contact the settlement administrator at [email protected].

The $250 Is Coming Whether You File a Claim or Not

This is one of the rare settlements where you don’t need to do anything to get paid.

Settlement class members who do nothing will automatically receive a $250 payment by check, mailed to the student’s last known mailing address as reflected in IES’s records, once the settlement is finally approved by the court.

That said, there are two things worth doing before the deadline:

Update your address if you’ve moved since spring 2020. IES is using the address it has on file, which for many students could be a dorm room or an apartment they left years ago. Visit austriastudyabroadsettlement.com to update your mailing address.

Choose electronic payment if you’d rather not wait on a paper check. Class members who submit an online payment selection can receive payment via Venmo, PayPal, Zelle, or ACH bank transfer. You can make that selection at austriastudyabroadsettlement.com/page/preclaim.

What the Settlement Fund Actually Looks Like

The total class fund is relatively small, which reflects both the narrow class size and the litigation risk involved. Here’s how the money breaks down:

Attorneys’ fees and expenses come to up to $30,000, and the service award to class representative Kristen Galban is up to $8,200. The payments to eligible class members total $21,500.

The attorneys’ fees are paid separately from the class fund, so the $250 per-person amount is not reduced by legal costs. Class Counsel from Varnell & Warwick, P.A. is asking the court to approve $30,000 in fees, and this amount will not reduce the settlement payments being made to class members.

Three Things to Do Before May 4, 2026

Step 1 — Verify your address. Go to austriastudyabroadsettlement.com and update your mailing address if anything has changed since spring 2020. This takes under two minutes.

Step 2 — Choose your payment method. If you want your $250 via Venmo, Zelle, PayPal, or ACH instead of a paper check, visit austriastudyabroadsettlement.com/page/preclaim and select your preference before the opt-out deadline.

Step 3 — Decide whether to stay in or opt out. If you want to keep your right to sue IES Abroad individually over the spring 2020 Vienna program, you must mail a written opt-out request postmarked by May 4, 2026 to: Galban v IES, c/o Settlement Administrator, PO Box 23309, Jacksonville, FL 32241. If you opt out, you get no payment from this settlement.

If you object to the settlement’s terms rather than opting out, you must also submit your written objection postmarked by May 4, 2026 — both to the clerk of court and to counsel listed on the official FAQ page.

Four Years From Lawsuit to Payout — The Timeline

Milestone	Date
Spring 2020 semester abruptly moved online	March 2020
Galban files class action in N.D. Illinois	2022
District court dismisses case (upholds IES contract clause)	TBD — pre-settlement
Galban appeals to Seventh Circuit	TBD — pre-settlement
Parties agree to settle before appeals court rules	TBD
Preliminary approval granted	TBD
Opt-Out / Objection Deadline	May 4, 2026
Final Approval Hearing	June 24, 2026
Expected Payment Date	30–60 days after final approval

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need to file a claim form to get my $250?

 No. This settlement does not require a claim form. Every eligible class member automatically receives $250 by check mailed to their address on file with IES Abroad. The only action needed is to update your address if it has changed, or to elect electronic payment if you prefer.

Is this settlement legitimate?

 Yes. The case is Galban v. Institute for the International Education of Students, Case No. 1:22-cv-4917, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. The official settlement website is austriastudyabroadsettlement.com and is administered by American Legal Claim Services, a recognized settlement administrator.

When will I receive my payment? 

The settlement administrator will send payments 30 to 60 days after the court grants final approval. The final approval hearing is scheduled for June 24, 2026. Checks expire and become void 180 days after they are issued, so cash or deposit yours promptly.

What if I missed the opt-out deadline? 

If you do not opt out by May 4, 2026, you remain part of the settlement class, you receive $250, and you give up your right to file a separate lawsuit against IES Abroad over the spring 2020 Vienna program. Missing the deadline means you are automatically bound by the settlement’s terms.

Will this $250 settlement payment affect my taxes? 

Possibly. Settlement payments related to a breach of contract claim may be treated as ordinary income by the IRS depending on your situation. Consult a tax professional if you have questions about how this payment affects your specific tax filing.

My university paid IES on my behalf — do I still qualify?

 Probably not. The class is limited to students who paid IES Abroad directly for tuition and housing. If your home institution collected your program fees and paid IES on your behalf, you likely do not meet the eligibility requirement. Contact the settlement administrator to confirm.

Can I still sue IES Abroad for more money if I stay in the settlement?

 No. Accepting the $250 settlement payment means you release all claims against IES Abroad related to the spring 2020 Vienna program. If you believe your damages are substantially higher and want to pursue your own claim, you must opt out by May 4, 2026.

What did IES Abroad say about the lawsuit?

 IES Abroad denied all allegations and maintained that its contracts gave it the right to modify or cancel programs. The district court actually ruled in IES’s favor before Galban appealed. The settlement came together during the appeal — IES agreed to pay rather than wait for an uncertain outcome at the Seventh Circuit.

Sources & References

1. Official settlement website: austriastudyabroadsettlement.com
2. Settlement FAQ (American Legal Claim Services): austriastudyabroadsettlement.com/page/faq
3. Key dates: austriastudyabroadsettlement.com/page/dates
4. Court docket: Galban v. Institute for the International Education of Students, Case No. 1:22-cv-4917, U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois

Last Updated: April 3, 2026

Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Legal claims and outcomes depend on specific facts and applicable law. For advice regarding a particular situation, consult a qualified attorney.