University of Newcastle $7.55M Class Action Settlement Approved Over Medical Engineering Degree Accreditation

The University of Newcastle has reportedly received court approval for a $7.55 million settlement in Andreas Sklavos v The University of Newcastle, a class action over the professional accreditation of its Bachelor of Medical Engineering (Honours) degree.

If you enrolled in that degree between November 1, 2017, and July 31, 2019, you may be a group member. There is no verified claim form, claim deadline, administrator or per-person payout yet. Anyone offering you one right now should be treated with caution.

University of Newcastle $7.55M Settlement: Quick Facts

Field	Details
Case	Andreas Sklavos v The University of Newcastle
Court	Supreme Court of New South Wales (Common Law Division, Sydney Registry)
Case number	2025/00060605
Plaintiff	Andreas Sklavos
Defendant	The University of Newcastle
Program involved	Bachelor of Medical Engineering (Honours)
Enrollment period	November 1, 2017 – July 31, 2019
Settlement amount	$7.55 million
Status	Reported as approved on September 30, 2026
Claim deadline	Not yet published
Claim form	None verified
Payment per student	Not yet published
Settlement administrator	Not yet published

Lawyerly reported the $7.55 million approval on September 30, 2026. As of October 1, 2026, the Supreme Court’s public case page had not yet posted the approval order or a distribution scheme, so those details are still pending.

What Andreas Sklavos Alleged Against the University of Newcastle

Andreas Sklavos filed the proceeding on February 14, 2025. The court’s public notice says he alleged that, from around late 2017, the University of Newcastle made representations about the professional accreditation of the Bachelor of Medical Engineering (Honours), and that students who enrolled suffered loss or damage as a result.

These are allegations, not findings. The case ended in a settlement, not a trial judgment, so no court has ruled that the University of Newcastle is legally liable.

Who Qualifies as a University of Newcastle Group Member?

The Supreme Court’s public notice describes group members as people who:

• enrolled in the Bachelor of Medical Engineering (Honours) at the University of Newcastle;
• enrolled between November 1, 2017, and July 31, 2019; and
• suffered loss or damage connected to the matters in the statement of claim.

That does not cover every University of Newcastle engineering student. If you studied a different degree or enrolled outside those dates, don’t assume you qualify. The final approved settlement documents will control eligibility.

Is There a University of Newcastle Settlement Claim Form?

No verified claim form exists yet.

The Supreme Court’s case page lists the statement of claim, the defence, the August 2025 orders, the public notice, the opt-out notice and the communication sent to potential group members. It does not list a settlement notice, distribution scheme, claim form or administrator.

Until those appear, be careful with emails, websites or social posts that ask for a fee to “unlock” a University of Newcastle payment. A genuine court-approved process should not charge you to receive your own settlement share.

How Much Will University of Newcastle Students Receive?

Nobody knows yet. The $7.55 million is the total settlement, not a per-student figure, and it should not be read as an equal split.

In class action settlements, what each person receives usually depends on the court-approved distribution method, the number of eligible group members, and any deductions the court allows for costs, expenses and administration. Until the University of Newcastle distribution scheme is published, treat any individual payout number you see online as unverified.

Do University of Newcastle Settlement Payouts Affect Your Taxes?

It can, and it depends on how the payment is characterized. In general, money that simply reimburses a loss is treated differently from money that replaces income. Because the University of Newcastle distribution scheme isn’t public, no one can say yet how any payment will be classified. Once you receive a notice, a qualified tax adviser in your own country can tell you how it applies to you.

Did Students Need to Opt Out of the University of Newcastle Class Action?

The opt-out stage has already passed. In August 2025, Justice Garling ordered that 4 p.m. on October 17, 2025 would be the deadline for opting out, and the court approved a public notice explaining group members’ rights.

Under that notice, people who stayed in remained group members. People who opted out would not be bound by the outcome and would not share in any compensation. Opting out is not something you can newly do now just because the settlement was approved. How the final orders treat anyone who previously opted out will depend on the approved settlement terms.

What Happens Next in the University of Newcastle Settlement?

The next step is publication of the formal settlement orders and documents. When a court approves a class action settlement, it may also make orders about:

• who is bound by the settlement;
• how the money is distributed;
• deductions for approved costs and expenses;
• how the settlement is administered;
• how eligible group members are identified; and
• the timetable for payments.

None of those specifics has been verified from a posted September 30, 2026 order in this case. When the Supreme Court of New South Wales updates its University of Newcastle class action page, that is where the authoritative terms should appear.

What University of Newcastle Students Should Do Now

If you think you were in the affected Bachelor of Medical Engineering (Honours) cohort, there is nothing verified to submit today. In the meantime, keep:

1. proof of when you enrolled in the Bachelor of Medical Engineering (Honours);
2. your University of Newcastle student records;
3. tuition and other education-related payment records;
4. any communication you received about the degree’s accreditation;
5. any earlier court notice you received about this class action; and
6. your current email and mailing address, so settlement notices reach you.

Then wait for the official notice or the court-approved distribution information before relying on any deadline or amount.

Why the University of Newcastle Case Matters to U.S. Readers

This is an Australian case in an Australian court, so U.S. deadlines and rules don’t apply to it. It still shows how education-related class actions work: a named plaintiff, a defined group of students, an opt-out period, and a settlement that only becomes payable once the court approves a distribution method. For a U.S. example involving a different university, court and legal dispute, see our coverage of $2.2M Drexel University COVID Tuition Refund Settlement, Are You One of the 16,576 Students Who Qualifies?. Its deadlines and eligibility rules do not apply to the University of Newcastle case.

University of Newcastle $7.55M Settlement: Key Dates

Date	Event
November 1, 2017	Start of the enrollment period in the court notice
July 31, 2019	End of the enrollment period in the court notice
February 14, 2025	Andreas Sklavos filed the proceeding
August 14, 2025	Justice Garling made orders on notice and the opt-out process
October 17, 2025	Court-ordered opt-out deadline
September 30, 2026	Lawyerly reported court approval of the $7.55 million settlement
October 1, 2026	No settlement distribution scheme or claim form posted on the court’s case page

Frequently Asked Questions About the University of Newcastle $7.55M Settlement

Is the University of Newcastle $7.55 million settlement real?

Lawyerly reported on September 30, 2026 that a judge approved a $7.55 million settlement of the University of Newcastle engineering accreditation class action. The Supreme Court of New South Wales had not yet posted the approval order on its case page as of October 1, 2026, so the administrative terms are still pending.

Who filed the University of Newcastle class action?

Andreas Sklavos filed Andreas Sklavos v The University of Newcastle in the Supreme Court of New South Wales on February 14, 2025, under Case No. 2025/00060605.

Which University of Newcastle students are covered?

The court’s public notice covers people who enrolled in the Bachelor of Medical Engineering (Honours) between November 1, 2017, and July 31, 2019, and who suffered loss or damage connected to the allegations in the statement of claim.

How much will each University of Newcastle student receive?

It hasn’t been published. The $7.55 million is the total settlement, and the individual amount will depend on the court-approved distribution scheme and any approved deductions.

Is there a University of Newcastle settlement claim form?

Not one that could be verified from the court’s public materials as of October 1, 2026. The case page does not yet list a settlement claim form or administrator.

What is the University of Newcastle settlement claim deadline?

A settlement claim deadline has not been published. The October 17, 2025 date was the deadline to opt out of the proceeding, not a deadline to claim money.

Did the University of Newcastle admit wrongdoing?

A settlement is not a court finding of liability. The case was resolved by settlement, not by a trial judgment on the allegations.

Can University of Newcastle students still opt out?

The court-ordered opt-out deadline was October 17, 2025, and it has passed. How the approved settlement affects any particular person depends on the final court orders and settlement terms.

When will University of Newcastle settlement payments be sent?

No payment date has been published. A timetable should appear in the settlement administration documents once they are released.

Sources for the University of Newcastle Class Action

1. Supreme Court of NSW: University of Newcastle Engineering Accreditation Class Action: case page, parties and public documents.
2. Statement of Claim, filed February 14, 2025: Case No. 2025/00060605.
3. Important Public Notice: enrollment period and group-member criteria.
4. Orders dated August 14, 2025: opt-out deadline and notification procedure.
5. Lawyerly, Settlement Archives: report of the $7.55 million approval on September 30, 2026.

Disclaimer: This article is for information only and is not legal advice. Settlement terms, eligibility and deadlines can change with later court orders.

Researched and written by Israr Ahmad, legal content researcher and founder of AllAboutLawyer.com. All facts verified against the Supreme Court of New South Wales case page, Statement of Claim, Important Public Notice and August 14, 2025 orders (supremecourt.nsw.gov.au), plus Lawyerly’s report of the approval, as of October 1, 2026. Last Updated: October 1, 2026.