A financial aid antitrust lawsuit filed against Northwestern and 39 other American universities was dismissed Thursday, with the judge citing a lack of both jurisdiction and proven collusion between the universities and College Board. The plaintiffs argued that many non-custodial parents do not financially contribute to their children’s education costs and therefore it should not be considered when allocating financial aid to students. The court dismissed the case without prejudice, meaning the plaintiffs can file an amended lawsuit. Judge Ellis also dismissed the lawsuit on the grounds that the plaintiffs could not plausibly allege that the parallel conduct of the universities adopting the non-custodial parent policy reflected an agreement among the universities to fix financial aid prices. Email: [email protected]X: @caylalcRelated Stories:— Class-action lawsuit alleges Northwestern, College Board illegally raised tuition— Northwestern to pay $43.5 million in settlement of financial aid lawsuit— Northwestern cost of attendance to surpass $80,000, financial aid to increase by 8.4%