( January 17, 2024, 3:42 PM EST) -- ALBANY, N.Y. — A federal judge in New York granted final approval of a $6.5 million class settlement to be paid by Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) to students who alleged that they were denied adequate refunds for tuition, fees, room and board and other costs after the school shut down its facilities and switched all classes to online in the spring 2020 semester due to the coronavirus pandemic....