SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (AP) – Missouri State University has agreed to pay $25,000 to a former student who sued after he was removed from a counseling program because he wouldn’t counsel gay couples.

The Springfield News-Leader reports the settlement with Andrew Cash was final last month. The newspaper reported the details after submitting an open records request. Cash sued the university in April, saying he was removed from the university’s master’s counseling program in 2014 after he said his religious beliefs prevented him from counseling gay couples.

The $25,000 is the estimated cost for Cash to obtain a master’s degree at another university.

University spokeswoman Suzanne Shaw says the settlement will be paid from the state’s legal defense fund.