Dartmouth College and nine women who claimed they were raped, sexually assaulted or harassed by their professors said on Tuesday that they had reached a $14.4 million settlement, in a case that forced soul-searching in academia about the system of mentoring and promoting graduate students in the sciences.

The women accused three Dartmouth professors in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, whose research included studies of sexual desire and attractiveness, of coercing them into an alcohol- and sex-saturated party culture in the human behavior lab that they led. The professors, all men, used their power over their students’ academic careers and future employment to keep them from complaining, the women said.

A “21st century Animal House” atmosphere took hold as far back as 2002, while the college administration looked the other way, according to the lawsuit. The case prompted protests from students and alumni about how the college handled sexual misconduct complaints.

The lawsuit was filed against the university, not directly against the professors — Todd F. Heatherton, William M. Kelley and Paul J. Whalen — who retired or resigned after Dartmouth moved to revoke their tenure. The professors do not face any financial consequences from the settlement. But they could still be found liable through other venues, like criminal prosecution.