LOS ANGELES — The University of Southern California has agreed to pay $215 million to settle a federal lawsuit filed by hundreds of women who say that they were sexually abused by the former head gynecologist at the student health center and that school officials did not address their complaints.

The settlement, which still needs to be approved by the court, is among the largest to be reached by a university facing accusations of sexual misconduct. Still, it is unlikely to end the school’s legal battles over the issue: Nearly 500 women have sued U.S.C. claiming mistreatment by the gynecologist, Dr. George Tyndall.

More than 90 of those women came forward for the first time this week, saying that he had molested them as patients. One woman said that when she complained, she was told by officials from the health center, “We’ll look into it.” But there was no follow-up, she said. One lawyer for the women dismissed the settlement as “just a public relations effort.”

Under the terms of the tentative settlement, women who were patients of Dr. Tyndall during his three decades at U.S.C. will be eligible for $2,500 payments, whether or not they have alleged abuse. Women who allege the worst abuse and offer additional information will be eligible for up to $20,000, while those who are willing to be screened by a psychologist could receive a maximum of $250,000.