Hoosier Enquirer Investigation: Purdue Global Law School's Funding Remains Murky — Is the Ca$h Hidden in the Shadows?

The lack of public transparency about the law school's finances.

Purdue's Law School is Unaccredited by the ABA and in Indiana.

By Hoosier Enquirer Staff

INDIANAPOLIS — Purdue Global Law School has become one of the most successful legal education institutions in Indiana, boasting the states highest Bar pass rates even though is not accredited and sells itself based on price, offering course for a third of other prestigious law schools. Are Indiana's taxpayers subsidizing a California-based, on-line law school? That is the question for Indiana's Governor and Legistature. Should the School be allowed to operated under the public-state-school Purdue name?

Supporters point to its online format and recent improvements in bar examination results. Critics question the value of the degree, the school's long-term reputation, and whether taxpayers are indirectly supporting an institution whose finances remain largely out of public view.

One thing is clear: there is no separate line item in Indiana's state budget appropriating millions of dollars specifically to Purdue Global Law School. Unlike Purdue University's traditional campuses, the law school does not receive a publicly identified annual operating appropriation from the General Assembly.

What is far less clear is the school's actual financial picture.

Purdue Global Law School operates as part of Purdue University Global, and Purdue Global does not publicly release financial statements showing the law school's revenues, expenses, operating surplus or deficit, or whether it receives internal financial support from other parts of the university system. Without those figures, taxpayers cannot independently determine whether the law school is entirely self-supporting through tuition and fees or whether other institutional resources help sustain its operations.

That lack of detailed financial disclosure is likely to fuel continued questions about transparency. While there is no public evidence that Indiana taxpayers are directly writing annual checks to Purdue Global Law School, neither is there publicly available financial information allowing taxpayers to evaluate precisely how the school performs as a standalone enterprise.

The issue is especially significant because Purdue Global is affiliated with one of Indiana's flagship public universities. Even if the law school operates primarily on tuition revenue, Purdue University's governance, administrative infrastructure, public reputation, and certain institutional resources remain connected to Purdue Global. Qualifying Indiana residents also may receive tuition discounts, and eligible students can utilize state and federal financial aid programs.

For critics, the unanswered questions are not necessarily about whether the law school exists—they are about whether the public has enough information to evaluate its financial health.

If the institution is thriving financially, publishing detailed operating results could strengthen public confidence. If it requires financial support from elsewhere within the Purdue system, taxpayers likewise have an interest in understanding the extent and source of that support.

Those questions remain unanswered because Purdue Global does not publicly break out the law school's finances.

The result is that much of the money trail remains difficult for the public to follow.

For a public institution connected to one of Indiana's premier universities, transparency should not be viewed as a burden. Hoosiers deserve to know whether Purdue Global Law School is paying its own way or whether the costs are being absorbed elsewhere within the Purdue system.

Hoosier Enquirer believes the next step is straightforward. Purdue University should voluntarily release annual financial information specific to Purdue Global Law School, including enrollment, tuition revenue, operating expenses, transfers from affiliated entities, and whether the school operates at a profit or loss.

Until those numbers are publicly available, the debate over Purdue Global Law School will continue—and so will the questions about where the money ultimately comes from and where it goes. HE has asked the questions, now the IGA can find the answers.