Purdue disputes claims Kaplan deal leaves taxpayers on hook

Purdue officials insist that’s still the case, even as some insist a recently revealed stipulation set out by the U.S. Department of Education – one agency of several state and federal agencies that must sign off on the deal announced in April – could leave the state-funded university on the hook for Kaplan University’s debts and liabilities.

The Department of Education announced in September that its review found no reason, barring several conditions, to stand in the way of a deal between Purdue and Kaplan Higher Education. Purdue is looking to create what’s being called NewU, which the university says will bring an entirely new type of student under the Purdue umbrella. 

The conditions, contained in a letter first reported this weekend by The Washington Post, had been under wraps since then.