Michigan State University College of Law
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 381358000
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2009–2020
- Official website data refreshed
- Sep 2026
- Forms available
- Form 990 2020
- Location
- East Lansing, MI, US
- Phone
- 517-432-6800
- Rating
- 54
- Verdict
- MIXED
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Graduate, Professional Schools (Separate Entities)
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $349,630
- Expenses
- $316,520
- Assets
- $0
- Liabilities
- $0
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2020. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
22 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- SAMUEL L STANLEY JR MD (PRESIDENT)
People named in this filing
- ELAINE FIELDMAN (TRUSTEE)
- CLIFTON E HALEY (TRUSTEE)
- CHARLES A JANSSEN (TRUSTEE\VICE)
Selected names, not a complete roster or a statement of current roles. Open leadership details for the complete filed list.
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2020. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
Michigan State University College of Law has preserved the historic DCL values of access and opportunity, work ethic, and immersion in the profession, while embracing the opportunities that come from being part of a Big Ten university.
What it reported doing in 2020
Provide an accredited educational law program. Enrollment: summer term 2020 - 127 students
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Mixed. Its operating money came from several sources; no one source provided a clear majority.
- Distribution model
- Direct operator. The filing allocates 100% of reported program-service expenses outside its grant, affiliate-payment, and member-benefit lines. This expense classification does not rule out separately announced grant awards.
The verdict
MIXED - The filed numbers largely add up and most voting board members are independent. A relatively small share of available resources goes toward mission work and a relatively small share of total spending goes to programs.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 22
- Transparency & Controls: 92
- Accountability: 82
- Sustainability: 33
- Growth: 0
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 14.7%; rating input score 15
- Program expense ratio: 11.1%; rating input score 11
- Fundraising efficiency: $178.96 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 89; 89th percentile among comparable filings
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
- Pay-setting controls: Limited
- Foreign activity oversight: Limited
- Grant itemization coverage: Limited
- Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
- Related-party transparency: Limited
Accountability
- Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
- Governance controls: 4 of 7 controls in place; rating input score 57
- Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
- Whistleblower policy: Pass
- Document-retention policy: Pass
- CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
- Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
- Form 990 shared with the board: Fail
- Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
- Audit committee oversight: Missing
- Independent financial-statement audit: Fail
Sustainability
- Operating margin: 9.5%; rating input score 52; 52nd percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 0; rating input score 1; 1st percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: Limited
- Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 72; 72nd percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: -13% per year; rating input score 0; 14th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: -5.1% per year; rating input score 0; 17th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: -4.4% per year; rating input score 0; 13th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- What they do: 8 programs and campaigns described on the official site · 1 operating location identified
- Where the money goes: 14.7% of revenue deployed · 11.1% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 20 of 20 board members independent · 4 of 7 filing controls reported
- Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $35K in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 22 people listed
- Consistency: 17 of 17 current checks pass
- Schedules: 7 filed schedules · includes major donors
- Filing history: 11 filing years from 2009 to 2020
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: Resolved incoming and outgoing counterparties from filed money flows.
- Related organizations: 1 filed related-organization link
- Grant readiness: Federal tax and exclusion status, award history, and grant-maker relationships.
- People: Everyone the filings name, and which of them the filings identify by more than a name.
Key Signals
Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.
- High — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 15/100.
- High — Financial Efficiency: Program expense ratio scored 11/100.
- Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 2 of 6 not reported.
- High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
- High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
- High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 1/100.
- Review — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 52/100.
- High — Growth: Asset growth scored 0/100.