A historic consortium of colleges (1896–1936) that pioneered collaborative higher education in Indianapolis.
The University of Indianapolis was established in 1896 as a consortium designed to create 'a great school commensurate with the city's importance and including all departments of learning.' It was founded by Butler University, the Medical College of Indiana, and the Indiana Law School, with the Indiana Dental College joining in 1904. Each institution retained separate administration while operating under the unified University of Indianapolis banner. The consortium adopted royal purple as its official color and created a university yell to foster collective identity.
The consortium offered medical, dental, law, and liberal arts education across its component schools. Butler College served as the undergraduate and liberal arts division. While students at each school maintained separate organizations, several university-wide initiatives existed, including a glee club, band, and debate team that competed against universities such as Notre Dame and Indiana University. A football team was established, though Butler created its own team in 1901 and the Medical College followed in 1903.
Plans to consolidate into a central campus never materialized. Within years, each college pursued independent paths: the Medical College of Indiana merged with Purdue's medical school in 1905 (later becoming part of Indiana University School of Medicine in 1908); Butler regained independence in 1906; the Dental College joined Indiana University in 1925; and the Law School merged with Benjamin Harrison Law School in 1936, eventually joining Indiana University in 1944 as the Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law. Butler University remains independent to the present day.