The International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP) is a two-year educational programme primarily aimed at 16-to-19-year-olds in 140 countries around the world. The programme provides an internationally accepted qualification for entry into higher education and is recognized by many universities worldwide.

Thomas James Kirk II (also known as Thomas McPherson [citation needed]) operated several fraudulent higher education organizations (diploma mills), including LaSalle University in Mandeville, Louisiana (not associated with the Lasallian educational institutions), the University of San Gabriel Valley, and Bienville University. Kirk's "LaSalle University" was shut down in 1996 …