Penn State announced Tuesday that it has spent almost $17 million in relation to the Jerry Sandusky sex abuse scandal episode.

The university which updates its costs spent on legal bills, public relations fees and other costs related to the scandal every month said the total cost at the end of June amounted to $16.8 million.

It can be broken down as almost $10 million for internal investigations and crisis communications, around $4 million for university legal services and defense, and nearly $1.2 million in other expenses.

The figure is inclusive of the $1.6 million paid for legal defense of the school's officers, including former Penn State President Graham Spanier, who was fired when the scandal broke in November 2011, former university vice president Gary Schultz and former athletic director Tim Curley, both of whom are charged with perjury, accused of lying to a grand jury about the case, reports Reuters.

But, the costs are expected to rise as multiple lawsuits are being filed against the university by some of the Sandusky's victims and public. Even the NCAA fine of $60 million that was levied in July has cost the university heavily and the next update on the costs is expected to reveal an astounding figure.

The university said on its website that the money used in the matters related to Jerry Sandusky scandal is not being taken from the student tuition, taxpayer funds or donations. But rather, the university has revealed, court and other legal costs will be reimbursed by the university's insurance policies and for other expenses, money earned from student loan interest is being used.

The cleaning of the mess made by Jerry Sandusky, though now in jail awaiting sentence, has cost the university not only its reputation but also money. The public image of the university has been marred by the episode and the spirits of students, players and all those associated with the institution have reached an all-time low, which was evident in the Penn State football team's recent fall against Ohio State.

Though the Penn State has taken up many initiatives to repair its image, from establishing a separate website called 'progress' to provide updates on aftermath of the scandal to conducting symposium on child sex abuse, it is obvious that the university may need years to achieve the former glory, if ever.