Revenue, expenses up: Takeaways from FSU athletics financial report
The Seminoles program generated $211,950,623, just over $26 million more than the reported $185 million in the financial year of 2024. While revenue grew, the program also reported $208,187,039 in operating expenses, which include travel, coaches' salaries, and game expenses, among others. The program reported total operating expenses of $169.8 million last fiscal year.
Of the reported revenue, 70% of it comes from four areas, according to information provided by FSU. Those areas are:
- contributions,
- direct institutional support - unrestricted funds like tuition, student fees, etc., used to operate athletics,
- media rights,
- and ticket sales.
While overall contributions dropped, the football program had a significant bump, reporting $38.2 million in total contributions, over $10 million more than the prior year.
Revenue generated from media rights also increased for the university. The total revenue from media rights deals jumped to $34 million for the Seminoles, up from the $32.7 million reported in 2024.
With the construction, FSU's debt services went from $4.8 million in the prior financial year to $25.8 million.
Travel expenses were cut by over $4 million for the program, with a reported $9.68 million down from the over $13 million spent the prior year.
Compensation for coaches, support staff, and administrative staff totaled $55.35 million, with $31 million of that going towards coach compensation and $24.35 million to support and administrative staff.
Revenue from the university's major sports
- Football
- Contributions: $38.2 million
- Ticket sales: $23.6 million
- Media rights: $17.8 million
- Direct institutional support: $4.1 million
- Men's basketball
- Contributions: $5.9 million
- Ticket sales: $1.4 million
- Media rights: $4.5 million
- Direct institutional support: $636,774
- Baseball
- Contributions: $2.2 million
- Ticket sales: $1.4 million
- Media rights: none
- Direct institutional support: $409,291
- Women's basketball
- Contributions: $1 million
- Ticket sales: $146,708
- Media rights: none
- Direct institutional support: $530,123
- Softball
- Contributions: $870,194
- Ticket sales: $262,432
- Media rights: none
- Direct institutional support: $670,967
- Soccer
- Contributions: $440,531
- Ticket sales: $73,993
- Media rights: none
- Direct institutional support: $670,710
There’s no way to know yet where the Seminoles rank nationally in terms of revenues and expenses — they usually rank somewhere inside the top 15 to 20 schools — but some universities’ reports have been released in recent days.
Southeastern Conference program Missouri announced $191 million in athletics expenses for this most recent year, and $182 million in revenue. The Tigers received $25.7 million in direct institutional support.
Big Ten power Ohio State, which is always among the largest spenders in college athletics, reported expenses of about $320 million, which was up from $295 million the previous year. The Buckeyes field more than 35 sports teams (compared to Florida State’s 20), and they have about twice as many athletes on campus. OSU reported $112 million in direct institutional support.
