Estimated NCAA Revenue Sharing 2026-27: FCS Schools
There are 128 FCS programs, of which 104 schools have indicated that they are participating in revenue sharing to some degree, and 24 schools which have indicated they are currently opting out:
FCS Conference
Schools 2026-27
Total # of
SchoolsOpting
InOpting
outAverage
Budget ($)
Big Sky 13 12 1 26,830,044
Coastal 13 13 - 32,017,884
Ivy League 8 - 8 51,326,119
Mid-Eastern 6 6 - 19,094,893
Missouri Valley FC 9 9 - 25,350,505
NEC 8 3 5 23,436,339
Ohio Valley 8 6 2 17,365,788
Patriot League 10 5 5 45,416,427
Pioneer League 11 10 1 25,802,578
Southern 10 10 - 24,520,266
Southland 10 9 1 19,831,278
Southwestern 12 12 - 12,802,872
United 8 7 1 21,985,382
FCS Independents 2 2 - 20,210,331
FCS Totals 128 104 24
Average 2025 operating revenue for FCS Public schools was around $ 6 million annually – see table below. This resulting in an average revenue sharing commitment of about $ 1.3 million per school assuming participating schools are adopting the 22% NCAA revenue sharing benchmark. This does not include third-party NIL compensation. Revenue sharing is optional and a school can pay any amount as long as total payments don’t exceed $ 21.3 million for the 2026-27 fiscal year.
2025 Average Revenue & Support: FCS Schools
Operating Revenues includes event tickets and admission fees, NCAA and conference distributions, licensing and royalties, and other revenues from exchange transactions. This is distinct from athletic department support such as booster contributions, student fees and school funding.
Per 2025 NCAA reporting, the average FCS public school had an annual athletic department budget of around $ 27 million. This was funded on average by $ 6 million in operating revenues, $ 2 million in booster contributions and $ 18 million in combined school funding and student fees:
2025 Revenue & Support
FCS Public Schools *
Average per
School ($) Low
RangeHigh
Range
Ticket Sales 1,509,374 91,968 6,850,785
Media, NCAA & Conference 1,684,371 465,959 3,586,006
Licenses & Sponsorships 960,773 20,820 2,180,839
Game Guarantees 1,062,052 302,450 2,053,330
Other Operating Revenues 894,002 29,500 2,977,119
Revenue from Operations 6,110,572 2,113,876 14,922,303
Booster Contributions 2,426,140 - 7,596,596
School Support & Student Fees 17,895,549 2,642,695 40,282,520
Endowment & Investment 391,764 - 5,609,649
Total Revenue & Support ($) 26,824,025 11,300,974 50,302,899
Total Expenses (See below) 27,663,926 12,530,507 54,663,602
2025 Average Operating Expenses: FCS Schools
| 2025 Operating Expenses FCS Public Schools * | Average per School ($) | Low Range | High Range |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Athletic Scholarships | 6,490,369 | 1,627,295 | 12,092,836 | |
| Coaching Salaries | 5,468,333 | 1,395,886 | 9,538,001 | |
| Administrative Salaries | 3,960,388 | 485,521 | 9,741,912 | |
| Team Travel | 2,576,467 | 786,578 | 4,626,690 | |
| Overhead & Administration | 2,118,190 | 31,995 | 12,326,302 | |
| Other Operating Expenses | 1,739,831 | 162,422 | 3,972,718 | |
| Athletic Facilities costs | 1,333,604 | 68681 | 6,546,777 | |
| Uniforms, Equip & Supplies | 1,040,341 | 170,935 | 2,303,747 | |
| Athlete Meals & Medical | 947,387 | 130,209 | 3,077,655 | |
| Game Day Expenses | 786,277 | 214,649 | 1,620,576 | |
| Fundraising & Marketing | 417,558 | 3,024 | 1,516,401 | |
| Recruiting | 350,876 | 47,919 | 681,363 | |
| Post-Season Expenses | 226,961 | - | 2,546,453 | |
| Game Guarantees | 207,344 | - | 808,470 | |
| Average per School ($) | 27,663,926 | 12,530,507 | 54,663,602 |
* Per available NCAA 2025 reporting for FCS public schools. Data for NCAA I private schools is not subject to public disclosure and accordingly is not included in these averages.
Annual Operating Expenses – FCS Conferences 2022-25:
Per 2025 EADA reporting, average annual athletic department operating costs were $ 26 million for FCS schools, a 26% increase in expenses over a 3-year span:
Average Annual Expenses
FCS Conference Schools *
# of
SchoolsFY 2025 ($) FY 2024 ($) FY 2023 ($) FY 2022 ($) 3-year %
Increase
Big Sky 13 26,830,044 24,862,412 22,596,458 20,275,842 32%
Coastal 13 32,017,884 29,575,885 28,161,857 26,544,025 21%
Ivy League 8 51,326,119 48,564,251 44,005,921 39,403,949 30%
Mid-Eastern 6 19,094,893 18,251,422 15,974,993 13,488,891 42%
Missouri Valley FC 9 25,350,505 24,045,636 22,428,732 20,534,619 23%
NEC 8 23,436,339 22,530,761 20,663,257 18,808,004 25%
Ohio Valley 8 17,365,788 16,876,908 14,755,945 14,477,723 20%
Patriot League 10 45,416,427 42,360,277 42,307,558 37,670,830 21%
Pioneer League 11 25,802,578 24,482,556 22,965,437 20,366,768 27%
Southern 10 24,520,266 22,529,758 21,642,283 20,040,727 22%
Southland 10 19,831,278 18,924,074 17,544,300 16,310,627 22%
Southwestern 12 12,802,872 11,682,478 11,410,880 10,635,091 20%
United 8 20,730,050 19,349,469 17,226,159 15,381,871 35%
FCS Independents 2 20,210,331 19,479,605 18,519,101 16,950,982 19%
Average per School 128 26,532,962 24,872,527 23,247,421 21,129,733 26%
* Expenses per Equity in Athletics Act (EADA) annual reporting. These results are comparable to NCAA membership reporting with one primary exception – EADA reporting does not include payments made for athletic facilities debt service and leases. This results in EADA operating expenses typically being somewhat lower than NCAA reporting on average. However, one key advantage of EADA reporting is that the data includes all schools, while NCAA financial reporting is typically available only for public universities. See our methodology page for more detail and disclosures.
We didn’t just make this stuff up … see our page on methodology and sources of information. Questions on our data? Contact us at: NIL-NCAA.com Statistics compiled & edited by Patrick O’Rourke CPA, Washington, DC 