Horizon League Schools – NIL & Revenue Sharing – NIL & NCAA Revenue Sharing by School& NIL

Horizon League Schools 2026-27	Basketball Conference	Football Conference	Athletic Budget ($)

Cleveland State	Horizon	-	14,221,496
Detroit Mercy	Horizon	-	14,112,173
IU Indianapolis	Horizon	-	11,519,345
Northern Illinois	Horizon	Mountain West	34,342,695
Northern Kentucky	Horizon	-	18,765,310
Oakland	Horizon	-	17,319,517
Purdue Fort Wayne	Horizon	-	15,252,438
Robert Morris	Horizon	Northeast	21,223,070
Wisconsin Green Bay	Horizon	-	13,283,821
Wisconsin Milwaukee	Horizon	-	15,230,163
Wright State	Horizon	-	11,873,145
Youngstown State	Horizon	Missouri Valley FC	23,268,696

Total Teams

Estimated NCAA Revenue Sharing 2026-27: Horizon League Schools

Based on estimated median operating revenue of around $ 2.5 million per school, revenue sharing using the 22% NCAA benchmark results in an average of about $ 550,000 per school. Revenue sharing is optional, schools may pay any amount as long as total payments do not exceed $ 21.3 million, and schools can also opt out of revenue sharing entirely. Revenue sharing does not include any third-party NIL athlete compensation.

EADA Operating Expenses: Horizon League Schools 2022-25

Per EADA (aka Title IX) reporting, average 2025 athletic department operating costs were $ 17 million for Horizon League schools, a 20% increase in expenses over a 3-year span. Schools with football programs are typically going to have significantly higher annual operating expenses:

Athletic Department Expenses 2022-25 *	Basketball Conference	Football Conference	FY 2025 ($)	FY 2024 ($)	FY 2023 ($)	FY 2022 ($)	3-Year % Increase

Cleveland State	Horizon	-	14,221,496	15,154,801	15,241,814	14,553,259	-2%
Detroit Mercy	Horizon	-	14,112,173	14,223,334	12,550,978	11,985,487	18%
IU Indianapolis	Horizon	-	11,519,345	11,284,503	10,755,046	10,281,925	12%
Northern Illinois	Horizon	Mountain West	34,342,695	24,939,848	24,692,669	21,413,044	60%
Northern Kentucky	Horizon	-	18,765,310	13,467,033	13,135,573	13,068,962	44%
Oakland	Horizon	-	17,319,517	16,407,364	16,053,225	17,325,704	0%
Purdue Fort Wayne	Horizon	-	15,252,438	14,832,883	13,392,326	13,062,826	17%
Robert Morris	Horizon	Northeast	21,223,070	21,120,272	17,641,388	17,107,726	24%
Wisconsin Green Bay	Horizon	-	13,283,821	12,675,912	10,701,534	8,535,676	56%
Wisconsin Milwaukee	Horizon	-	15,230,163	14,758,861	15,989,783	19,531,917	-22%
Wright State	Horizon	-	11,873,145	11,815,664	12,026,496	10,609,757	12%
Youngstown State	Horizon	Missouri Valley FC	23,268,696	21,696,473	20,275,708	17,773,159	31%
Average per School ($)	12		17,534,322	16,031,412	15,204,712	14,604,120	20%

* Expenses per Equity in Athletics Act (EADA) annual reporting. EADA differs from NCAA reporting with the primary difference being that EADA reporting does not require disclosure of payments made for athletic facilities debt service and leases. Consequently, EADA reporting typically results in lower annual expenses than NCAA reporting at most schools. 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