Football and Men’s basketball will account for close to 90% of revenue sharing payments at most Power Conference schools. The remaining 10% results in an average payout of around $ 4,306 per athlete in all other sports including swimming:
Revenue Sharing Estimates
Power 4 Schools: 2026-27 *Revenue
Share %
Allocation
to Team ($)
# of eligible
Athletes *Average per
Athlete ($)
Football 75% 15,600,000 105 148,570
Men's Basketball 15% 3,120,000 15 208,000
All Other Sports 10% 2,080,000 483
4,306
2025-26 Average 100% 20,800,000 603
These are averages, a few athletes will receive much more, while most will receive less. These estimates are for revenue sharing payments only (Institutional NIL), they do not include third-party NIL compensation. Most sports will likely receive no revenue sharing allocation, but will be eligible for greater scholarship awards.
* In almost all cases, the maximum $ 21.3 million revenue sharing distribution for 2026-27 will be reduced by a $ 500,000 offset for additional scholarships. Eligible athletes are based on the new roster limits effective July 1, 2025.
Athletic scholarship limits removed for NCAA I Swimming teams:
While swimmers will not receive substantial revenue sharing payments, most will be eligible for significantly higher athletic scholarship awards. As part of the House v NCAA settlement, scholarship limits have been removed, and roster caps have been established for each sport. For participating schools this would result in every swimmer effectively being eligible for a full scholarship. For women’s swimming & diving, the athletic scholarship limit has been increased from 14 to 30, effectively doubling the available scholarship money for female swimmers at most NCAA I schools:
2025 Scholarship Awards
Women's Swim Teams *Conference 2025
Roster # of Player
awards 2025Average Player
Award 2025 ($)
Potential Player
Award 2026 ($)
Roster
Limit **
Akron MAC 31 27 16,501 35,268 30
Alabama SEC 36 33 23,077 66,125 30
Arizona Big 12 34 29 30,713 62,723 30
Arizona State Big 12 37 33 20,090 67,576 30
Arkansas SEC 25 24 26,433 50,376 30
Ball State MAC 35 36 11,965 39,029 30
Binghamton America East 35 14 9,964 41,763 30
Bowling Green MAC 39 31 15,584 36,359 30
Buffalo MAC 29 28 22,057 51,624 30
Cal Poly Big West 29 15 9,766 39,057 30
Cal State Bakersfield Big West 20 15 13,245 37,576 30
California ACC 37 35 27,765 69,819 30
Central Connecticut Northeast 29 23 7,342 33,720 30
Cincinnati Big 12 37 36 17,425 49,454 30
Cleveland State Horizon 32 30 11,252 36,462 30
Colorado State Pac-12 24 23 27,626 51,748 30
Connecticut Indep 30 26 21,246 48,203 30
Eastern Illinois OVC 16 14 2,918 31,882 30
Eastern Michigan MAC 32 28 18,588 40,538 30
Florida SEC 32 31 24,300 70,448 30
Florida Gulf Coast ASUN 31 25 23,827 41,040 30
Florida State ACC 47 31 21,198 39,706 30
Fresno State Pac-12 29 25 23,078 31,120 30
Georgia SEC 33 30 22,969 52,351 30
Georgia Southern Sun Belt 29 26 19,468 44,971 30
Hawaii MW 31 27 26,754 46,404 30
Houston Big 12 33 33 18,346 40,842 30
Idaho Big Sky 37 33 12,039 42,045 30
Illinois Big Ten 40 37 18,122 48,881 30
Illinois - Chicago MVC 30 21 18,978 47,031 30
Illinois State MVC 28 27 15,321 32,307 30
Indiana Big Ten 43 18 45,321 58,399 30
Iowa Big Ten 28 25 22,141 48,734 30
Iowa State Big 12 27 26 22,734 42,054 30
James Madison Sun Belt 28 28 19,959 45,615 30
Kansas Big 12 34 35 21,581 50,420 30
LSU SEC 30 27 21,422 45,797 30
Marshall Sun Belt 27 26 17,956 30,332 30
Massachusetts MAC 26 21 30,166 59,521 30
Miami of Ohio MAC 39 38 18,703 50,811 30
Michigan Big Ten 33 30 42,301 86,131 30
Minnesota Big Ten 32 26 29,456 51,913 30
Missouri SEC 27 31 22,885 53,321 30
Missouri State CUSA 35 35 10,603 32,353 30
Nebraska Big Ten 25 24 24,096 44,411 30
Nebraska - Omaha Summit League 31 29 4,099 35,794 30
Nevada MW 24 26 26,380 49,244 30
New Hampshire Coastal 28 18 20,684 53,236 30
New Mexico MW 32 27 24,788 50,539 30
New Mexico State CUSA 33 25 24,940 39,619 30
North Carolina ACC 35 31 21,470 45,931 30
North Carolina State ACC 30 22 23,022 44,314 30
North Florida ASUN 28 17 6,950 33,951 30
North Texas American 29 29 14,642 29,869 30
Northern Arizona Big Sky 26 27 18,479 41,162 30
Northern Iowa MVC 34 29 6,597 27,479 30
Oakland Horizon 34 26 17,852 38,281 30
Ohio MAC 39 27 19,415 41,249 30
Ohio State Big Ten 39 35 25,723 60,509 30
Penn State Big Ten 30 28 26,755 63,133 30
Purdue Big Ten 45 44 13,729 50,795 30
Rhode Island Coastal 31 28 17,550 56,870 30
Rutgers Big Ten 35 24 45,612 71,187 30
San Diego State Pac-12 29 27 23,875 44,937 30
San Jose State MW 22 20 19,762 39,541 30
South Carolina SEC 48 33 29,910 66,856 30
South Dakota State Summit 34 26 8,368 22,911 30
Southern Illinois MVC 47 30 12,741 31,341 30
Stony Brook Coastal 15 13 18,526 46,632 30
Tennessee SEC 32 31 16,153 92,131 30
Texas SEC 36 36 17,935 49,964 30
Texas A&M SEC 53 48 15,254 50,075 30
Texas Rio Grande Southland 18 9 8,960 35,230 30
Toledo MAC 35 16 42,625 44,058 30
Towson Coastal 31 31 12,927 44,027 30
UC Davis Big West 40 37 14,769 45,210 30
UC San Diego Big West 26 14 15,255 47,033 30
UCLA Big Ten 40 36 24,239 62,537 30
UMBC America East 31 31 14,492 43,763 30
UNC Wilmington Coastal 33 19 7,138 27,869 30
UNLV MW 32 33 21,543 42,072 30
Utah Big 12 36 33 20,685 60,192 30
Utah Tech Big Sky 20 10 12,122 23,895 30
Vermont America East 43 13 12,085 67,006 30
Virginia ACC 33 26 42,320 75,988 30
Virginia Tech ACC 49 33 25,486 65,734 30
Washington State Pac-12 26 25 28,996 55,210 30
West Virginia Big 12 26 26 20,388 52,200 30
William & Mary Coastal 34 5 12,400 60,765 30
Wisconsin Big Ten 32 28 29,506 63,378 30
Wisconsin - Green Bay Horizon 37 19 4,331 22,974 30
Wisconsin - Milwaukee Horizon 34 34 15,164 33,685 30
Wyoming MW 40 33 16,665 42,337 30
Youngstown State Horizon 32 27 10,856 26,045 30
Average - 95 Schools 32 27 $ 19,671 $ 46,928 30
For Men’s swimming & diving, the athletic scholarship limit has been increased from 9.9 to 30, tripling the available scholarship money for male swimmers at most NCAA I schools:
2025 Scholarship Awards
Men's Swim Teams *Conference 2025
Roster # of Player
awards 2025Average Player
Award 2025 ($)
Potential Player
Award 2026 ($)
Roster
Limit **
Alabama SEC 40 31 19,583 66,125 30
Arizona Big 12 36 31 21,391 62,723 30
Arizona State Big 12 37 28 18,194 67,576 30
Ball State MAC 29 - - 39,029 30
Binghamton America East 25 16 8,438 41,763 30
Cal Poly Big West 32 18 5,122 39,057 30
Cal State Bakersfield Big West 25 17 9,202 37,576 30
California ACC 40 37 19,074 69,819 30
Cincinnati Big 12 32 31 12,757 49,454 30
Cleveland State Horizon 29 23 9,651 36,462 30
Eastern Illinois OVC 18 14 2,011 31,882 30
Florida SEC 42 43 11,821 70,448 30
Florida State ACC 32 19 23,372 39,706 30
Georgia SEC 36 29 15,719 52,351 30
Hawaii MW 31 20 26,022 46,404 30
Illinois - Chicago MVC 28 19 10,788 47,031 30
Indiana Big Ten 53 23 27,120 58,399 30
Lousiana State SEC 28 18 32,133 45,797 30
Massachusetts MAC 22 5 4,848 59,521 30
Miami of Ohio MAC 35 25 15,456 50,811 30
Michigan Big Ten 40 34 28,600 86,131 30
Minnesota Big Ten 30 27 19,851 51,913 30
Missouri SEC 23 29 17,181 53,321 30
Missouri State CUSA 22 19 14,414 32,353 30
Nebraska - Omaha Summit League 33 21 4,234 35,794 30
North Carolina ACC 37 35 14,361 45,931 30
North Carolina State ACC 36 30 13,381 44,314 30
Oakland Horizon 23 21 16,802 38,281 30
Ohio State Big Ten 39 31 16,627 60,509 30
Penn State Big Ten 28 23 25,208 63,133 30
Purdue Big Ten 38 35 12,293 50,795 30
South Carolina SEC 23 21 30,475 66,856 30
South Dakota State Summit 30 20 4,753 22,911 30
Southern Illinois MVC 34 17 18,718 31,341 30
Tennessee SEC 31 27 18,546 92,131 30
Texas SEC 41 42 13,050 49,964 30
Texas A&M SEC 42 30 21,300 50,075 30
Towson Coastal 23 23 5,348 44,027 30
UMBC America East 31 31 9,919 43,763 30
UNC Wilmington Coastal 27 16 5,330 27,869 30
UNLV MW 27 27 20,538 42,072 30
Utah Big 12 43 34 22,057 60,192 30
Virginia ACC 30 22 39,038 75,988 30
Virginia Tech ACC 34 20 29,745 65,734 30
West Virginia Big 12 34 29 14,458 52,200 30
Wisconsin Big Ten 32 27 23,106 63,378 30
Wisconsin - Green Bay Horizon 31 11 6,977 22,974 30
Wisconsin - Milwaukee Horizon 31 26 14,630 33,685 30
Wyoming MW 24 26 15,768 42,337 30
Youngstown State Horizon 38 24 8,593 26,045 30
Average - 50 Schools 32 25 $ 15,960 $ 49,759 30
These are potential increases as athletic scholarship awards are optional. Schools can fully fund a sport, or award less than the maximum allowed. While Football and Men’s basketball will receive close to 90% of revenue sharing payments at most FBS schools, conversely, about 90% of additional scholarship awards will go to athletes in Women’s and Men’s sports other than football and basketball.
* These averages are for NCAA I public Universities for which we have compiled data from available reporting.
** Roster limits are not mandatory. However, schools opting not to be subject to roster limits must adhere to the prior (lower) scholarship limits. Participating schools must submit certified rosters to the College Sports Commission.
Number of US College Swimming & Diving teams:
NCAA I teams represent about 28% of all US College swimming & diving teams. There are also many opportunities to swim & dive at colleges in other divisions and athletic associations:
Intercollegiate Swimming &
Diving Programs 2025-26Total
MembersMen's
TeamsWomen's
Teams
NCAA I 365 136 200
NCAA II 299 77 98
NCAA III 429 232 250
NAIA 226 35 37
CCCAA 104 50 56
NJCAA 433 12 12
Totals 1,856 542 653
Questions on our data? Contact us at: NIL-NCAA.com
Statistics compiled & edited by Patrick O’Rourke, CPA Washington, DC 
