NCAA Water Polo – NIL, Revenue Sharing & Athletic Scholarships

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 water polo:

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
Power Conference 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 Water Polo teams:

While water polo players 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 rostered athlete effectively being eligible for a full scholarship.  For women’s water polo, the athletic scholarship limit has been increased from 8 to 24, potentially tripling the available scholarship money at most NCAA I schools:

2025 Scholarship Awards * Women's Water Polo Teams	Conference	2025 Roster	# of awards	Average ($) Award 2025	Potential ($) Award 2026	Roster Limit **
Arizona State	Big 12	18	20	22,247	67,576	24
Cal State Northridge	Big West	20	18	11,938	41,276	24
California	ACC	26	25	22,748	69,819	24
Fresno State	Pac-12	26	20	16,616	31,120	24
Hawaii	Mountain West	24	17	26,467	46,404	24
Indiana	Big Ten	24	20	27,536	58,399	24
Long Beach State	Big West	25	18	12,429	35,386	24
Michigan	Big Ten	24	19	40,378	86,131	24
San Diego State	Pac-12	23	20	17,779	44,937	24
San Jose State	Mountain West	21	15	9,731	39,541	24
UC Davis	Big West	27	21	15,664	45,210	24
UC Irvine	Big West	23	23	14,040	46,857	24
UC San Diego	Big West	24	24	12,142	47,033	24
UCLA	Big Ten	30	24	20,020	62,537	24
Average *		24	20	$ 19,267	$ 51,588	24

For Men’s water polo, the athletic scholarship limit has been increased from 4.5 to 24, potentially increasing the available scholarship by five-fold at most NCAA I schools:

2025 Scholarship Awards Men's Water Polo Teams *	Conference	2025 Roster	# of awards	Average ($) Award 2025	Potential ($) Award 2026	Roster Limit **
California	ACC	32	14	21,213	69,819	24
Long Beach State	Big West	28	17	7,482	35,386	24
San Jose State	Mountain West	26	16	7,826	39,541	24
UC Davis	Big West	29	9	7,710	45,210	24
UC Irvine	Big West	27	22	8,624	46,857	24
UC San Diego	Big West	29	17	12,059	47,033	24
UCLA	Big Ten	28	14	18,448	62,537	24
Average *		28	16	$ 11,909	$ 49,483	24

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 Water Polo teams:

NCAA I teams represent about 32% of all US College water polo teams. There are also many opportunities to compete at colleges in other divisions and athletic associations:

Intercollegiate Water Polo Programs 2025-26	Women's Teams	Men's Teams
NCAA I	37	29
NCAA II	10	7
NCAA III	20	17
CCCAA	44	35
NAIA	4	4
Totals	115	92

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