College Sports Expense: How Much Are Students Paying?

Amid cuts in state funding and tuition hikes, college athletics programs are under the gun to fund themselves with earned revenue or produce winning seasons.

Bloomberg compiled data on 54 public universities, supported by tax dollars, with major athletic programs. In some cases, such as Rutgers University and Washington State University, the schools charge each student nearly $1,000 in fees to support athletics. While Rutgers spends more than almost any other school in the country, it ranks in the bottom 10 for return on investment.

The Bloomberg report pointed out that in the cases where athletic budgets are funded in part by student fees, the students do not get to vote on whether or not to raise or pay those fees.

According to the NCAA, 22 out of 120 Football Bowl Subdivision athletic departments earned a profit in 2010, and that number rose to 48 in 2011.

Look at the 15 public universities charging their students the most for college sports, the total amounts include student fees and funds directly and indirectly from the university:

Check out Bloomberg's interactive chart on spending at public universities on college sports here.