Campus Reform: House Republicans push transparency as report exposes college athletics overspending

House Republicans are continuing their push for greater transparency and accountability in higher education after a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report requested by House Education and the Workforce Committee Chairman Tim Walberg (R-Mich.) found that most Division I athletic departments rely on institutional subsidies, including tuition dollars and student fees, to sustain their programs.

Chairman Walberg requested the report last year to examine whether escalating athletic spending was contributing to rising college costs and increasing financial burdens on students and taxpayers. The report’s findings, released today, support the committee’s broader oversight of how colleges spend tuition revenue and federal resources. 

”Last year, I asked the GAO to examine whether runaway spending on college athletics was driving up costs for students and taxpayers. Today’s report confirms that concern,” Chairman Walberg said after the report’s release. “At a time when tuition continues to rise and millions of borrowers are struggling with student loan debt, colleges should be investing in student success—not asking students and taxpayers to subsidize an athletic spending arms race.” 

The report found that 94 percent of Division I athletic programs, 330 of 352 schools, spent more than they generated during the 2023-24 academic year, despite spending a combined $20.8 billion on athletics. Most departments ran deficits between $11 million and $32 million, with a median shortfall of $20.6 million. 

To offset those losses, colleges provided $7.2 billion in institutional support and charged athletic fees to non-athlete students, according to the report. Over a typical four-year degree, GAO estimated the median institutional subsidy amounted to roughly $3,200 per undergraduate student at Power conference schools and approximately $11,000 at smaller Division I institutions. 

Chairman Walberg said those findings demonstrate why Congress must continue scrutinizing university spending.

”Students enroll to earn a degree, not to bankroll excessive athletic spending,” Chairman Walberg said. “This report reinforces why Congress must continue holding colleges accountable for how they spend tuition dollars and federal student aid. Institutions should focus on delivering value to students—not passing the costs of excessive athletics spending on to students, families, and taxpayers.” 

The report also found that athletic spending has grown faster than revenue over the past decade. Median spending at Power conference schools increased 81 percent, while median athletics revenue grew 56 percent. Coaching salaries and support staff accounted for the largest increases, and even the lowest-spending Power conference school spent $14 million on coaches during the 2023-24 academic year. 

The findings echo broader concerns about universities’ ballooning spending priorities. In a recent Wall Street Journal opinion piece, Campus Reform Editor-in-Chief Dr. Zachary Marschall argued that many colleges have expanded beyond their core educational mission into increasingly expensive enterprises that require continual institutional subsidies.

In recent years, committee Republicans have also investigated universities’ spending on diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives, campus antisemitism, and foreign influence, arguing that colleges should be more transparent and accountable in how they manage public and student-funded resources. 

The report is part of the House Education and the Workforce Committee’s broader effort to increase transparency, lower college costs, and ensure students and taxpayers are not forced to subsidize unnecessary institutional spending.