In 2024, the University of California-Merced distributed $106,250 in financial aid tied to athletic participation, according to the U.S. Department of Education.
During 2024, 113 male and 82 female student-athletes competed for the University of California-Merced across various sports. Male student-athletes received 5% less athletically related financial aid compared to their female counterparts.
The university saw a 60.7% increase in athletically related financial aid in 2024 compared to the previous year.
College football is one of the biggest sports in the U.S., with some college teams eclipsing NFL teams in terms of attendance and profit.
College athletics has entered a new era of athlete compensation after a federal settlement allowed schools to directly share revenue with players for the first time. The agreement also requires the NCAA to pay $2.8 billion in back damages over 10 years to athletes who competed from 2016 to the present.
In 2022, after years of legal and legislative pressure, athletes also gained the right to profit from their names, images and likenesses through state laws and an NCAA policy change.
| Institution | Athletically Related Student Aid |
|---|---|
| Stanford University | $37,585,095 |
| University of Southern California | $24,741,327 |
| University of California-Los Angeles | $17,929,355 |
| University of California-Berkeley | $16,026,821 |
| Loyola Marymount University | $11,960,852 |
| San Diego State University | $10,420,385 |
| University of California-Davis | $10,155,570 |
| California Baptist University | $10,092,814 |
| Pepperdine University | $9,942,607 |
| Simpson University | $9,773,579 |
Information in this story was obtained from the U.S. Department of Education. The source data can be found here.
