(See the most updated information at here.) Given that full-ride scholarships are a rarity in college baseball, players may want to consider other ways colleges support their baseball programs. After all, there are ways for colleges to spend money on baseball that will affect the players’ overall experience besides just scholarships. This can include anything from uniforms, equipment, fields, to travel. For those interested in such things, this is an update on D1 baseball expenses by team using the latest information from the Office of Postsecondary Education (OPE).
The OPE defines expenses as follows:
All expenses attributable to intercollegiate athletic activities. This includes appearance guarantees and options, athletically related student aid, contract services, equipment, fundraising activities, operating expenses, promotional activities, recruiting expenses, salaries and benefits, supplies, travel, and any other expenses attributable to intercollegiate athletic activities.
You need to be careful using this data. Since private colleges costs more, they are going to have increased expenses in terms of the value of scholarships compared to public university. Of course, we are only talking about a maximum of 11.7 scholarships here.
Travel expenses can also cause dramatic difference. Large conferences covering multiple states will have higher travel costs. A winning record will also increase travel expenses as teams travel for tournament games. And there’s always a problem of data errors.
Keeping all this in mind, the average D1 baseball expenses by team in 2014 was $1,252,641, up from $1,092,870 in 2012. Two teams broke the $5 million mark, Georgia Tech and LSU. Four teams had expenses over four million: Vanderbilt, Texas, TCU, and University of Mississippi. The number of teams in the $3 million range increased from 5 in 2012 to 13 in 2014.
There were four that had less than $300,000 in expenses: University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, Coppin State University, Mississippi Valley State University, and Utah State University. Three of the schools, Coppin State, Mississippi Valley, and the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff were in the same group in 2012.
The SEC had the highest average D1 baseball expenses at over $3 million dollars. The Big 12, ACC, and PAC 12 conferences followed with over $2 million each. Another ten conferences averaged in the one million dollar range. Only two conferences had expenses averaging less $500,000.
The following table is based on data from OPE and the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) and shows D1 Baseball expenses by team. Conference information may not be up-to-date. The four-year graduation rate is used for private schools and the five-year rate for public schools. All of this information in available in the DIY College Rankings Baseball Spreadsheet.
NCAA D1 College Baseball Teams
