University of Texas at Austin grossed more than $207 million in 2016, making it the highest-grossing college athletics program that year, followed by Ohio State University ($176 million) and University of Alabama ($174 million), according to a Higher Education Tribune analysis of the latest federal data.
The U.S. Department of Education Office of Postsecondary Education compiles athletics data annually from more than 2,000 schools receiving federal financial aid.
Altogether, the top 200 athletic programs reported more than $11.3 billion in revenue in 2016 – or 62 percent of the $18.1 billion reported by all schools that year.
--
Top 200 college athletics programs by revenue
| Rank | School | State | Division | Total undergraduates | Total revenue |
| 1 | The University of Texas at Austin | TX | NCAA Division I-FBS | 37,026 | $207,127,309 |
| 2 | Ohio State University-Main Campus | OH | NCAA Division I-FBS | 41,666 | $175,885,823 |
| 3 | The University of Alabama | AL | NCAA Division I-FBS | 29,071 | $174,305,613 |
| 4 | University of Michigan-Ann Arbor | MI | NCAA Division I-FBS | 27,833 | $162,955,051 |
| 5 | University of Georgia | GA | NCAA Division I-FBS | 26,252 | $157,852,479 |
| 6 | University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus | OK | NCAA Division I-FBS | 18,218 | $155,209,855 |
| 7 | Auburn University | AL | NCAA Division I-FBS | 20,260 | $147,413,201 |
| 8 | Louisiana State University | LA | NCAA Division I-FBS | 23,036 | $146,934,487 |
| 9 | Florida State University | FL | NCAA Division I-FBS | 29,051 | $144,692,380 |
| 10 | Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus | PA | NCAA Division I-FBS | 39,883 | $144,017,062 |
| 11 | University of Florida | FL | NCAA Division I-FBS | 30,583 | $142,545,938 |
| 12 | The University of Tennessee-Knoxville | TN | NCAA Division I-FBS | 20,719 | $139,659,550 |
| 13 | University of Wisconsin-Madison | WI | NCAA Division I-FBS | 28,201 | $139,430,724 |
| 14 | University of South Carolina-Columbia | SC | NCAA Division I-FBS | 23,947 | $136,032,845 |
| 15 | University of Notre Dame | IN | NCAA Division I-FBS | 8,480 | $132,371,404 |
| 16 | University of Arkansas | AR | NCAA Division I-FBS | 19,774 | $132,172,997 |
| 17 | Texas A & M University-College Station | TX | NCAA Division I-FBS | 44,975 | $130,442,544 |
| 18 | University of Washington-Seattle Campus | WA | NCAA Division I-FBS | 28,165 | $128,745,183 |
| 19 | University of Iowa | IA | NCAA Division I-FBS | 20,690 | $126,980,417 |
| 20 | Stanford University | CA | NCAA Division I-FBS | 7,032 | $125,039,558 |
| 21 | University of Louisville | KY | NCAA Division I-FBS | 12,325 | $122,445,304 |
| 22 | University of Kentucky | KY | NCAA Division I-FBS | 20,772 | $122,307,014 |
| 23 | University of Nebraska-Lincoln | NE | NCAA Division I-FBS | 19,381 | $117,743,538 |
| 24 | University of Southern California | CA | NCAA Division I-FBS | 18,070 | $113,174,912 |
| 25 | University of Minnesota-Twin Cities | MN | NCAA Division I-FBS | 28,782 | $107,894,615 |
| 26 | Texas Christian University | TX | NCAA Division I-FBS | 8,591 | $105,055,587 |
| 27 | Clemson University | SC | NCAA Division I-FBS | 17,849 | $104,925,252 |
| 28 | Indiana University-Bloomington | IN | NCAA Division I-FBS | 31,884 | $104,819,338 |
| 29 | University of California-Los Angeles | CA | NCAA Division I-FBS | 30,329 | $104,106,646 |
| 30 | Michigan State University | MI | NCAA Division I-FBS | 35,280 | $103,920,895 |
| 31 | University of Mississippi | MS | NCAA Division I-FBS | 17,649 | $101,857,663 |
| 32 | University of Kansas | KS | NCAA Division I-FBS | 16,987 | $101,345,197 |
| 33 | University of Oregon | OR | NCAA Division I-FBS | 18,309 | $101,333,119 |
| 34 | Duke University | NC | NCAA Division I-FBS | 6,449 | $100,480,206 |
| 35 | Arizona State University-Tempe | AZ | NCAA Division I-FBS | 38,761 | $98,972,378 |
| 36 | Baylor University | TX | NCAA Division I-FBS | 14,087 | $98,125,426 |
| 37 | University of Maryland-College Park | MD | NCAA Division I-FBS | 26,174 | $94,881,357 |
| 38 | University of Colorado Boulder | CO | NCAA Division I-FBS | 25,692 | $94,226,108 |
| 39 | University of Virginia-Main Campus | VA | NCAA Division I-FBS | 15,420 | $92,962,999 |
| 40 | West Virginia University | WV | NCAA Division I-FBS | 20,524 | $92,593,373 |
| 41 | Syracuse University | NY | NCAA Division I-FBS | 14,324 | $91,445,865 |
| 42 | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | NC | NCAA Division I-FBS | 17,828 | $90,500,869 |
| 43 | University of Missouri-Columbia | MO | NCAA Division I-FBS | 24,060 | $90,034,258 |
| 44 | Mississippi State University | MS | NCAA Division I-FBS | 16,134 | $89,696,829 |
| 45 | University of California-Berkeley | CA | NCAA Division I-FBS | 28,107 | $89,382,397 |
| 46 | University of Miami | FL | NCAA Division I-FBS | 10,102 | $89,135,175 |
| 47 | University of Arizona | AZ | NCAA Division I-FBS | 29,049 | $88,186,587 |
| 48 | Oklahoma State University-Main Campus | OK | NCAA Division I-FBS | 18,330 | $88,059,220 |
| 49 | Oregon State University | OR | NCAA Division I-FBS | 18,395 | $86,730,624 |
| 50 | Kansas State University | KS | NCAA Division I-FBS | 17,562 | $86,081,526 |
| 51 | North Carolina State University at Raleigh | NC | NCAA Division I-FBS | 20,818 | $85,201,572 |
| 52 | Purdue University-Main Campus | IN | NCAA Division I-FBS | 29,301 | $84,841,133 |
| 53 | University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus | PA | NCAA Division I-FBS | 18,129 | $84,831,036 |
| 54 | Northwestern University | IL | NCAA Division I-FBS | 8,249 | $84,279,755 |
| 55 | University of Connecticut | CT | NCAA Division I-FBS | 18,538 | $83,374,163 |
| 56 | University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign | IL | NCAA Division I-FBS | 32,126 | $83,307,820 |
| 57 | Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University | VA | NCAA Division I-FBS | 25,175 | $80,792,750 |
| 58 | Vanderbilt University | TN | NCAA Division I-FBS | 6,808 | $80,335,651 |
| 59 | Texas Tech University | TX | NCAA Division I-FBS | 26,588 | $79,377,076 |
| 60 | Rutgers University-New Brunswick | NJ | NCAA Division I-FBS | 33,939 | $78,439,668 |
| 61 | University of Utah | UT | NCAA Division I-FBS | 17,081 | $74,774,278 |
| 62 | Boston College | MA | NCAA Division I-FBS | 9,486 | $74,587,091 |
| 63 | Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus | GA | NCAA Division I-FBS | 13,698 | $71,438,008 |
| 64 | Washington State University | WA | NCAA Division I-FBS | 21,534 | $71,394,584 |
| 65 | Brigham Young University-Provo | UT | NCAA Division I-FBS | 28,012 | $67,733,712 |
| 66 | Wake Forest University | NC | NCAA Division I-FBS | 4,899 | $66,995,224 |
| 67 | Iowa State University | IA | NCAA Division I-FBS | 28,791 | $66,335,424 |
| 68 | Southern Methodist University | TX | NCAA Division I-FBS | 6,294 | $57,193,821 |
| 69 | Temple University | PA | NCAA Division I-FBS | 26,128 | $52,394,437 |
| 70 | San Diego State University | CA | NCAA Division I-FBS | 26,530 | $51,569,852 |
| 71 | University of Central Florida | FL | NCAA Division I-FBS | 38,228 | $51,128,904 |
| 72 | University of South Florida-Main Campus | FL | NCAA Division I-FBS | 23,603 | $49,960,339 |
| 73 | University of Houston | TX | NCAA Division I-FBS | 25,399 | $48,820,426 |
| 74 | University of Memphis | TN | NCAA Division I-FBS | 12,372 | $48,443,154 |
| 75 | University of Cincinnati-Main Campus | OH | NCAA Division I-FBS | 21,445 | $46,776,240 |
| 76 | East Carolina University | NC | NCAA Division I-FBS | 19,698 | $45,751,164 |
| 77 | Georgetown University | DC | NCAA Division I-FCS | 6,874 | $44,652,901 |
| 78 | University of Hawaii at Manoa | HI | NCAA Division I-FBS | 10,676 | $43,959,880 |
| 79 | California State University-Fresno | CA | NCAA Division I-FBS | 18,828 | $43,903,160 |
| 80 | James Madison University | VA | NCAA Division I-FCS | 18,467 | $43,002,934 |
| 81 | Tulane University of Louisiana | LA | NCAA Division I-FBS | 6,487 | $42,459,986 |
| 82 | University of Tulsa | OK | NCAA Division I-FBS | 3,248 | $42,444,847 |
| 83 | Villanova University | PA | NCAA Division I-FCS | 6,469 | $42,400,846 |
| 84 | Old Dominion University | VA | NCAA Division I-FBS | 15,173 | $42,086,525 |
| 85 | Yale University | CT | NCAA Division I-FCS | 5,468 | $41,603,825 |
| 86 | University of New Mexico-Main Campus | NM | NCAA Division I-FBS | 15,732 | $41,368,528 |
| 87 | Colorado State University-Fort Collins | CO | NCAA Division I-FBS | 21,211 | $41,208,764 |
| 88 | University of Nevada-Las Vegas | NV | NCAA Division I-FBS | 18,237 | $40,613,503 |
| 89 | University of Pennsylvania | PA | NCAA Division I-FCS | 10,231 | $40,611,793 |
| 90 | University of Massachusetts-Amherst | MA | NCAA Division I-FBS | 21,340 | $39,387,913 |
| 91 | Rice University | TX | NCAA Division I-FBS | 3,824 | $39,125,169 |
| 92 | George Washington University | DC | NCAA Division I without football | 10,343 | $37,743,777 |
| 93 | Texas State University | TX | NCAA Division I-FBS | 28,180 | $36,740,982 |
| 94 | University of Nevada-Reno | NV | NCAA Division I-FBS | 15,390 | $36,730,274 |
| 95 | University of Denver | CO | NCAA Division I without football | 5,478 | $36,635,635 |
| 96 | Boise State University | ID | NCAA Division I-FBS | 12,350 | $36,348,138 |
| 97 | Liberty University | VA | NCAA Division I-FCS | 27,100 | $36,013,263 |
| 98 | Miami University-Oxford | OH | NCAA Division I-FBS | 16,109 | $35,903,047 |
| 99 | University of Wyoming | WY | NCAA Division I-FBS | 8,099 | $35,796,878 |
| 100 | Florida International University | FL | NCAA Division I-FBS | 25,920 | $35,297,643 |
| 101 | St John's University-New York | NY | NCAA Division I without football | 11,468 | $34,610,502 |
| 102 | Marquette University | WI | NCAA Division I without football | 7,919 | $34,563,086 |
| 103 | Lehigh University | PA | NCAA Division I-FCS | 4,990 | $34,314,228 |
| 104 | Utah State University | UT | NCAA Division I-FBS | 16,888 | $33,858,736 |
| 105 | Boston University | MA | NCAA Division I without football | 16,199 | $33,757,327 |
| 106 | University of Delaware | DE | NCAA Division I-FCS | 17,736 | $33,601,114 |
| 107 | University at Buffalo | NY | NCAA Division I-FBS | 18,732 | $33,584,196 |
| 108 | University of North Texas | TX | NCAA Division I-FBS | 25,486 | $33,429,160 |
| 109 | Fordham University | NY | NCAA Division I-FCS | 8,725 | $33,102,582 |
| 110 | Providence College | RI | NCAA Division I without football | 3,768 | $32,982,408 |
| 111 | University of North Carolina at Charlotte | NC | NCAA Division I-FBS | 20,257 | $32,932,759 |
| 112 | Ohio University-Main Campus | OH | NCAA Division I-FBS | 17,794 | $32,621,410 |
| 113 | Western Michigan University | MI | NCAA Division I-FBS | 14,999 | $32,568,703 |
| 114 | University of Akron Main Campus | OH | NCAA Division I-FBS | 13,367 | $32,430,238 |
| 115 | Eastern Michigan University | MI | NCAA Division I-FBS | 12,714 | $32,311,248 |
| 116 | College of the Holy Cross | MA | NCAA Division I-FCS | 2,689 | $32,140,448 |
| 117 | Central Michigan University | MI | NCAA Division I-FBS | 17,077 | $31,792,125 |
| 118 | University of New Hampshire-Main Campus | NH | NCAA Division I-FCS | 12,415 | $31,621,270 |
| 119 | The University of Texas at El Paso | TX | NCAA Division I-FBS | 13,321 | $30,891,851 |
| 120 | University of Richmond | VA | NCAA Division I-FCS | 2,998 | $30,743,620 |
| 121 | University of California-Davis | CA | NCAA Division I-FCS | 28,544 | $30,711,944 |
| 122 | Middle Tennessee State University | TN | NCAA Division I-FBS | 15,985 | $30,528,498 |
| 123 | Virginia Commonwealth University | VA | NCAA Division I without football | 20,050 | $29,784,991 |
| 124 | Marshall University | WV | NCAA Division I-FBS | 7,917 | $29,367,140 |
| 125 | Western Kentucky University | KY | NCAA Division I-FBS | 12,967 | $29,177,882 |
| 126 | Dartmouth College | NH | NCAA Division I-FCS | 4,230 | $29,071,662 |
| 127 | Northeastern University | MA | NCAA Division I without football | 13,345 | $29,025,294 |
| 128 | Columbia University in the City of New York | NY | NCAA Division I-FCS | 7,552 | $29,009,751 |
| 129 | University of Toledo | OH | NCAA Division I-FBS | 12,810 | $29,001,171 |
| 130 | Butler University | IN | Other | 4,171 | $28,971,821 |
| 131 | Coastal Carolina University | SC | Other | 8,828 | $28,936,464 |
| 132 | University of Alabama at Birmingham | AL | NCAA Division I-FBS | 8,941 | $28,929,743 |
| 133 | Princeton University | NJ | NCAA Division I-FCS | 5,236 | $28,855,106 |
| 134 | Troy University | AL | NCAA Division I-FBS | 9,329 | $28,571,770 |
| 135 | Kent State University at Kent | OH | NCAA Division I-FBS | 19,034 | $28,535,475 |
| 136 | Bucknell University | PA | NCAA Division I-FCS | 3,525 | $28,439,815 |
| 137 | Furman University | SC | NCAA Division I-FCS | 2,691 | $28,179,039 |
| 138 | North Dakota State University-Main Campus | ND | NCAA Division I-FCS | 10,631 | $28,124,505 |
| 139 | San Jose State University | CA | NCAA Division I-FBS | 21,569 | $28,090,817 |
| 140 | Gonzaga University | WA | NCAA Division I without football | 5,029 | $28,013,845 |
| 141 | Quinnipiac University | CT | NCAA Division I without football | 6,784 | $27,891,934 |
| 142 | The University of Texas at San Antonio | TX | NCAA Division I-FBS | 19,995 | $27,826,471 |
| 143 | College of William and Mary | VA | NCAA Division I-FCS | 6,206 | $27,800,936 |
| 144 | Ball State University | IN | NCAA Division I-FBS | 15,018 | $27,410,832 |
| 145 | Georgia State University | GA | NCAA Division I-FBS | 19,062 | $27,366,614 |
| 146 | The University of Montana | MT | NCAA Division I-FCS | 7,789 | $27,064,306 |
| 147 | Cornell University | NY | NCAA Division I-FCS | 14,461 | $27,021,756 |
| 148 | University of Rhode Island | RI | NCAA Division I-FCS | 12,422 | $26,883,562 |
| 149 | University of Louisiana at Lafayette | LA | NCAA Division I-FBS | 12,859 | $26,541,072 |
| 150 | California State University-Sacramento | CA | NCAA Division I-FCS | 23,181 | $26,485,704 |
| 151 | University of Dayton | OH | NCAA Division I-FCS | 7,867 | $26,305,830 |
| 152 | Colgate University | NY | NCAA Division I-FCS | 2,864 | $26,220,452 |
| 153 | Wichita State University | KS | NCAA Division I without football | 8,566 | $26,192,382 |
| 154 | Florida Atlantic University | FL | NCAA Division I-FBS | 15,715 | $26,135,496 |
| 155 | Illinois State University | IL | NCAA Division I-FCS | 17,420 | $26,056,566 |
| 156 | Appalachian State University | NC | NCAA Division I-FBS | 15,450 | $25,795,349 |
| 157 | Harvard University | MA | NCAA Division I-FCS | 6,931 | $25,732,191 |
| 158 | DePaul University | IL | NCAA Division I without football | 13,126 | $25,597,183 |
| 159 | Stony Brook University | NY | NCAA Division I-FCS | 15,729 | $25,557,023 |
| 160 | Elon University | NC | NCAA Division I-FCS | 5,854 | $25,416,974 |
| 161 | University of North Dakota | ND | NCAA Division I-FCS | 8,787 | $25,219,135 |
| 162 | California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo | CA | NCAA Division I-FCS | 19,650 | $25,138,047 |
| 163 | Sacred Heart University | CT | NCAA Division I-FCS | 4,793 | $25,118,429 |
| 164 | University of San Diego | CA | NCAA Division I-FCS | 5,433 | $24,730,465 |
| 165 | Northern Illinois University | IL | NCAA Division I-FBS | 12,323 | $24,695,763 |
| 166 | University of the Pacific | CA | NCAA Division I without football | 3,375 | $24,619,395 |
| 167 | University of South Alabama | AL | NCAA Division I-FBS | 9,596 | $24,059,763 |
| 168 | Monmouth University | NJ | NCAA Division I-FCS | 4,484 | $23,807,422 |
| 169 | Bowling Green State University-Main Campus | OH | NCAA Division I-FBS | 13,111 | $23,753,594 |
| 170 | Santa Clara University | CA | NCAA Division I without football | 5,333 | $23,688,106 |
| 171 | Creighton University | NE | NCAA Division I without football | 3,970 | $23,664,229 |
| 172 | Loyola Marymount University | CA | NCAA Division I without football | 5,987 | $23,598,739 |
| 173 | Southern Illinois University-Carbondale | IL | NCAA Division I-FCS | 10,509 | $22,652,421 |
| 174 | Lafayette College | PA | NCAA Division I-FCS | 2,505 | $22,638,590 |
| 175 | Seton Hall University | NJ | NCAA Division I without football | 5,484 | $22,619,498 |
| 176 | SUNY at Albany | NY | NCAA Division I-FCS | 12,387 | $22,516,071 |
| 177 | Louisiana Tech University | LA | NCAA Division I-FBS | 7,434 | $22,467,526 |
| 178 | New Mexico State University-Main Campus | NM | NCAA Division I-FBS | 9,825 | $22,448,424 |
| 179 | Kennesaw State University | GA | NCAA Division I-FCS | 24,171 | $22,423,726 |
| 180 | Drexel University | PA | NCAA Division I without football | 13,258 | $22,265,036 |
| 181 | Grand Canyon University | AZ | NCAA Division I without football | 14,542 | $22,250,576 |
| 182 | University of Southern Mississippi | MS | NCAA Division I-FBS | 10,242 | $22,230,837 |
| 183 | Towson University | MD | NCAA Division I-FCS | 16,827 | $21,942,865 |
| 184 | Montana State University | MT | NCAA Division I-FCS | 12,157 | $21,941,343 |
| 185 | Samford University | AL | NCAA Division I-FCS | 3,204 | $21,921,217 |
| 186 | Saint Joseph's University | PA | NCAA Division I without football | 4,649 | $21,820,289 |
| 187 | University of Idaho | ID | NCAA Division I-FBS | 7,248 | $21,650,195 |
| 188 | Hofstra University | NY | NCAA Division I without football | 6,462 | $21,612,205 |
| 189 | George Mason University | VA | NCAA Division I without football | 19,024 | $21,527,895 |
| 190 | Xavier University | OH | NCAA Division I without football | 4,292 | $21,475,964 |
| 191 | Bacone College | OK | NAIA Division I | 935 | $21,342,202 |
| 192 | Saint Louis University | MO | NCAA Division I without football | 6,672 | $21,318,797 |
| 193 | Georgia Southern University | GA | NCAA Division I-FBS | 15,912 | $20,921,958 |
| 194 | Pepperdine University | CA | NCAA Division I without football | 3,220 | $20,862,298 |
| 195 | Brown University | RI | NCAA Division I-FCS | 6,556 | $20,854,933 |
| 196 | Duquesne University | PA | NCAA Division I-FCS | 5,851 | $20,566,765 |
| 197 | California State University-Long Beach | CA | NCAA Division I without football | 27,804 | $20,258,440 |
| 198 | University of California-Santa Barbara | CA | NCAA Division I without football | 21,199 | $20,233,804 |
| 199 | University of San Francisco | CA | NCAA Division I without football | 6,413 | $20,100,200 |
| 200 | Wofford College | SC | NCAA Division I-FCS | 1,664 | $19,822,191 |
Source: U.S. Department of Education Office of Postsecondary Education
Alerts Sign-up