The Texas State athletics department saw a net surplus of $732,303 for the 2018-19 year, the largest profit in the Sun Belt, according to USA Today’s annual college finances report released on Thursday.
The school ranked 83rd in the NCAA and third in the conference (behind first-place Appalachian State and second-place Coastal Carolina) with $37,834,341 in total revenue. The Bobcats also ranked 86th overall and fifth in the league with $37,102,038 in total expenses.
The university’s ticket sales fell to its lowest total since 2012, the year before Texas State joined the Sun Belt. The school’s gate revenue of $822,979 in 2019 represents a 28% decrease from just two years ago. The Bobcats also saw a steep dropoff in outside contributions at $3,658,892, the lowest mark since 2011, and a small shrink in school funds at $7,980,450.
Texas State was able to counteract these reductions in revenue with an all-time high amount of both student fees, which saw a 4.5% increase from 2019 at $18,929,727, and income listed as “other” at $4,241,618, which can include game guarantees, revenue from sports camps, housing allowances, etc. The school’s total allocated amount, which is the sum of student fees, direct and indirect institutional support and state money allocated to the athletics department, minus certain funds the department transferred back to the school, was listed at $26,910,177, which made up the sixth-highest percentage of a department’s revenue in the conference at 71.13%.
The Bobcats’ expenses jumped to historic highs in nearly every category. The department’s coaching and staff expenses reached eight digits for the first time at $10,218,923. Scholarships jumped 9.8% from last year to $5,803,218. Facilities and overhead costs saw a slight decrease, but remained in the double-digit millions for the fourth time in the past five years at $10,375,153. Texas State’s expenses listed under the “other” category saw the largest jump by far at $10,704,744, an increase of $1,352,503 (or 14.5%) from 2018. This category can include severance payments to past coaches and staff, recruiting, team travel, equipment and uniforms, etc.
Texas State, Appalachian State and Coastal Carolina were the only Sun Belt schools that were profitable during the year. Arkansas State and Troy both broke even. All other conference members fell into the red.
