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Deluge of Big Ten money helped lower UCLA athletics debt
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- Deluge of Big Ten money helped lower UCLA athletics debt
A pile of Big Ten cash helped UCLA come closer to balancing its athletics department budget .
The Bruins ran a deficit of $21.6 million during the most recent fiscal year ending in June 2025 — down from $51.8 million the previous year — according to financial documents reviewed by The California Post.
A pile of Big Ten cash helped UCLA come closer to balancing its athletics department budget. Getty Images
The bottom-line improvement came largely as a result of $61.2 million in media rights revenue from the Big Ten, more than triple the $19.9 million the school brought in from its final year as a member of the Pac-12. UCLA also received nearly $13 million in a conference distribution related to College Football Playoff, bowl game and NCAA Tournament appearances, up from $8.7 million in the Pac-12.
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For a second consecutive year, the university provided $30 million in direct institutional support and also paid the remaining deficit, bringing the balance to zero.
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"The 2024-25 season was our first full season in the Big Ten Conference, and the financials reflect what we anticipated during the transition," a UCLA athletics spokesperson said in a statement. "Revenue increased, driven largely by our conference media rights and distributions, while expenses also rose due to transition-related costs and increased investments in student-athlete well-being and support.
UCLA athletic director Martin Jarmond seen during a speaking engagement in September. Bloomberg via Getty Images
"Fiscal responsibility remains a priority, and we are actively reviewing spending and identifying efficiencies while continuing to work with campus leadership on a multi-year plan to ensure long-term stability in a rapidly changing college athletics landscape."
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Those who have been watching UCLA's athletics department finances closely might note that it's the seventh consecutive year that the Bruins have run in the red, the tab now totaling $241.1 million in shortfalls that the university has covered.
It certainly didn't help that UCLA was forced to make its first $10 million "Calimony" payment to sister school California after the UC Regents voted to penalize UCLA for abandoning the Pac-12. UCLA will have to make an identical payment in each of the next two years as part of the arrangement.
For a second consecutive year, the university provided $30 million in direct institutional support. Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
UCLA also paid a whopping $64.6 million in coach and staff compensation, partly as a result of an expanded staff during football coach DeShaun Foster's first season. The school paid $14.5 million for travel expenses during its first year in the Big Ten, up from $9.5 million during its final year in the Pac-12, though $2 million of the former amount was for nonconference football trips to Hawaii and LSU.
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As part of an increased commitment to nutrition, mental health and academic support in the wake of its conference switch, UCLA paid $8.5 million in meal costs, providing its Olympic sports athletes a fourth meal each day. During its final year in the Pac-12, UCLA had paid $5.9 million for meals.
UCLA's revenue included $13 million in contributions during the second-highest fundraising year in the history of its athletics department, though some of those gifts were pledges for future years. Ticket sales were up nearly $2 million over the previous year for all sports.
UCLA's next fiscal budget will reflect the latest challenge confronting athletics departments across the country – revenue sharing. The school committed to paying the maximum $20.5 million in revenue sharing with athletes during the first year it was allowed under the House settlement.
