FY2025 Financial Snapshot
Source: FY2025 NCAA MFRS · Prepared by Data Driven HBCU · March 2026
Total Revenue
$13.1M
FY2025 MFRS
Total Expenses
$13.1M
FY2025 MFRS
Net Position
+$0.0M
Revenue − Expenses
Athletic Aid
$3.5M
27.0% of expenses
Scholarship Equivs.
115.35
235 athletes receiving aid
Sports Offered
14
6M / 8W
FY2025 Revenue Sources
Athletic Aid vs. All 13 HBCU Peers
2024 Football Record
9-4
Cost / Equiv.
$30,633
In-State COA: $31,000
Pell Recipients
132
$867,280 total Pell aid
FY2025 Revenue Mix
Revenue source breakdown as reported in FY2025 NCAA MFRS filing.
Revenue Sources — FY2025 (SC State)
| Revenue Source | Amount | % of Total |
|---|---|---|
| Student Fees | $1,405,800 | 10.7% |
| Direct Institutional | $7,808,777 | 59.6% |
| Ticket Sales | $956,356 | 7.3% |
| Guarantees | $926,000 | 7.1% |
| NCAA / Conference | $989,607 | 7.5% |
| Media Rights | $68,778 | 0.5% |
| Donor Contributions | $393,856 | 3.0% |
| Sponsorships | $128,750 | 1.0% |
| Other | $430,843 | 3.3% |
| TOTAL | $13,108,767 | 100.0% |
FY2025 Expense Mix
Source: FY2025 NCAA MFRS
Expense Breakdown — SC State
Expenses by Category
| Expense Category | Amount | % of Total |
|---|---|---|
| Athletic Aid | $3,533,554 | 27.0% |
| Coaching Comp | $2,770,492 | 21.1% |
| Staff Comp | $1,502,748 | 11.5% |
| Game Exp & Travel | $2,525,885 | 19.3% |
| Facilities / Debt | $0 | 0.0% |
| Recruiting | $165,964 | 1.3% |
| Medical & Meals | $409,428 | 3.1% |
| Other | $2,200,696 | 16.8% |
| TOTAL | $13,108,767 | 100.0% |
FY2025 Scholarship Equivalencies
Source: FY2025 NCAA MFRS Page 43. Equivalency data as reported.
Grand Total Equivs.
115.35
235 athletes receiving aid
Total Aid Dollars
$3.5M
27.0% of expenses
Cost / Equiv.
$30,633
11-peer avg: ~$26K
Men's Aid
$1.7M
141 athletes
Women's Aid
$0.9M
94 athletes
Men's Scholarship Equivalencies by Sport
Women's Scholarship Equivalencies by Sport
| Men's Sport | Equivs. | Aid ($) |
|---|---|---|
| Football | 54.09 | $1,254,288 |
| Basketball | 12.65 | $293,340 |
| Track/XC | 4.07 | $94,379 |
| Tennis | 3.53 | $81,857 |
| Men's Total | — | $1,723,864 |
| Women's Sport | Equivs. | Aid ($) |
|---|---|---|
| Basketball | 14.00 | $313,591 |
| Soccer | 6.35 | $142,236 |
| Volleyball | 3.82 | $85,566 |
| Track/XC | 5.16 | $115,581 |
| Softball | 5.76 | $129,020 |
| Tennis | 5.92 | $132,604 |
| Women's Total | — | $918,599 |
HBCU Peer Comparison — FY2025 MFRS
All 13 programs. SC State highlighted in gold.
Athletic Aid — 11 HBCU Programs (FY2025)
| School | Conf. | Revenue | Expenses | Net | Aid | Aid % | Equivs. |
|---|
Head Coaching Salaries — 11 HBCU Programs (FY2025)
Football, Men's Basketball, and Women's Basketball head coach compensation (university + third-party combined). Source: FY2025 NCAA MFRS. — indicates no football program.
Men's & Women's Basketball HC Salary — 11 HBCU Programs (FY2025)
| School | FB HC Salary | MB HC Salary ▼ | WB HC Salary |
|---|
Endowment Data — 11 HBCU Programs (FY2025)
Restricted endowment income (MFRS L17), athletics dedicated endowments (L54), and institutional endowments (L55). Source: FY2025 NCAA MFRS.
Institutional Endowment — 11 HBCU Programs (FY2025)
| School | Restricted Endow Income | Athletics Endowment ▼ | Institutional Endowment |
|---|
Key Findings & Research Verdict
Prepared: March 2026 | Data: FY2025 NCAA MFRS Actuals
Research Verdict — SC State
SC State leads all HBCU programs in the 2025 Data Driven HBCU football rankings despite a mid-tier budget. The school's aid commitment (27.0%) and institutional investment are producing on-field results that punch above their financial weight class.
FINDING 1
Institutional support (59.6%) drives nearly all revenue
SC State directs 59.6% of revenues through institutional channels — second highest in the cohort after UMES. Student fees at only 10.7% indicate limited fee-based independent revenue.
FINDING 2
Aid commitment of 27.0% is strong for a $13M program
At 27.0% of expenses in athletic aid ($3.53M), SC State demonstrates a clear prioritization of scholarship investment relative to its budget size — consistent with MEAC culture.
FINDING 3
#1 in the 2025 Data Driven HBCU national football rankings
SC State's composite score of 0.8876 in the Data Driven HBCU 2025 rankings placed them #1 among all D1 HBCU programs nationally — translating financial investment into championship-level on-field performance.
Historical Financial Trends — FY2005–FY2025
South Carolina State University · 21-Year View · FY2005–FY2024 data sourced from the Knight-Newhouse College Athletics Database; FY2025 data from NCAA MFRS reports provided by the institution.
Total Revenue vs. Total Expenses
Revenue by Category
Student Fees, Institutional Support, NCAA/Conference Distributions, Ticket Sales, Donor Contributions
Expenses by Category
Athletic Student Aid, Coaches Compensation, Staff Compensation, Game Travel, Facilities & Debt Service
Student Fees & Institutional Support
The two largest sources of institutional subsidy tracked over 21 years.
Data Attribution
FY2005–FY2024 historical data sourced from the Knight-Newhouse College Athletics Database, a project of the Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics and the Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University. FY2025 data from NCAA MFRS reports provided by the institution. All figures reflect reported actuals for South Carolina State University.
FY2005–FY2024 historical data sourced from the Knight-Newhouse College Athletics Database, a project of the Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics and the Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University. FY2025 data from NCAA MFRS reports provided by the institution. All figures reflect reported actuals for South Carolina State University.