Myrtle Beach: CCU Athletic Subsidies Dispute

Coastal Carolina University disputes data showing highest student fees. Here’s how many thousands go to sports

By Ben Morse, March 16, 2024, 5:00 AM

Coastal Carolina University is disputing data and claims that their students pay more to subsidize athletics compared to almost all other schools. A post published on X, formerly known as Twitter, March 1, 2024 claimed that CCU students paid $3,634 in athletic subsidies during the 2023 fiscal year, the most in the NCAA’s Football Bowl Subdivision.

CCU students paid more athletic subsidies than all of their Sun Belt Conference counterparts, according to the post. The data also showed that CCU students paid almost $500 more for athletics than the school with the second-highest student subsidy, South Alabama.

CCU Director of Communication Jerry Rashid refuted Altimore’s findings, writing that the university calculated the athletic subsidy to be $2,090. “The University has evaluated the information in the social media post, and we are unable to replicate the provided data,” Rashid wrote in an email to The Sun News.

While the exact figure is in dispute, what is not is that Coastal Carolina students pay a lot for athletics. Based on Altimore’s initial report, a $2,090 student athletic subsidy would still be among the highest compared to other schools. CCU would no longer lead the Sun Belt Conference.

Altimore’s used data from the Sportico College Sports Finances Database, which obtains data from universities through public records requests.

Ben Morse is the Retail and Leisure Reporter for The Sun News. Morse covers local business and Coastal Carolina University football. Morse previously worked for The Island Packet covering local government.

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