The Impact of Moving from FCS to FBS on the Institution

Abstract

I explore the impact of competing in elite-level college football on the institution's financial health by analyzing institutions that reclassified from NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision to the Football Bowl Subdivision. I find that this reclassification is associated with increases in applications, first-year enrollment, and total enrollment. While it decreases per student tuition revenue relative to its counterfactual, total revenue increases.

Keywords

athletics division I enrollment football bowl subdivision football championship subdivision higher education NCAA tuition revenue

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