University of Louisville to Collect $200 Student Athletic Fee Starting This Fall

Students at the University of Louisville can expect to pay an additional $200 student athletic fee for the Fall 2025 semester.

According to WDRB, the new fee is the University of Louisville’s attempt to cover the projected $12.5 million athletics department budget deficit and support operational expenses. In the wake of the House settlement and revenue sharing, many Division-I universities have instituted similar fees.

There are roughly 16,000 full-time undergraduate students at the University of Louisville. If every fee is paid in full, the athletics department can expect a $3.2 million bump in funding — still not enough to cover the anticipated deficit.

Officials at the university said its fee aligns with the ACC average of $204 per semester, and Louisville is including student ticket prices into the fee. Many other universities still charge a season ticket price on top of the new student athletic fees.

With the fee, students are granted entry to football, men’s basketball, women’s basketball, volleyball and baseball games. However, a lottery system may be implemented if demand surges. Another 500 students will be granted Ville’ns+ membership for an additional $75 fee. Ville’ns+ memberships guarantee students seats at football and men’s basketball games, access to exclusive events, postseason ticket access and merch.

Students at the University of Louisville have mixed feelings about the fee. While some think $200 is outrageous, others who frequently attend athletic events see this as an opportunity to attend more games.

“I'm fine with it because I want to go to the games and more opportunities for me to go to the games would be perfect," said Krish Patel, who previously paid for student tickets to attend games.

But senior Emma Mills said, “To charge somebody $200, I don’t know that I’ve ever been to a game. That’s crazy.”