Minnesota Students, Gophers Fans Criticize $200 Student Fee to Support Athletics

News that the University of Minnesota will join a growing number of schools in charging students a fee to support their respective athletic departments has met immediate backlash.

As reported by Sports Illustrated, The Minnesota Star Tribune published a story Friday highlighting the U of M's decision to charge students a $100-per-semester fee, specifically as it pertains to directly paying student-athletes.

"What a scam. Student debt will last a lifetime," one reader responded.

"Despicable...schools are now just professional sports teams first and education second. Tragic tbh," said another.

"The highest tuition hike ever, students paying for student-athletes that could hit the transfer portal anyways," offered a third.

One fan asked, "So raising ticket prices isn't an option?"

"The Strib's post of the story on X received 36 comments and three quote tweets, with only three retweets and six likes," Tony Liebert of SI wrote. "In the business, we call that getting 'ratio'd,' which is a clear signal that people aren't happy with the topic at hand."

According to Liebert, it was reported earlier this month that the University of Minnesota's athletics budget faces an $8.75 million deficit. That shortfall is reportedly driven largely by the new House v. NCAA settlement, which requires schools to begin sharing revenue directly with student-athletes. This student fee will help cover part of the estimated $20.5 million expected to go to athletes this year.

Minnesota's $100 per semester fee isn't the only extra charge among Big Ten institutions. A university spokesperson pointed out to the Star Tribune that Illinois, Iowa, Maryland, Northwestern, Rutgers and UCLA reportedly all do something similar in hopes of combating the extra athletic department costs.

Schools outside the conference have made similar declarations, as well.

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

Minnesota's football program reportedly ranks among the top 25 in the country in terms of generated revenue, and its men's hockey program trails only Arkansas baseball in ticket sales for non-football and non-men's basketball programs nationwide. Moreover, according to Liebert, Minnesota had the seventh-largest enrollment among public universities in 2023-24.

"Between conference realignment, NIL and now revenue sharing, college sports is almost unrecognizable from just a decade ago," Liebert wrote. "Athletic departments are doing everything they can to remain competitive, and only time will tell if the $200 fee proves worthwhile for Minnesota."