The West Virginia University Athletics Support Fee supports the operations necessary to support WVU student-athletes and will help invest in the future of WVU Athletics.
How much is the fee?
$125 mandatory Mountaineer Athletics Advantage Fee will be added as a separate item to students’ University tuition and fees each fall and spring term.
What student populations will be issued the Mountaineer Athletics Advantage Fee?
The Mountaineer Athletics Advantage Fee will be issued for undergraduate, graduate and professional students on the Morgantown Campus who are enrolled in any number of credits for the fall and spring semesters.
Are there any students who will not be issued the fee?
The Mountaineer Athletics Advantage Fee does not apply to the following student populations:- WVU Online
- High School ACCESS
- WVU Institute of Technology
- WVU Potomac State College
Why are students from the regional campuses and WVU Online excluded?
WVU’s regional campuses compete in separate athletics conferences and are not affiliated with Big 12 or Division I athletics. WVU Online students are billed tuition and fees differently due to the modality of curriculum.
Can the fee be waived?
The fee is mandatory and cannot be waived. Additionally, the fee is not covered by aid that is specifically earmarked for tuition and fees, such as tuition waivers.
Does this guarantee students tickets to the games?
The fee does not guarantee gameday tickets. Students can access tickets through a lottery system or partake in the Mountaineer Maniacs. Entry to many athletic events is free with a WVU ID.
Why are Morgantown students asked to contribute toward this fee?
The University recently introduced a new expense category in its annual budget as a result of the House v. NCAA litigation settlement.
Since the athletics experience is such an integral part of the student experience on our flagship campus in Morgantown, the Mountaineer Athletics Advantage Fee helps address the expenses needed to be covered as a result of this new, separate and distinct University expense.
Is an athletics fee already included in University Fees?
University Fees are billed as part of tuition and fees and support a number of operations and maintenance throughout campus, including the Rec Center, transportation, and facilities including athletic venues.
Why isn't the fee prorated?
To help support revenue sharing for student-athletes, the fee applies to all Morgantown students.
In addition to revenue sharing, how is the University securing funding to reach the $20.5 million cap?
Beginning July 1, 2025, WVU will share approximately $20.5 million of generated revenues — which include ticket sales, Big 12 Conference earnings and multi-media revenues — with WVU student-athletes. These revenues had previously supported the operations of WVU Athletics and its 18 sports.
To help backfill the approximate $20.5 million in generated revenues that now compensate student-athletes, the University and WVU Athletics are pursuing many avenues, including increased sponsorships, additional fundraising efforts, a reallocation of expenses within Athletics, enhanced University support, and this new Mountaineer Athletics Advantage Fee.
What is the House v. NCAA settlement?
The NCAA settlement with college athletes addresses several issues, including revenue sharing with student-athletes. In recent years, a series of class-action lawsuits, including House v. NCAA, have challenged the NCAA’s rules limiting the ability of student athletes to earn compensation for the use of their name, image, and likeness (NIL). These lawsuits argued that the NCAA and its Power conferences violated antitrust laws by restricting athlete compensation and preventing them from profiting from their NIL.
The approved House settlement resolves these lawsuits by providing back pay to former athletes, allowing schools to share revenue with current and future athletes, and changing NCAA rules on athlete compensation.
Starting in the 2025-2026 academic year, schools can give up to 22% — the permissive cap — of the average of the school’s athletic media, ticket and sponsorship revenue to athletes. This means that schools can now provide up to $20.5 million to compensate student-athletes for their NIL and related services.
Why is the annual compensation cap set at $20.5 million?
$20.5 million calculates to the 22% permissive cap of the average of the school’s athletic media, ticket and sponsorship revenue to athletes by all institutions within the Power conferences (Big 12, ACC, Big 10 and SEC). The cap is set to increase by 4% annually and will be recalibrated every three years. As with all tuition and university fees, the University will determine the amount for the Mountaineer Athletics Advantage Fee annually. Any change (increase or decrease) to fee must be approved by the Board of Governors.