The University of South Carolina athletic department ended with a surplus of $69,238 for the fiscal year that ended in June 2023 — the first time since 2019 that the department had finished on the positive side of the financial ledger.
According to South Carolina’s annual NCAA financial report, the athletic department had total operational revenue of nearly $160.5 million and expenses totaling a little more than $160.4 million. The numbers have not been adjusted for inflation.
The department had a deficit of $3.7 million in 2022; $11 million in 2021; and $765,306 in 2020.
South Carolina’s largest revenue producers last year were $38.7 million in media rights, $34.6 million in contributions and $29.1 million in ticket sales. Other major sources of income included $11.5 million in royalties and licensing and $9.1 million in conference distribution of football bowl game-generated revenue.
The biggest expenditures included $33.6 million for support staff and administration, $21.5 million in coaching salaries and $19.9 million for athlete-student aid. Team travel expenses totaled $9.2 million, uniforms and equipment $4.6 million and $1.2 million went to student-athlete meals.