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With so many universities in the red… where does UK stand?

Ukdaddy98

Ukdaddy98

Sophomore
Jan 15, 2026
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Just asking. I know for bonded monies, UK has been doing well as construction on the campus would indicate. My question is more along the lines of how is UK doing operationally with all the cuts to funding? How is UK doing athletically when it comes to funding? I’m not really talking NIL but operational costs. So many schools are looking at cutting programs in academics and athletics. I just would love to know any updates that anyone is aware of… our daughter is a rising junior… and tuition sure is rising.
Just curious of the current financial picture for UK.

Thanks for any info.
 
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megablue

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BlueBomb

BlueBomb

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Apr 3, 2009
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Ukdaddy98

Ukdaddy98

Sophomore
Jan 15, 2026
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163
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BBUK

BBUK

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Jul 3, 2005
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Just do not understand why anyone, thing, or place lives beyond their means... (I understand accounting very well but the reasoning behind excessive debt is good in some areas but in most, if not all there is no reasoning that makes sense other than profiting later but it seems in many endeavors, later never comes... (Just typing...out loud...)
 
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megablue

Heisman
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A highly improbable and inconceivable, but nightmarish, scenario would be Athletic Departments making huge bets (directly or indirectly) against their teams, instructing their teams to lose (or fail to cover) to help finance their existence. I know it's totally bizarre, but everything is so nuts now ... ???? I can easily see Hollywood making a movie about that very thing ...

It may get to where schools cannot afford to win and they cannot afford to lose.

It may well be, if this escalation continues, that sports will go to outside ownership and simply pay rent to the schools for facilities and use of name.
 
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BBPirate

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Sep 17, 2011
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A $20M liability was dumped on athletics departments across the country without a lot of time to plan for it, not surprising many went into the red. If it continues then it’s an issue but for the first couple years not surprising, Big 10/SEC TV contracts starting to kick in will help. Louisville still sucks and will have a much harder time dealing with it :)
 
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DudahUK

DudahUK

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Jul 23, 2020
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Ukdaddy98 said:
Just asking. I know for bonded monies, UK has been doing well as construction on the campus would indicate. My question is more along the lines of how is UK doing operationally with all the cuts to funding? How is UK doing athletically when it comes to funding? I’m not really talking NIL but operational costs. So many schools are looking at cutting programs in academics and athletics. I just would love to know any updates that anyone is aware of… our daughter is a rising junior… and tuition sure is rising.
Just curious of the current financial picture for UK.

Thanks for any info.
Click to expand...
I doubt anyone here would know.
 
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megablue

Heisman
Oct 2, 2012
16,193
16,662
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Ukdaddy98 said:
Just asking. I know for bonded monies, UK has been doing well as construction on the campus would indicate. My question is more along the lines of how is UK doing operationally with all the cuts to funding? How is UK doing athletically when it comes to funding? I’m not really talking NIL but operational costs. So many schools are looking at cutting programs in academics and athletics. I just would love to know any updates that anyone is aware of… our daughter is a rising junior… and tuition sure is rising.
Just curious of the current financial picture for UK.

Thanks for any info.
Click to expand...
GOOD LUCK to you and your daughter in her college career. It is off-topic, but regarding the rising and seemingly outrageous cost of college:
worldpopulationreview.com

Countries with Free College 2026

List of countries where a college education is either tuition-free or significantly subsidized by the government, offering valuable information on the accessibility of higher education worldwide.
worldpopulationreview.com worldpopulationreview.com
 
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FilsonCat

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Apr 5, 2007
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In a few years, you'll be able to have your own personal LLM professor cadre design and curate curriculum that is cheaper and better quality than the education you'd receive in any college in existence. It will be cheap, and you can work on it in your spare time. Education and dumping enormous sums of money into fancy apartments and buildings will be a fools errand before long. The grift has to stop, and schools will need to make quality outcomes and affordability the guide star of the college mission.

There are fewer and fewer use cases for the current educational model, and I can foresee it being disrupted significantly in the coming years.
 
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TouchdownUK

TouchdownUK

Freshman
Dec 11, 2025
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Before Pay for play, I remember UK Athletics being mentioned as one of the few schools that actually made profit and gave money back to the School. UK athletics was separate from UK, and was able to fund themselves and actually make a profit and give back. I doubt that's the case now with having to pay in the 10's of millions for basketball and football. Like Coach Saban said, its a rat race to the bottom. Sports is a huge driver if you believe it or not that influences people where to go to school. A former President of university said college sports is the front porch of your University, you gotta give it curb appeal. The curb appeal is going to make schools go bankrupt.
 
Cowtown Cat

Cowtown Cat

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BBUK said:
Just do not understand why anyone, thing, or place lives beyond their means... (I understand accounting very well but the reasoning behind excessive debt is good in some areas but in most, if not all there is no reasoning that makes sense other than profiting later but it seems in many endeavors, later never comes... (Just typing...out loud...)
Click to expand...
Huh?!
 
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entropy13

entropy13

All-American
Apr 27, 2010
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No problem, UK VP Eric Monday will create another offshore LLC in the Cayman Islands to launder money.
 
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megablue

Heisman
Oct 2, 2012
16,193
16,662
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TeamAmerica said:
extra-curricular activities don't bring in 90 million a year.
Click to expand...
So many college athletic departments are struggling and it is expected to continue now with NIL$$$ and the desire to WIN.
They are looking at a number of alternative ways to raise money to fund themselves. It is a survival of the fittest.
www.wral.com

College sports have a cash problem. Guns N’ Roses, Savannah Bananas could be part of the solution

University athletics departments are searching everywhere for additional money — from stadiums to trophy cases to sponsorships — as they grapple with rising costs.
www.wral.com www.wral.com

NCAA Revenue Sharing & NIL Estimates 2025

nil-ncaa.com nil-ncaa.com
insightintoacademia.com

As Athletic Costs Rise, Colleges Face What Is Affordable | Insight Into Academia

College athletics has emerged as one of the most contentious—and costly—areas of campus finance. While a small number of marquee programs generate substantial revenue, most athletics departments operate at a deficit, relying heavily on institutional subsidies and student fees to stay afloat...
insightintoacademia.com insightintoacademia.com
 
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BlueSince92

BlueSince92

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Jul 2, 2025
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Seems like just about everyone here so far is reading this wrong. With a yearly athletics income as big as we have (we typically give millions of surplus to academics every year) a one-year deficit that size is zero problem. Having the economic structure to make a $141 cross-sport upgrade project feasible is a huge sign of health, no matter how you need to shift internal funds tactically to make it happen smoothly. The actual scary sign would be if we had decided to keep avoiding this sort of thing.

This will help keep us competitive, which will keep the money coming in.
 
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