Georgia Tech has sent a poll to its current student body asking for feedback on a potential increase in student athletics fees.
The poll asks current Tech students which program they are enrolled in, if they are in favor of an athletics fees increase from $127 to $152 per semester for full-time in-person students and if they are in favor of an athletics fees increase from $127 to $152 per semester for online students.
On Wednesday, Tech athletics met with the Mandatory Student Fee Committee and presented its case for a possible increase in annual fees, starting in the fiscal year of 2026. Charles Nieves, executive associate athletic director and chief revenue officer, Jon Palumbo, executive deputy athletic director and chief operating officer and Jim Pierce, interim chief financial officer represented Tech athletics in the meeting.
Tech’s case for an increase in fees, fees which it has not increased since 2012, stated, “ticket sales revenue has increased 44%, contributions revenue has increased 115%, concessions, parking and novelty sales revenue has increased 142%, and media rights revenue has increased 306%. All incremental revenues have been reinvested in scholarships, facilities maintenance and upgrades, medical care, nutrition, support staff and fan experience initiatives.”
The projected use of student fees for athletics, the presentation stated, is for access to tickets to all home athletic contests, including reserved lower bowl seats at Bobby Dodd Stadium and McCamish Pavilion, access to discounted tickets for away games, bowl games and postseason contests, special events including Helluva Block Party, House Party, T Night, First Saturday on the Flats, Hoops & Hip Hop, Grad Student Night at baseball and away game watch parties, Yellow Jacket Club operational expenses and events, promotional giveaways at various sporting events, band and spirit operational expenses, athletics student employee compensation and Title IX operational expenses.
Tech athletics also requested that the potential $152 athletic fee be applied to online masters at scale students.
“The additional revenue from the increased fees will be reinvested in the operations of all 17 Georgia Tech athletics programs in the rapidly changing landscape of intercollegiate athletics,” the presentation said.
Tech’s Mandatory Student Fee Allocation committee consists of four undergraduate students, four graduate students, two faculty members and two members of the administration. The MSFA committee was scheduled to vote on the proposal Dec. 4 and then submit formal recommendations to Tech president Angel Cabrera, but motioned Wednesday to postpone that meeting until January to gather feedback on the potential increase in fees, according to a person familiar with Wednesday’s meeting.
Among major universities in the University System of Georgia, Tech’s athletics fees are the second-lowest behind Georgia’s per semester fee of $53. Savannah State ($300), Georgia State ($275), Kennesaw State ($221), Georgia Southern ($214), West Georgia ($195), Augusta ($187) and Valdosta State ($178) all had higher athletics fees than Tech for the current fiscal year.
Compared to fellow ACC schools, whose data is publicly available, Tech’s student athletic fees are also among the lowest. In October, Clemson approved athletics student fees of $150 per semester starting with the 2025 academic year, according to The Associated Press.
Tech announced in August its undergraduate population is now more than 20,000 students. The school announced in September its graduate student enrollment stands at 33,315.
On Monday, Tech president Angel Cabrera highlighted athletics in his newsletter, stating, “Tech’s unique combination of academic and athletic excellence sets us apart from many of our peer institutions. We’re one of the world’s finest research universities, but we also boast a rich athletic tradition that has produced impressive alumni and includes some of the most revered names in college sports history. This unique combination is part of our DNA and the driver of our growing national and global reputation.”
Graduate Student Senate passes resolution
On Friday, the Graduate Student Senate passed a resolution in hopes of reducing subsidies to the Tech athletic association.
First submitted Nov. 7, the resolution states, “the Graduate Student Senate believe that the Georgia Tech Athletic Association should operate free of direct monetary subsidization by the Georgia Institute of Technology and its student body; believe that the Athletic Fee should be removed from the Mandatory Student Fees and that the Georgia Institute of Technology should examine its direct monetary contributions to the Georgia Tech Athletic Association and ensure they are in the best interest of its student body.”
