Big Ten to distribute historic $1.37 billion in revenue to its 18 members for 2025 fiscal year

With an average payout of $76.1 million per school, Big Ten schools will earn more than the SEC's average per team of $72.4 million
The Big Ten Conference announced a record $1.37 billion distribution to its 18 member institutions for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2025, marking the largest payout in league history as college athletics continues its financial surge.

The conference said Friday the total represents a $490 million increase from the $883 million distributed in the previous fiscal year.

The Big Ten Officials attributed the jump to the first full year of the Big Ten's new media rights agreements, continued revenue growth from College Football Playoff expansion and the conference's first season as an 18-team league following the additions of Oregon, UCLA, USC and Washington.

"The distributions provide meaningful support to institutions in their continued effort to provide broad-based athletic opportunities to more than 14,000 Big Ten student-athletes," the conference said in a release.

The Big Ten's financial growth continues to outpace other Power Four conferences.

In February, the SEC reported distributing more than $1.03 billion to its 16 members for fiscal year 2024-25, averaging $72.4 million per school.

Below is a look at recent reported conference revenue and distributions:
Average revenue distribution per school by fiscal year
* Approximate to 12 long-standing members
The Big Ten's rise reflects broader changes across college athletics, driven by escalating media rights deals and expanded postseason formats that have reshaped revenue streams nationwide.

The conference is now in the first full year of its current television agreement, which generates more than $1 billion annually, according to the league.

The league also pointed to continued competitive success across sports, including recent national championships in football and men's basketball as well as multiple NCAA titles across its member schools during the current academic cycle.

As discussions around further playoff expansion and ongoing conference realignment continue, the Big Ten's latest financial report underscores the accelerating economic scale of college sports.