San Diego City Wire

San Diego County's 14 universities invested $28,295,968 in athletically-related financial aid for college students in 2023, according to the U.S. Department of Education.

This is a 9.8% decrease compared to the previous year, when the county invested $31,367,881 in college sports aid.

There were 2,221 male and 1,740 female student-athletes who competed for one or more sports teams representing the 14 colleges in the county in 2023. Male students received 39.2% less financial aid on average than female students.

San Diego State University stood out as the university in San Diego County which received most of the financial aid during 2023. The institution received $9,171,357, or 32.4% of all the money invested in the county.

Male students who play basketball generally receive the most in financial aid, followed closely by football players. Female students playing ice hockey often receive the most in financial aid.

Only a small percentage of college expenses are typically covered by athletic scholarships, and only for a select few students.

A study found that 71% of student athletes participated in sports to earn a college scholarship.

Year	Athletically Related Student Aid	Student-athletes Enrollment
2014	$19,441,472	4,198
2015	$21,821,791	4,377
2016	$21,450,171	4,200
2017	$22,417,966	4,022
2018	$23,182,225	4,055
2019	$25,637,501	4,173
2020	$28,306,958	4,119
2021	$28,831,946	1,833
2022	$31,367,881	3,946
2023	$28,295,968	3,961