Dupage Policy Journal

DuPage County's five universities invested $1,239,975 in athletically-related financial aid for college students in 2023, according to the U.S. Department of Education.

This is a 23.6% decrease compared to the previous year, when the county invested $1,623,356 in college sports aid.

There were 1,683 male and 749 female student-athletes who competed for one or more sports teams representing the five colleges in the county in 2023. Male students received 20.8% more financial aid on average than female students.

Benedictine University stood out as the university in DuPage County which received most of the financial aid during 2023. The institution received $1,239,975, or 100% 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	$556,387	2,207
2015	$516,112	2,349
2016	$295,640	2,328
2017	$898,138	2,477
2018	$1,642,771	2,576
2019	$1,667,093	2,561
2020	$3,494,720	2,393
2021	$1,556,785	2,154
2022	$1,623,356	2,735
2023	$1,239,975	2,432