Razorbacks Ranked No. 1 in Spending

The University of Arkansas may find its men’s basketball team ranked after wins on consecutive Tuesdays against No. 4 Oklahoma and No. 7 Texas, but there is another ranking that puts Arkansas at the top of the list. The university spends more money on athletics as a proportion of its total instructional expenditures than any other Division 1-A school in America.

According to the U.S. Department of Education, the University’s spending on Razorback sports equals 56.5 percent of its budget. To be fair, the athletic programs are supported entirely by the Razorback Foundation and revenue generated through ticket sales, concessions, conference distributions and licensing fees.

The University of Alabama takes the No. 2 spot, with 50.2 percent of its budget spent on athletics.

Three other Southeastern Conference schools are in the top 10, with Auburn seventh (40.8 percent), Ole Miss eighth (35.8 percent) and LSU ninth (33.8 percent).

Vanderbilt University, on the other hand, ranks last in the nation with 6.4 percent of its instructional expenditures going toward athletics. The university eliminated its athletic department and the position of athletic director in 2003.

While Arkansas did not make a bowl under first-year coach Bobby Petrino, Vanderbilt made its first bowl since 1982 and earned its first win since 1955.