Seattle City Wire

King County's eight universities invested $27,837,300 in athletically-related financial aid for college students in 2023, according to the U.S. Department of Education.

This is a 2.7% increase compared to the previous year, when the county invested $27,092,989 in college sports aid.

There were 838 male and 921 female student-athletes who competed for one or more sports teams representing the eight colleges in the county in 2023. Male students received 6.4% less financial aid on average than female students.

University of Washington-Seattle Campus stood out as the university in King County which received most of the financial aid during 2023. The institution received $16,372,227, or 58.8% 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	$19,455,732	1,798
2015	$20,069,299	1,939
2016	$21,657,118	1,911
2017	$21,982,437	1,818
2018	$22,324,915	1,749
2019	$23,986,726	1,823
2020	$24,923,216	1,771
2021	$26,674,227	1,540
2022	$27,092,989	1,759
2023	$27,837,300	1,759