St. Louis Reporter

St. Louis city's three universities invested $10,041,423 in athletically-related financial aid for college students in 2023, according to the U.S. Department of Education.

This is a 15.6% increase compared to the previous year, when the county invested $8,685,099 in college sports aid.

There were 336 male and 369 female student-athletes who competed for one or more sports teams representing the three colleges in the county in 2023. Male students received 30.7% less financial aid on average than female students.

Saint Louis University stood out as the university in St. Louis city which received most of the financial aid during 2023. The institution received $6,243,115, or 62.2% 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	$4,955,399	521
2015	$5,613,626	564
2016	$6,412,555	548
2017	$6,607,801	565
2018	$7,117,927	550
2019	$7,548,260	614
2020	$7,731,877	594
2021	$8,861,661	651
2022	$8,685,099	634
2023	$10,041,423	705