How much does the U spend on a football scholarship student?

Amy Perko, the executive director of the Knight Commission, puts into national perspective its data showing that in 20011 the University of Minnesota spent close to $200,000 for the average scholarship football player -- an increase from $108,000 six years prior:

“The pattern that clearly emerges is that athletic spending is rising rapidly, while academic spending is stagnating."

The U spent close to $21,000 in 2011 on academics for every full-time equivalent student.

You can read the full story in the Star Tribune here.

(Compelling story. Comparing athletic spending and academic spending is a complicated business. To many in higher education, it's important to distinguish the pots of money used to fund it all. Does the money in question come from the Athletic Department or the U as a whole? Complicating the discussion is the U's subsidy of athletics, which by last quote was about $7 million a year.

If academic spending alone is key, a potential key question would be: How much money is the U spending to educate a football student vs. the average non-athlete?)

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