Several small colleges across the United States have turned to football as a strategic tool to bolster declining student enrollment, reflecting a wider trend among institutions grappling with demographic shifts and financial pressures. This year marks the largest number of four-year colleges restarting or launching football programs in a single season since 2013, according to the National Football Foundation.
Azusa Pacific University, located in California, and Whittier College, also in California, both reinstated their football teams after having discontinued the sport—Azusa Pacific in 2020 after 55 years and Whittier in 2022 after 115 years—primarily for financial reasons. Azusa Pacific returned to competition in NCAA Division III after moving down from Division II, a shift driven by costly travel requirements following a decline in nearby West Coast Division II programs. The university’s decision was supported by a $1 million private donation to cover startup expenses. Azusa Pacific’s on-campus fall enrollment stood at 1,900 students this year, a sharp decline from 3,359 in 2020. Freshman enrollment has seen a modest increase, with the football roster contributing nearly 50 male freshmen this fall.
School President Adam Morris acknowledged the financial motivations but emphasized the broader benefits. “It’s an opportunity to grow enrollment and there is some financial upside to the decision,” Morris said. “It’s a great opportunity to touch the lives of 110 young men who will leave this place to go out into this community and have an impact in a significant way.” In addition to football, Azusa Pacific plans to launch women’s flag football in the spring.
Similarly, Mount Mercy University in Iowa hosted its first-ever home football game this fall as part of its strategy to attract more students. The university’s enrollment is about 1,450, with a majority of students participating in one or more of its 22 sports. The football program reportedly brought in around 100 additional male students. A local family foundation contributed $2.1 million for a new football facility that includes training and coaching spaces. Athletic Director Paul Gavin described football as potentially a “cash cow” if managed carefully within budgets and scholarship limits, generating tuition revenue as well as auxiliary income from housing and meal plans.
This push toward football reflects broader demographic trends. According to projections by the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education, U.S. high school graduation numbers will peak at approximately 3.9 million in 2025 before declining by nearly 13% to 3.4 million by 2041 due to falling birth rates. These shifts threaten overall college enrollment, especially at small private institutions still recovering from the pandemic’s impact.
Despite the optimism surrounding football’s potential to boost enrollment, recent research provides a cautious perspective. A 2024 study by the University of Georgia analyzed 36 small colleges that initiated football programs between 2004 and 2016. The study found that aside from a temporary increase in male enrollment during the first year, overall enrollment trends at these schools resembled those at institutions without football programs. Moreover, when accounting for operating costs, there was no net increase in tuition revenue per student during the first year. However, the study did note improvements in aspects of student life linked to the addition of football.
Welch Suggs, an associate professor at the University of Georgia and co-author of the study, interpreted the timing of new football programs as an indication of their role as a “last-ditch effort” by colleges striving to maintain viable enrollment amid an anticipated decrease in the college-going population.
As small colleges navigate these demographic and financial challenges, football remains a complex but potentially valuable component in their broader enrollment strategies.