MONROE, LOUISIANA / THE NUMBERS ARE THE NUMBERS.WHY ARE
WHY ARE
WE SO
MID?
A public data story about winning, enrollment, money, and what ULM should actually be great at.
FBS? FCS? No football? More academics?
LET’S GET INTO IT ↓
ONE SCHOOL.BIG QUESTIONS.SHOW ME
THE RETURN.SUPPLIED EDITORIAL COLLAGES · ILLUSTRATIVE
ULM CAN’T AFFORD TO BE
AVERAGE AT EVERYTHING.
01WHERE WE CAME FROM
THE OLD PROGRAMOne school.
One school.
A few identities.
1987
NLU wins it all. I-AA football national champions.
1999
NLU → ULM. A new name under the UL System’s naming framework.
2006
Indians → Warhawks. NCAA policy, then a public mascot selection.
THEN VS. NOWTOMAHAWK CHOP
ROUND
01
TOMAHAWK CHOP
VS. TALONS OUT
ROUND01
NLU / INDIANSULM / WARHAWKS
CULTURE TAKE. NOT A DATA CHART.
TOMAHAWK
CHOP ▼TALONS
OUT ▼
CHOP ▼TALONS
OUT ▼
HARD AFASS
Nostalgia explains why people care.
It doesn’t settle the budget.
Enrollment decline began before the name change.
02THREE YEARS AFTER BECOMING ULM
OUTSIDE INSTITUTIONAL REVIEW2002
We’ve already
had this conversation.
Only three years after NLU → ULM, outside reviewers were asking: can ULM afford the model it’s trying to run?
THE WARNING LIGHTS WERE ALREADY FLASHING.
01Enrollment was falling.
02Finances were in trouble.
03Expected I-A football revenue hadn’t fully materialized.
04Academic costs hadn’t adjusted.
More from the reviewOPEN + FOR DETAILSCLOSE − DETAILS
Audit problems and expensive or underperforming academic programs were part of the same resource question. Pharmacy, Nursing and allied health were strengths. The review acknowledged attachment to Northeast while recommending retention of the ULM name.
FAST-FORWARD 24 YEARS.
2026The UL System hired
The UL System hired
Deloitte to ask again.
Same resource problem. Another outside look.
$150K study8 Division I schoolsNo report yet as of Oct. 3, 2026
SEPARATE STATE STUDY
Louisiana HR 168 asks the Board of Regents to examine athletics funding, student fees, NIL / revenue sharing and sustainability. Findings due February 15, 2027.
We’ve apparently been arguing about this since 2002.
04SINCE THE 1999 TRANSITION
Show me
the scoreboard.
Twenty-seven completed seasons. Four sports. What did the investment produce?
FOOTBALL / FALL 1999–2025DERIVED
27SEASONS.1WINNING SEASON.
One winning season in twenty-seven years changes the conversation. It does not, by itself, settle football’s value.
01
Football
1WINNING SEASONIN 27 COMPLETED SEASONS
DERIVED108–2111999–2025 overall record
1Winning seasonsDERIVED
1Conference co-titleFACT
1Bowl appearanceFACT
0Bowl winsFACT
2005 co-title · 2012 Independence Bowl
27/27 complete seasons
02
Men’s basketball
0NCAA TOURNAMENTSIN THE ULM ERA
DERIVED316–5082000–2026 overall record
6Winning seasonsDERIVED
0Overall league titlesFACT
0Tournament titlesFACT
0NCAA appearancesFACT
2007 West Division co-title is separate from an overall league title.
27/27 complete seasons
03
Baseball
2NCAA REGIONALSA RELATIVE BRIGHT SPOT
DERIVED674–809–12000–2026 overall record
3Regular-season titlesFACT
1Tournament titleFACT
2NCAA RegionalsFACT
2000 / 2002 / 2008 league · 2012 tournament
27/27 complete seasons
04
Softball
2026SUN BELT CHAMPIONSREGULAR SEASON / FIRST SUN BELT TITLE
FACT38–202026 overall record
1Regular-season titleFACT
19–52026 league recordFACT
2026 SUN BELT CHAMPIONS
27/27 complete seasons
First post-transition season through the latest completed season. Spring 1999 baseball belongs to NLU. Records and winning seasons are calculated from verified complete seasons; a winning season means more wins than losses.
Open the season-by-season explorer ↗OPEN + FOR DETAILSCLOSE − DETAILS
FOOTBALL · THE RECORD
One bowl. A long climb.
ULM’s only FBS bowl appearance. The 2005 Sun Belt co-title is a conference championship; it is not a bowl appearance.
20128–5
Independence Bowl season
1987
I-AA national champion · NLU era
2005
Sun Belt co-champion
2012
Independence Bowl · 8–5
2024
5–7 overall
SEASON BY SEASON · OVERALL WIN %2025: 3 W / 9 L ↗
Select a season. Green = winning record; gold = .500 or below. 2020 spring seasons were shortened.
All seasons, records and individual sourcesOPEN + FOR DETAILSCLOSE − DETAILS
| Season | W–L | Official archive |
|---|---|---|
| 1999 | 5–6 | Season source ↗ |
| 2000 | 1–10 | Season source ↗ |
| 2001 | 2–9 | Season source ↗ |
| 2002 | 3–9 | Season source ↗ |
| 2003 | 1–11 | Season source ↗ |
| 2004 | 5–6 | Season source ↗ |
| 2005 | 5–6 | Season source ↗ |
| 2006 | 4–8 | Season source ↗ |
| 2007 | 6–6 | Season source ↗ |
| 2008 | 4–8 | Season source ↗ |
| 2009 | 6–6 | Season source ↗ |
| 2010 | 5–7 | Season source ↗ |
| 2011 | 4–8 | Season source ↗ |
| 2012 | 8–5 | Season source ↗ |
| 2013 | 6–6 | Season source ↗ |
| 2014 | 4–8 | Season source ↗ |
| 2015 | 2–11 | Season source ↗ |
| 2016 | 4–8 | Season source ↗ |
| 2017 | 4–8 | Season source ↗ |
| 2018 | 6–6 | Season source ↗ |
| 2019 | 5–7 | Season source ↗ |
| 2020 | 0–10 | Season source ↗ |
| 2021 | 4–8 | Season source ↗ |
| 2022 | 4–8 | Season source ↗ |
| 2023 | 2–10 | Season source ↗ |
| 2024 | 5–7 | Season source ↗ |
| 2025 | 3–9 | Season source ↗ |
Two eras.
Not a causal claim.
People keep comparing the old era with the new one. Here are selected achievements, labeled by sport. Context, not causation.
ILLUSTRATIVE COLLAGE1987FootballNCAA Division I-AA national champion
1990sMen’s basketball1990s basketball: 5 NCAA trips, 6 league titles, 5 tournament titles
1999BaseballBaseball: Southland title + NCAA Regional
ILLUSTRATIVE COLLAGE2005FootballSun Belt co-champion
2012FootballIndependence Bowl appearance
2012BaseballSun Belt Tournament champion
2026SoftballSun Belt regular-season champion
An era comparison is not evidence that changing a name or mascot caused athletic results.
05THE OTHER SCOREBOARD
Does anybody
show up?
Home crowds beside winning percentage. Do better results turn into more demand?
Football · 2025 HOME AVERAGE17,486Reported home attendance in final season cumulative statistics
SAME SEASON · OVERALL WIN RATE25%
Home attendance / game · left axisOverall wins % · right axis
5 home games · 87,428 total
Did the bowl season change demand?
Compare years. A crowd count is not unique fans, paid tickets or proof of what caused attendance.
Verified crowds, missing years + the 2012 venue caveatOPEN + FOR DETAILSCLOSE − DETAILS
FACT = average printed by ULM/NCAA. DERIVED = sum of every verified Monroe home-game crowd divided by verified home games. No MODEL attendance estimates.
Home attendance only. Overall team winning percentage, if compared, includes away and neutral results; this is a descriptive comparison, not evidence that attendance caused wins.
- Reported attendance is not necessarily ticket revenue, paid attendance, unique spectators, or turnstile traffic. Sources do not consistently identify the counting policy.
- Football uses a consistent Malone Stadium historical table, with the current final cumulative report for 2025. Its 2012 average excludes the Arkansas game in Little Rock.
- Legacy diamond statistics retain the source's home-date/game and doubleheader treatment. This can vary across years.
- COVID-19 restrictions and shortened seasons affect 2020–21; missing values stay gaps, never zero.
- Historic football exact totals are omitted when only a rounded average is published.
- The 2017 Malone Stadium average conflicts with the NCAA annual report; neither is silently substituted for the other.
Only verified years are drawn. Lines connect adjacent years; missing years remain gaps. 2020 crowds are especially sensitive to cancellation and capacity limits.
| Season | Games | Total | Average | Basis / source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | 4 | Unavailable | 13,551 | Reported average for games at Malone Stadium Original source ↗ |
| 2000 | 5 | Unavailable | 9,826 | Reported average for games at Malone Stadium Original source ↗ |
| 2001 | 5 | Unavailable | 7,781 | Reported average for games at Malone Stadium Original source ↗ |
| 2002 | 6 | Unavailable | 8,470 | Reported average for games at Malone Stadium Original source ↗ |
| 2003 | 5 | Unavailable | 11,298 | Reported average for games at Malone Stadium Original source ↗ |
| 2004 | 4 | Unavailable | 14,717 | Reported average for games at Malone Stadium Original source ↗ |
| 2005 | 5 | Unavailable | 14,617 | Reported average for games at Malone Stadium Original source ↗ |
| 2006 | 4 | Unavailable | 14,036 | Reported average for games at Malone Stadium Original source ↗ |
| 2007 | 5 | Unavailable | 16,651 | Reported average for games at Malone Stadium Original source ↗ |
| 2008 | 5 | Unavailable | 12,414 | Reported average for games at Malone Stadium Original source ↗ |
| 2009 | 5 | Unavailable | 13,889 | Reported average for games at Malone Stadium Original source ↗ |
| 2010 | 5 | Unavailable | 13,980 | Reported average for games at Malone Stadium Original source ↗ |
| 2011 | 5 | Unavailable | 15,512 | Reported average for games at Malone Stadium Original source ↗ |
| 2012 | 5 | Unavailable | 19,359 | Reported average for games at Malone Stadium Original source ↗ |
| 2013 | 5 | Unavailable | 17,035 | Reported average for games at Malone Stadium Original source ↗ |
| 2014 | 5 | Unavailable | 18,108 | Reported average for games at Malone Stadium Original source ↗ |
| 2015 | 5 | Unavailable | 11,732 | Reported average for games at Malone Stadium Original source ↗ |
| 2016 | 5 | Unavailable | 13,411 | Reported average for games at Malone Stadium Original source ↗ |
| 2017 | 5 | Unavailable | 7,716 | Reported average for games at Malone Stadium Original source ↗ |
| 2018 | 5 | Unavailable | 14,210 | Reported average for games at Malone Stadium Original source ↗ |
| 2019 | 6 | 100,367 | 16,728 | Reported average for games at Malone Stadium Original source ↗ |
| 2020 | 5 | 26,270 | 5,254 | Reported average for games at Malone Stadium Original source ↗ |
| 2021 | 6 | 79,678 | 13,280 | Reported average for games at Malone Stadium Original source ↗ |
| 2022 | 5 | 66,902 | 13,380 | Reported average for games at Malone Stadium Original source ↗ |
| 2023 | 6 | 85,775 | 14,296 | Reported average for games at Malone Stadium Original source ↗ |
| 2024 | 6 | 94,819 | 15,803 | Reported average for games at Malone Stadium Original source ↗ |
| 2025 | 5 | 87,428 | 17,486 | Reported home attendance in final season cumulative statistics Original source ↗ |
Missing annual years for this sport: None in the displayed period.
06THE STUDENTS BEHIND THE SWEATSHIRTS
Meanwhile,
the university changed.
Fall enrollment, 1995–2025. Follow the students, then put the events in context.
FALL 2025 · TOTAL HEADCOUNT8,678
1999 / NLU → ULM
A new name. A decline already underway.
Events show chronology. They do not establish causation.
Enrollment sources, definition differences + full dataOPEN + FOR DETAILSCLOSE − DETAILS
Fall total headcount. Source revisions and coverage changes are disclosed in the receipts; missing years are left open.
| Fall | Headcount | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 11,553 | |
| 1996 | 11,116 | |
| 1997 | 10,942 | |
| 1998 | 10,527 | |
| 1999 | 9,947 | |
| 2000 | 9,400 | |
| 2001 | 8,760 | |
| 2002 | 8,151 | |
| 2003 | 8,580 | |
| 2004 | 8,834 | |
| 2005 | 9,278 | |
| 2006 | 8,576 | |
| 2007 | 8,549 | |
| 2008 | 8,767 | |
| 2009 | 9,004 | |
| 2010 | 8,801 | |
| 2011 | 8,583 | |
| 2012 | 8,548 | |
| 2013 | 8,645 | |
| 2014 | 8,517 | |
| 2015 | 8,804 | |
| 2016 | 9,038 | |
| 2017 | 9,181 | |
| 2018 | 8,832 | |
| 2019 | 8,489 | |
| 2020 | 8,676 | |
| 2021 | 8,565 | |
| 2022 | 8,215 | |
| 2023 | 8,277 | |
| 2024 | 8,605 | |
| 2025 | 8,678 |
Source-vintage differences
1999: chart 9,947; alternate published figure 9,950. The 2002 outside review reports 9,950. Its small difference from the historical factbook is unresolved; the annual chart consistently uses the factbook total. Alternate source ↗
2001: chart 8,760; alternate published figure 8,765. The 2002 review reports 8,765. Keep this number when paraphrasing that report, with its source/date; do not silently substitute it for the census-series row. Alternate source ↗
2010: chart 8,801; alternate published figure 8,858. This2011 news page calls 8,858 the preliminary fall 2010 total. Canonical factbook and NCES EF2010A both give 8,801. Alternate source ↗
2011: chart 8,583; alternate published figure 8,515. September 2011 press total is explicitly preliminary. September 2012 ULM release later compares against 8,626 for fall 2011. NCES downloadable all-students fall total is 8,583; reasons for remaining difference are not established. Alternate source ↗
2011: chart 8,583; alternate published figure 8,626. Prior-year comparator in ULM 2012 press release; not used to overwrite the final NCES fall component. Alternate source ↗
2012: chart 8,548; alternate published figure 8,560. September 18, 2012 press announcement. Official ULM-hosted NCES institutional extract and current EF2012A both report 8,548. Alternate source ↗
2014: chart 8,517; alternate published figure 8,527. ULM September 2014 announcement differs by 10; final downloadable NCES total is used. Alternate source ↗
2015: chart 8,804; alternate published figure 8,854. Prior-year comparator in ULM 2017 announcement; final downloadable NCES total is used. Alternate source ↗
2016: chart 9,038; alternate published figure 9,115. Prior-year comparator in ULM 2017 announcement; final downloadable NCES total is used. Alternate source ↗
2017: chart 9,181; alternate published figure 9,290. ULM September 2017 release calls 9,290 final/official. Current NCES all-students EF total is 9,181. This conflict is disclosed; do not attribute it to a specific cause without additional evidence. Alternate source ↗
07FOLLOW THE MONEY
FACT$23.57M
What ULM athletics costs to operate.
FY2025 · NCAA / LLA REPORTING BASISULM SPENDS FAR LESS THAN
THE SUN BELT MEDIAN.
ULM / FY2025$23.57MKnight-Newhouse athletic expenses
SUN BELT MEDIAN / FY2025$46.10MDERIVED · Knight-Newhouse dataset
ULM is operating at roughly half the conference median while still requiring major university support.
WHAT THIS MEANS
ULM competes in a league where the typical athletics budget is much bigger. That limits the resources it can deploy, while a major share of its own budget still comes from the university. The question is what return that support buys—and whether a different allocation would do better.
Both figures: FY2025, Knight-Newhouse NCAA-based total athletic expenses. ULM is 51.1% of that median. A spending gap is not proof that more spending buys wins.
Selected peers + comparison definitionsOPEN + FOR DETAILSCLOSE − DETAILS
ULM
FY2025 NCAA operating expenses · FACT$23,570,371
FY2025 NCAA operating expenses · FACT$23,570,371
Louisiana-Lafayette
FY2025 NCAA operating expenses · FACT$46,393,046
FY2025 NCAA operating expenses · FACT$46,393,046
Appalachian State
FY2025 NCAA operating expenses · FACT$57,271,283
FY2025 NCAA operating expenses · FACT$57,271,283
The median is calculated by Knight-Newhouse, not independently recomputed from every conference member here. Its metric includes calculated excess transfers back; selected institution reports above use operating expenses. ULM’s primary LLA statement is $23,570,371, six dollars above the dataset’s $23,570,365. Both round to $23.57M. Main accounting and scenario math retain the primary statement.
Where does it come from?
University / student support$11.47M
DERIVED
Guarantee games$3.66M
FACT
Conference / NCAA$2.81M
DERIVED
Donations$2.24M
FACT
Tickets / sponsors / other$1.81M
DERIVED
FACT$21.99MReported operating revenue
+FACT$1.58MRemaining operating deficiency
=$23.57MOperating expense
Support is not the same thing as a loss.
Open the accounting detail + bucket definitionsOPEN + FOR DETAILSCLOSE − DETAILS
Support combines direct institutional support, indirect support and student fees. Conference / NCAA combines their distributions. Tickets / sponsors / other combines the remaining reported revenue lines. All five buckets sum to $21,990,326.
| Reported category | FY2025 dollars |
|---|---|
| Ticket sales | $587,569 |
| Student fees | $216,843 |
| Direct institutional support | $10,382,155 |
| Indirect institutional support | $866,181 |
| Guarantees | $3,661,000 |
| Contributions | $2,240,350 |
| NCAA distributions | $542,372 |
| Conference distributions | $2,268,949 |
| Sponsorship / licensing | $841,376 |
| Parking / concessions | $64,803 |
| Other operating revenue | $264,583 |
| In-kind contributions | $51,691 |
| Postseason reimbursement | $2,453 |
| Endowment income | $1 |
$10,382,155 direct + $866,181 indirect + $216,843 fees = $11,465,179 support. These funds cover 52.1% of reported revenue, while the department still reports a $1,580,045 deficiency. Agreed-upon procedures do not constitute an audit opinion.
08THE NEXT MOVE
So what could
ULM actually do?
Five ways to change the priorities. Open a question. The full breakdown stays right here.
01What if ULM stays FBS?Keep the stage. Decide how to fund better results.CLICK + FOR THE FULL BREAKDOWNCLOSE − DETAILS
FACT
Keep the platform. Fix the return.
FBS keeps football in the bowl / College Football Playoff ecosystem. ULM’s FY2025 football guarantees brought in $3.35M. Saturdays, national exposure and alumni connection can have value; their ULM-specific dollar return is not established here.
THE UPSIDE
Keep the current stage, rivalries and football revenue streams. Invest in a clearer competitive plan.
THE TRADEOFF
The funding burden stays. Athletics needed $11.47M in university support and student fees, with a further $1.58M operating deficiency in FY2025.
MODEL Staying FBS is the simulator’s reference: $0 in recurring savings. Better results are not assumed.
02What if ULM moves to FCS?Still Division I. Change the football model—and follow the revenue.CLICK + FOR THE FULL BREAKDOWNCLOSE − DETAILS
FACT
FCS is still Division I.
FCS football plays for an NCAA playoff championship. The point would be changing the cost structure, while remaining a multi-sport Division I department. Conference acceptance, financial aid, scheduling and Title IX still need a plan.
THE UPSIDE
A potentially smaller football budget and a different path to competitive relevance.
THE TRADEOFF
Guarantee games and conference distributions may shrink. Some salaries, facilities and shared costs can remain.
MODEL $0–$3M in recurring annual savings at the reference assumptions. Low confidence. A scenario range, never an official ULM projection.
The 2002 reviewers already warned about lost guarantee-game revenue. Dropping a level is not a savings button.
03What if ULM drops football?Remove a program. The money it brings in leaves, too.CLICK + FOR THE FULL BREAKDOWNCLOSE − DETAILS
Cut football. Save $9M?
Not exactly.
Expenses go away. So does football revenue. Some costs may stay. Step through the existing accounting before calling the whole budget “savings.”
FACT
Start with the expense.
$9.05MFootball-assigned operating expense04What if baseball + softball become the flagships?Concentrate athletic investment. Keep required sports. Redirect the remainder.CLICK + FOR THE FULL BREAKDOWNCLOSE − DETAILS
One possible strategy: make baseball and softball the athletic flagships, keep the required sports, and send remaining savings toward academics.
Two sports alone cannot be a Division I department. The idea needs a compliant multi-sport structure.
THE DIAMOND MODEL
BASEBALL+SOFTBALL
Keep the required sports lean. Invest intentionally in the diamonds. Redirect the remainder.
REGIONALS
2000 and 2012 in the ULM era.
CHAMPIONS
First Sun Belt regular-season title.
BASEBALL
vs. $7.77M football. Same FY2025 BOR basis; not the NCAA/LLA figures.
DERIVED6 MEN / 8 WOMEN
Removing football and beach volleyball from ULM’s current 7 / 9 structure reaches a minimum sport-count option. That count alone is not a compliance plan.
Why can’t ULM just play baseball and softball?OPEN + FOR DETAILSCLOSE − DETAILS
A literal two-sport Division I department is not permitted. Other required sports, financial aid, scheduling, Title IX and conference acceptance still matter. Targeted investment could support coaching, recruiting, player development and permissible athlete benefits. It does not guarantee wins.
Would concentrating resources create more value than spreading them across the current FBS model?
05What if ULM goes all-in on academics?End varsity athletics? That’s a much larger restructuring decision.CLICK + FOR THE FULL BREAKDOWNCLOSE − DETAILS
Put the university first.
Then prove the return.
This option asks what happens if ULM ends varsity athletics and redirects available resources toward its academic mission. It is a larger, long-run restructuring choice, with obligations to students and staff, transition costs and uncertain enrollment or donor effects.
THE UPSIDE
Concentrate resources on programs with documented student outcomes and regional workforce demand.
THE TRADEOFF
Lose varsity athletics, its revenue and part of campus / alumni life. Academic expansion still needs capacity, demand and measurable outcomes.
MODEL $5–$9M recurring annual savings in the long run. Very low confidence. Transition costs and stranded obligations can delay or reduce it.
Health Sciences offers evidence to examine, not a blank check: strong recent Nursing and Pharmacy outcomes sit beside weaker first-cohort DPT licensure results. VCOM is a separate private partner, not a ULM-owned medical school.
Options, not a recommended answer. Your Budget / Your Tradeoffs below lets you change the assumptions.
09THE CASE FOR KEEPING FOOTBALL
Not everything fits
in a spreadsheet.
Saturdays, alumni pride, campus life. The question isn’t whether culture matters. The question is what it’s worth.
01Campus life02Alumni connection03Regional identity04Media exposure05Recruitment06Donor engagement
These benefits can matter. Their ULM-specific value is harder to measure, so they get no invented dollar return here.
FACT$3.35MFY2025 football guarantees
Major-opponent games have measurable revenue value.
FACT
2012: ULM got national airtime.
The Arkansas upset brought ESPN coverage and a half-hour All-Access feature. Exposure was real. A ULM admissions return is not measured here.
What can research actually tell us?OPEN + FOR DETAILSCLOSE − DETAILS
Pope and Pope (2009) found application increases of roughly 2–8% for top-performing football and basketball schools. Anderson’s study links unexpected I-A football wins to applications and donations under its research assumptions. Neither is a ULM-specific return estimate; effects for non-BCS programs in Anderson’s study were generally not statistically significant. Sporting success and FBS membership are different questions.
10ULM HAS ANOTHER SCOREBOARD. IT DOESN’T HAVE GOALPOSTS.
Academics has
a scoreboard too.
Health Sciences is a case study, not proof that every academic program deserves more money.
Recent three-year NCLEX pass rate. 100% employment within three months.
Recent first-time NAPLEX vs. 86% national. 100% placement.
Undergraduate enrollment growth. Graduate Health Sciences grew 9%.
Award supports capacity for 20 more nursing students each semester.
Expansion capacity is planned, not a completed outcome.2026 NPTE first-time pass rate. Ultimate pass rate: 69.8%.
Licensure windows, the grant, Sugar Hall + VCOMOPEN + FOR DETAILSCLOSE − DETAILS
These are university-reported outcomes with different reporting windows. Nursing: recent three-year NCLEX >95%, employment 100% within three months. Pharmacy: recent NAPLEX 89% vs. 86% national, five-year 84% vs. 81%, residency match 80% vs. 78%; 100% job placement. Pharmacy is a health-workforce strength, not a guaranteed return on new spending.
The $2.1M award supports faculty, clinical and simulation capacity, sonography and rural nurse residency. ULM projects 40 additional annual nursing graduates once expansion is fully populated. Those are targets subject to capacity and demand.
DPT received full accreditation in 2026; its first cohort’s weak licensure result remains visible. Accreditation and strong outcomes are different things.
Sugar Hall reopened after roughly $26M in renovation. VCOM-Louisiana is a separate private nonprofit osteopathic medical school and ULM partner; it awards D.O. degrees. It is not ULM’s owned medical school. A preferred-admission pathway begins in 2026–27.
SHOW ME
THE RETURN.
THE RETURN.
Athletics has to prove its value.
Academics does too.
11YOU’RE THE PRESIDENT NOW
Your budget.
Your tradeoffs.
Each choice changes costs, revenue, competitive upside and academic tradeoffs. Start with a scenario. Then change the assumptions yourself.
SCENARIO TOOLQUICK MODEChoose your structure ↓
Card ranges use the reference assumptions. Select one to see its academic allocation, then adjust the sliders. Models are not official ULM projections.
THE STRUCTURE
Stay FBS
Division I + FBS football. Current Sun Belt model.
THE UPSIDE
Keep football, FBS exposure and major-opponent guarantees.
THE DOWNSIDE
Keep the current funding burden; results still have to improve.
DERIVEDREPORTED FY2025 BASELINE$11.47MReported institutional support + student fees
Reported baseline: $11.47M university / student support; $1.58M remaining operating deficiency.
Reported support is not an operating loss.
Want to argue with our assumptions? Good. Open the sliders →OPEN + FOR DETAILSCLOSE − DETAILS
ADVANCED MODE
Percentages describe what survives the change. Costs left behind reduce savings. Move a slider and watch the same scenario update above.
YOUR ASSUMPTIONS
Controls apply only when relevant. Dropping football removes football guarantees. Ending athletics removes all conference revenue.
DERIVEDFY2025 REPORTED BASELINE
$11.47M
institutional support + student fees
$23.57M expenses
$21.99M revenue
$1.58M operating deficiency
$21.99M revenue
$1.58M operating deficiency
Reported support is not the same thing as an operating loss.
Show the math, reference ranges + portfolio constraintsOPEN + FOR DETAILSCLOSE − DETAILS
Start with the handoff’s recurring ranges: FCS $0–$3M; D-I without football $1.5–$3.5M; no athletics $5–$9M. Diamond starts with the no-football range, then subtracts the selected $0.75–$1.5M investment. At $1M investment the reference remainder is $0.5–$2.5M.
These sensitivity ranges already assume revenue loss and restructuring. Changes are adjustments from a reference, not a second subtraction of the same loss.
- Conference adjustment = (selected % − 75%) × $2,268,949; zero for current FBS / no athletics.
- FCS guarantee adjustment = (selected % − 50%) × $3,350,000; zero for all other scenarios.
- Stranded-cost adjustment = (selected % − 10%) × football expense $9,051,241, or total athletics expense $23,570,371 for no athletics.
- Subtract selected diamond investment and optional institutional player-benefit pool.
- Academic allocation = max(0, adjusted range) × selected allocation %. The rest remains available to other priorities.
Optional direct player benefits are distinct from scholarships and third-party NIL. The pool is a sensitivity input, not a compliant sex-specific allocation. NCAA/House and Title IX review would be required.
Literal baseball + softball only cannot remain Division I. A conceptual no-football structure could drop football and beach volleyball, leaving 6 men’s / 8 women’s sports. That count alone proves neither Title IX compliance nor conference acceptance, aid or scheduling compliance.
Download model assumptions ↓12YOUR CALL
CAST
YOUR VOTE.
What SHOULD happen? What WILL happen?
Vote on what you think ULM should do, what you think it actually will do, and what Deloitte will recommend.
PUBLIC OPINION
Predictions are open. WILL and DELOITTE ballots can be frozen at report release and compared with the recorded outcome.
01
What SHOULD ULM do?
LIVETHE PUBLIC CALL— votes
Stay FBS—
Move to FCS—
Division I without football—
Diamond + Academics—
Move lower than D-I—
End intercollegiate athletics—
Not enough information—
Loading stored results…
Alumni-era participation + privacyOPEN + FOR DETAILSCLOSE − DETAILS
Participation counts appear only for groups with at least 10 votes. Smaller groups are suppressed.
Anonymous browser cookie; no name or email collected. Clearing cookies or switching devices can allow another vote. Results are self-selected, not a representative survey.
02
What do you think ULM WILL do?
LIVETHE PUBLIC CALL— votes
Stay FBS—
Move to FCS—
Division I without football—
Diamond + Academics—
Move lower than D-I—
End intercollegiate athletics—
Not enough information—
Loading stored results…
Alumni-era participation + privacyOPEN + FOR DETAILSCLOSE − DETAILS
Participation counts appear only for groups with at least 10 votes. Smaller groups are suppressed.
Anonymous browser cookie; no name or email collected. Clearing cookies or switching devices can allow another vote. Results are self-selected, not a representative survey.
03
What do you think DELOITTE will recommend?
LIVETHE PUBLIC CALL— votes
Stay largely as-is + cost controls—
FCS for some schools—
Conference changes—
Lower division for some schools—
System-wide spending / pay limits—
Mixed school-by-school approach—
Other—
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13SHOW YOUR WORK
The receipts.
And the limits.
Research as of October 3, 2026. Tap any evidence label to see the source and limitations.
FACT
Reported evidence.
DERIVED
Reproducible arithmetic.
MODEL
Assumptions. Never an official ULM projection.
What changed + downloadable dataOPEN + FOR DETAILSCLOSE − DETAILS
v1.0 · Initial research-backed story, interactive scenarios, D1 polls and prediction lifecycle. NCAA/LLA revenue reconciliation adds the three small reported lines missing from the handoff’s category list ($54,145 total).
v2.0 · Narrative shortened around the early 2002 / 2026 review reveal; compressed identity chapter; dynamic era-aware scoreboards; 31 annual enrollment points (1995–2025); 87 verified attendance seasons; 111 complete season records, with 19 corrections to incomplete or exhibition-inclusive V1 schedules. New Diamond and FBS-value chapters, quick / advanced simulator, compact poll tabs. Existing Site, vote database, poll identifiers, prediction cycle and model equations preserved.
v3.0 · V3 brand and collage revision. Cleaner hero, supplied illustrative collages, interactive fan-opinion VS moment, larger sports takeaways, visible 2002 warning and 2026 studies, clearer scenario questions and simulator orientation. Added attributed FY2025 Sun Belt spending context and source-basis limits. Existing Site, D1 polls, predictions, accounting and scenario equations retained.
v4.0 · ULM Burner Account brand and Why Are We So Mid? collage hero; scroll-driven mascot faceoff and noninteractive owner culture take; explicit disclosure instructions; plain-language Sun Belt comparison; five inline alternatives with retained football replay and diamond analysis; clearer voting invitation. Attendance, enrollment, scenario equations, poll identifiers, database and saved votes preserved.
Source directory ↓Model assumptions ↓