Here's The Ticket

Florida students might be feeling a pinch in their pockets, but where do the Gators rank in the country for the most expensive student football ticket?

Since 2022, the first season after the COVID-19 pandemic with no stadium capacity restrictions, Florida student season-ticket prices have risen from $140 to $350 in 2026. They experienced a 40% increase ($100) in the last year. (This story was updated on April 10, when Florida announced its 2026 rate.)

The year-by-year jump is, definitively, stark.

"All revenue the UAA generates, including the revenue from tickets is either reinvested into the student athlete or fan experience,” a UAA spokesperson said in a statement. “Rising expenses in the athletic department including but not limited to travel costs, support in the areas of nutrition, education, mental health and sports medicine while also maintaining our facilities dictates that we seek additional sources of revenue to balance the budget."

Across the country, ticket prices have been rising. The expansion of NIL, increasing demand and stadium renovations are among factors at play. The National Championship game between the Miami Hurricanes and Indiana Hoosiers was the most expensive college football game on record, according to ESPN, at an average of $4,320 (VividSeats.) While students haven’t witnessed much success from the Gators on the field in recent years — Florida has gone 23-27 over the last four years — the upped price they’re paying might still be worth it. 

Looking across the rest of the Sunshine State, Florida State’s 2025 student ticket was the same as Florida's: $250. While the Seminoles did host one more home game than Florida (7), their pass doesn’t guarantee admission to the student section, while the Gators’ does. UCF, USF and the University of Miami all offer free admission to football games (Vanderbilt and South Carolina are the only two SEC schools to do the same). UM students, however, pay an athletic fee of $170 for all sports.

The Aggies’ “sports pass” is the most expensive in the conference, but also the country. It provides students the ability to attend other athletic events as well — an amenity already free for students in The Swamp.

Tied with Florida in 2025, Alabama’s student season ticket places restrictions on who can order full season packages based on seniority and other factors, and offers partial packages based on loyalty points. As for Texas, students with a season pass still have to go through an online process to claim seats in the student section.So, despite a higher cost than most of the conference, the Gators’ student ticket is among the most accessible. Florida is one of few schools that’s ticket is first-come, first-served online, and there’s no ordering restriction. The others: Florida State, LSU and Michigan. 

But every school sells its tickets differently. Georgia offers full and partial plans priced at $80, $40 and $50 while processing student ticket applications and utilizing a priority lottery system. Ole Miss allocates tickets to each class based on the percentage of the student body in each class, and Tennessee operates on a tier-based lottery system where students attend other athletic events to gain points, which gives them better odds of scoring football tickets. 

Up against other conferences’ top schools, Florida isn’t an outlier. In the Big Ten, Ohio State sells its student ticket at $364, Penn State at $246, Oregon at $175 and Michigan at $174. 

The planned renovations to Ben Hill Griffin Stadium could also play a role in pricing in future years – possibly inducing more spikes – and those plans won’t be complete until most current UF students have graduated. For now, Gator students can only wait to see what they’ll be charged next.

“The Student Section at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium is the hearbeat of our homefield advantage,” a UAA spokesperson said, with another addition. “We continue to see a high level of demand to season tickets.”

That'll likely remain the same this year, even through the groans.

Editor's Note: This story has been updated with Florida's 2026 season ticket prices. Students will pay $350 for admission to six games, a $100 increase from 2025.

This story appears in the Spring 2026 print issue of Grandstand Magazine. Click here to see the full issue in its original print format.