The Washington State University Regents are scheduled to transfer nearly 100 million dollars temporarily to address the cumulative debt of Cougar Athletics. Under Washington state law, the regents are required to allocate funds necessary to cover the athletics department’s total debt by the end of the fiscal year. This transfer is expected to be approved during a special meeting on Thursday.

Documents provided to the regents indicate that Cougar Athletics adhered to its budget during the fiscal year, with total revenues and expenditures amounting to 77.5 million dollars. Previously, the athletics department had experienced annual deficits, which have accumulated to 99.8 million dollars. To present a balanced budget by the end of the fiscal year, the university plans to make a temporary transfer of funds from other departments to the athletics budget. Specifically, 65 million dollars will be sourced from housing and dining, 10 million dollars from parking and transportation, and 24.8 million dollars from central, non-core reserves. These funds will be reflected in the Cougar Athletics budget as of June 30th, marking the end of the fiscal year. After the commencement of fiscal year 2026 on July 1st, these funds will be returned to their original departments. WSU Chief Financial Officer Leslie Brunelli has noted that the cumulative debt will again be acknowledged as an obligation of WSU Athletics beginning in July.

The WSU Regents will convene virtually on Thursday morning at 8:00.