There was a time when Homecoming at our historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs)meant one thing: everybody was coming home. Students, alumni, cousins, aunties, old classmates and the friend of somebody’s cousin who somehow got a tailgate pass. Now, “coming home” is starting to look like shelling out hundreds on a simple concert ticket and football game, which leaves students out.
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A new look at 2026 HBCU football ticket prices shows just how much the experience is changing. Alabama A&M University’s Legacy Club package is listed at $1,875. Delaware State’s VIP box suites range from $1,000 to $1,800. HBCU Gameday also notes that Tennessee State University offered a $15,000 package last year… And that’s just for the football games.
The cost of getting into the game is only part of the problem. There’s parking, tailgating, food, parties and hotels… And with Americans facing continued economic pressure from all sides, the homecoming bill quickly adds up. The expectation is that if you’re really doing homecoming, you’re spending money all weekend.
Some schools are still keeping tickets accessible, but even those numbers are debatable. Morgan State University, for example, has an early-bird general-admission option listed at $70, while North Carolina Central University’s Lawn Season pass is $72. Allen University’s digital pass is $83, and Fort Valley State University’s general-admission option is $95. Tickets typically sell out in minutes, which opens the door for secondary markets selling resale tickets for upwards of $400.
Morgan State’s reserved seating is listed at $150. North Carolina Central has reserved bleacher seating at $169. Delaware State University’s reserved option is $200. And once fans move into the premium experience, the numbers jump quickly.
That doesn’t mean every HBCU fan is paying four figures to watch football. But it does show that HBCU football is developing a pricing ladder that stretches from the budget-conscious fan to the high-dollar booster.
For an alum with a paycheck, that might be manageable. But for a student already trying to stretch a meal plan until payday? That’s a different conversation.
HBCU students aren’t exactly walking around with unlimited disposable income. According to Sallie Mae and Ipsos’ 2024 How America Pays for College report, 88% of HBCU students relied on grants and scholarships to help pay for college. Forty-three percent reported using student loans, compared with 30% of college students overall.
That makes the rising cost of Homecoming worth examining–not because HBCUs shouldn’t make money from their biggest weekends, especially in a competitive economy. But as prices rise, many current students and recent graduates risk becoming spectators at their own tradition.
It’s no secret that homecoming generates millions for our HBCUs. Morgan State University reported that its 2025 Homecoming generated nearly $19 million in economic output for Baltimore. Nearly 35,000 people attended events throughout the week, and visitors spent more than $15 million locally, according to the university’s economic-impact analysis.
That kind of economic impact is hard to ignore. But so is the student standing outside the stadium because the ticket, parking and everything else cost more than they can afford.
HBCU Homecoming can be big business. It brings tourists, alumni dollars and national attention to campuses that deserve all three. But many critics say it should still feel like home. And home shouldn’t require a VIP ticket.
**Howard University’s marching band performs, as the school’s Royal Court, (l-r), Jalen Saunders, Mr. Howard University 2016-2017, junior Biology major from Queens, New York, and Victoria Gray, Miss Howard University 2016-2017, senior Strategic, Legal and Management Communications major from Memphis, Tennessee, enter the field, during halftime of Howard’s 93rd annual Homecoming game against North Carolina A&T on Saturday, October 22, at Greene Stadium on campus in Washington, DC. (Photo by Cheriss May/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
