Auburn and Tigers Unlimited Foundation announced Tuesday a record $93.1 million fundraising year for fiscal year 2026, the largest total in department history and the second consecutive year the department has set a fundraising record.
The new mark comes one year after Auburn raised $87.6 million in fiscal year 2025, which at the time was also a school record. Since John Cohen became Auburn’s athletics director, fundraising has climbed from $54.7 million to more than $93.1 million, an increase of more than 70 percent.
The money comes at a critical time for Auburn and every major college athletics department. Revenue sharing, facilities, scholarships, NIL-related costs and rising operating expenses have made fundraising more important than ever.
Auburn’s momentum has been tied to several areas: philanthropic giving, ticket-priority contributions, premium seating, facility projects and strong demand across multiple sports.
Football season tickets for 2026 sold out for the fourth consecutive year, tying the school record of 63,500 season tickets sold. Auburn will enter the season with a school-record streak of 22 consecutive sellouts at Jordan-Hare Stadium.
The demand has not been limited to football. Men’s basketball has sold out season tickets for 12 consecutive years. Softball and baseball have each done it for six consecutive years, and gymnastics has done it for five. Auburn baseball also set season-ticket and attendance records for the fourth consecutive season.
The record fundraising year also comes as Auburn moves forward with the Ever Auburn capital campaign and the Jordan-Hare North Project, a planned multi-use addition designed to improve premium seating, gameday experience and year-round use of the stadium area.
Tigers Unlimited’s Six Societies, a giving level that begins at $50,000, now has more than 677 members.
Auburn has invested heavily in facilities during Cohen’s tenure, including the Woltosz Football Performance Center, the Plainsman Park expansion and renovation, new medical and athletic training space, premium areas at Jordan-Hare Stadium and Neville Arena, and other projects across the department.
The record number is another sign of Auburn’s financial strength at a time when college athletics is changing fast.
Auburn is not just trying to keep up. It is trying to position itself to win.
