Stricter enforcement of transfer ticket policy caused widespread confusion at the Miami Hurricanes versus University of Florida match on Sept. 20, 2025 at Hard Rock, leaving many students unable to enter the stadium.
The policy was reiterated on Sept. 14, 2025 through an email from the Hurricanes Ticket Office to UM students.
It said that all tickets for the game that Saturday were claimed, and “tickets are non-transferable and may not be sold.” Any students who attempt to transfer or resell a ticket “will be referred to the Dean of Students for disciplinary action.”
A statement from UM Athletics Sports Information Office clarified: “The current policy for student tickets has been in place for several years. The policy was implemented to prevent University of Miami students from selling or transferring their tickets to a person who is not a University student.”
On game day, many students still attempted to enter the stadium with tickets that were not theirs. They were turned away at the gate and sent to a long line at the box office, where they waited in the heat and rain to confirm ticket ownership.
A freshman who wishes to remain anonymous had her entry denied first-hand.
“I went to the game with my transferred ticket, they would not let me in. I basically tried to barter with the desk until halftime and then I left,” she said.
Entry for students is “first-come, first-serve for all sports,” according to the Hurricanes website. Low ticket supply paired with high demand and website crashes left many students ticketless, prompting some students to try accessing tickets from friends who were not using theirs.
A common loophole to the transfer restriction involved logging into a ticket holder’s Miami Hurricanes account and adding the ticket to their Apple Wallet. The ticket owner would then need to remove the ticket from their Apple Wallet if they previously added it and provide a photo of their CaneCard–or the physical one itself–to the person attempting to enter the game.
Students who were denied entry had to use a ride-share app or wait for the UBus back to campus.
“I couldn’t take the bus until halftime when they came. I ended up wasting two hours just at the desk trying to get a ticket even though it didn’t work out for me, it was a pretty bad experience because it was raining,” the freshman said.
Proof of a CaneCard was also actively enforced. A junior who wishes to remain anonymous shared his experience bringing a UF student.
“I’ve never even been asked for my CaneCard at Hard Rock before,” he said. “My buddy and I scanned our tickets, and mine worked because mine hadn’t been transferred, and his didn’t. So I had him go in under my ticket because I knew he didn’t have a CaneCard.”
He claims that this ruined the game day atmosphere due to many UF jersey wearers being unable to enter. Also, he believes that the policy will decrease attendance at Hard Rock, as people will be unwilling to make the two hour round-trip to “gamble” on whether their friends can get in.
All full-time undergraduate UM students are charged an Athletic Fee as part of tuition, covering Hurricanes home games. The junior believes this should grant them flexibility with their tickets.
“If you don’t go to school here then you should have to pay for a ticket, but I don’t see why students shouldn’t be able to sell or transfer their own ticket,” he said.
Stricter enforcement may ensure that the Hard Rock student section is filled with mostly UM students, whose stadium it belongs to, and prevent revenue loss from non-student ticket holders.