The University of Miami submitted a land-use proposal to the city of Coral Gables in June that could have wide-reaching effects if approved — especially within the athletics program.
UM’s athletic department is entering an increasingly expensive era of college sports. As schools face growing financial demands surrounding NIL, revenue sharing and facility expansion, growth around the University could provide Miami with additional resources to invest in its athletic programs.
One of the major aspects of the proposed 30-year agreement is an increase in the undergraduate enrollment cap to 17,500 students before additional city approval is required, a 35% increase from the current undergraduate cap of 13,000.
The agreement would also make a future hospital along the U.S. 1 corridor possible, although the University has said no hospital plans are currently in the works.
The proposal includes several other changes to the University’s relationship with Coral Gables, including rezoning three properties located near Titanic Brewery and Restaurant from the Commercial Low-Rise Intensity designation to the University Campus category and transferring 5.52 acres of land, valued at an estimated $50 million, to the city for Centennial Park, which would become Coral Gables’ largest publicly owned green space.
The potential for expanded enrollment and medical development, however, could have the greatest long-term implications for Miami athletics.
An increase in enrollment would expand the University’s alumni base, creating a larger network of potential donors and supporters for the athletic department and NIL collectives.
Despite a current undergraduate population that’s dwarfed by some of the other top NIL spenders in the country like Ohio State and Texas A&M, Miami has remained competitive in the “pay-to-play” era. Ohio State has approximately 50,000 undergraduate students, while Texas A&M has more than 62,000.
The potential financial impact of the 217-page proposed agreement, however, extends beyond enrollment.
UHealth, South Florida’s only academic-based health care system, is owned and operated by UM and is a major part of its financial structure. In fiscal year 2025, the University reported $3.293 billion in net patient revenue from its hospitals and clinics, compared to $767.7 million in net tuition and fee revenue.
The possibility of further expanding one of the University’s largest financial engines could have implications across the institution, including for athletics.
If the proposed agreement passes, allowing Miami to expand both its student population and its health care operations, the University could have more institutional resources to invest in its athletic department in the long term.
That could give Miami greater flexibility to increase its investment in NIL and revenue sharing, continue facility development — including a football operations building referenced in the proposal — or even consider expanding its athletic department by adding new sports.
Those outcomes are future forward, and the proposal has not yet been approved by the Coral Gables City Commission. But, the potential for institutional expansion could give Miami more options as the financial demands of college athletics continue to increase.
