ACC year-by-year exit fees revealed after Florida State, Clemson settlement

Terms of the settlement between Florida State, Clemson and the ACC show the conference’s year-by-year exit fees. The figures show the amount schools would have to pay if they want to leave, according to On3’s Brett McMurphy.

If a school were to leave the ACC in 2025-26, it would owe $165 million. That number drops to $147 million in 2026-27, $129 million in 2027-28 and $111 million in 2028-29. After it hits $93 million in 2029-30, schools would owe a $75 million exit fee from 2030-2036.

Florida State, Clemson and the ACC all approved the settlement in March after the two schools filed lawsuits regarding the conference’s grant of rights. FSU’s suit centered on the grant of rights, while Clemson sought to clarify language about whether the university controls its broadcast rights.

ACC year-by-year exit fees, if any schools want to bolt

$165 million in 2025-26
$147 million in 2026-27
$129 million in 2027-28
$111 million in 2028-29
$93 million in 2029-30
$75 million in 2030-31
$75 million in 2031-32
$75 million in 2032-33
$75 million in 2033-34
$75 million…

— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) July 3, 2025

The exit fees line up with the proposal approved by the schools, which also included a new revenue distribution model based on a rolling average of TV ratings. The proposal also said schools would keep their media rights after paying the exit fees.

Under the new revenue model, a majority share – 60% – of the base media rights will be placed into a viewership pool to be distributed via a TV ratings-based model, the settlement terms said. It will take effect this year.

When it approved the settlement, Clemson projected the “opportunity” for more than $120 million in new revenue over the next six years in its board meeting. It includes the “viewership pool,” as well as enhanced ACC “success initiatives.”

Florida State trustee Drew Weatherford also said praised the way things “drastically changed” after he and others made it clear the school was willing to leave the ACC. He called the settlements a win for all sides.

“I’m proud of where we’ve where we’ve landed,” Weatherford said. “We made some commitments 14 months ago that we would do everything in our power to ensure that we could compete at the highest level. I think we’ve done that here. We also made it clear that we were willing to seek a new home if something drastically didn’t change.

“But the good news is that things have drastically changed since we had that conversation – for our benefit – and there’s been a lot of work done. … So I just want Seminole nation to know that the future is bright. I am extremely encouraged and I’m confident that we will remain one of the top athletic brands in the country for decades to come, and I wasn’t that confident 14 months ago. So I just commend the entire board, the entire organization, for getting to where we are today. Net and net, I think it’s a really great outcome for everybody involved.”