What FRC Actually Costs: The Big Picture
An honest accounting of a first-year and ongoing FRC budget, from registration to championship travel.
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FRC is expensive, and that is the point of this branch
FIRST Robotics Competition is one of the most resource-intensive student activities in the world. A brand-new team should plan for roughly $18,000 to $25,000+ in its first year, and established teams commonly run $30,000 to $60,000+ annual budgets depending on how many events they attend and how far they travel. (FRC Team 533, for example, publishes an annual budget of about $55,000.) Knowing these numbers cold is the foundation of every fundraising conversation you will ever have.
The major cost categories
- Season registration - The single largest fixed cost. For the 2025-2026 season, FIRST set base season registration at $6,300 (a $300 increase over the prior year). This buys your team number (for new teams), the Kit of Parts (Kickoff Kit, Virtual Kit, and FIRST Choice credits), and participation in your first event. Note that some regions add local event-production fees on top of this base number, so your all-in cost can be higher.
- Additional events - Each additional Regional event is $3,000 (the 2022 price decrease to $3,000 remains in effect). District teams get two District events bundled into their season registration; additional district events and the District Championship are priced by the district organization.
- Robot materials and tools - Motors, control system, pneumatics, raw aluminum, COTS mechanisms, batteries, and consumables. Budget $3,000-$8,000+, more in year one when you are buying tools and a control system from scratch.
- Travel - Transportation, hotels, and meals for events. This is the most variable line: a local district event might cost a few hundred dollars, while flying a team to the FIRST Championship (held at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston) can cost $15,000-$40,000.
- Team operations - T-shirts, safety gear (ANSI Z87.1 safety glasses are mandatory in the pits), spirit items, outreach materials, software, and a practice space.
Build the budget first
Create a line-item spreadsheet before you ask anyone for a dollar. Sponsors and grant reviewers expect to see a real budget, and FRC's top awards (the FIRST Impact Award and the Team Sustainability Award) reward teams that demonstrate a sustainable, well-run program. A credible budget is the difference between 'we need money for robots' and 'we need $6,300 to register and $4,000 for our control system.'
A sample first-year budget
| Line item | Estimate |
|---|---|
| Season registration | $6,300 |
| One additional regional | $3,000 |
| Control system + motors | $3,500 |
| Robot raw materials/COTS | $2,500 |
| Tools & safety equipment | $2,000 |
| Travel (local/regional) | $2,500 |
| T-shirts & team operations | $1,500 |
| Total | ~$21,300 |
Your numbers will differ, but the discipline is the same: every fundraising target should trace back to a real expense.
Key takeaways
- A first-year FRC team should plan for roughly $18,000-$25,000+; established teams often run $30,000-$60,000+
- 2025-2026 base season registration is $6,300 and each additional Regional event is $3,000
- Build a detailed line-item budget before asking anyone for money, because funders expect it
Go deeper
Lesson quiz
RequiredAnswer all 3 questions correctly to complete this lesson.
1.According to FIRST's official 'Median Team Budget' guidance, why is the season registration fee a misleading number to budget around on its own?
2.In FIRST's median budget figures, which cost category most drives the large gap between a typical Regional team and an Outside-North-America team's total budget?
3.Per FIRST's published median budgets, roughly how do the total season budgets compare across team types?
Answer every question to submit.