ASUA officials said the estimated expense to bring Jason Mraz to campus next month will total about $55,800.
Ryan Patterson, special events coordinator for the Associated Students of the University of Arizona, said he has a $40,000 budget set aside this year to bring in Mraz and possibly another act in November.
Last week, Patterson said he was unsure how much Mraz would make for his performance, but now he estimates Mraz will make $37,500.
Talent and production alone will cost $46,000 on top of the $2,500 fee Centennial Hall will need to put on the performance, but said Mraz would not be paid until the night of the show, Patterson said.
"So if we only sold tickets to the students, which is not going to be the case, we would lose roughly $7,800 and I have a budget of $40,000 for the year," Patterson said.
Patterson said ASUA doesn't make a profit from the show, but rather tries to break even in hopes of entertaining and "bringing in as many students as possible."
The UA is not the only university to host Mraz in September, and other institutions like Arizona State University are paying around the same price, but losing less money from their budget than the UA.
ASU and Lucky Name Productions will host Mraz in September but at an off-campus concert venue, said Andrew Moe, president of the programs and activities board of the Associated Students of Arizona State University.
Moe said ASU is paying Lucky Name Productions, who are in charge of the show, $30,000 upfront to get Mraz. He said ASU hasn't had a concert of this caliber in more than five years.
The show is open to both the public and ASU students, Moe said, and ASASU will be buying 1,200 tickets and charging students $20 to see Mraz at the 4,400 seat Mesa Amphitheatre.
Moe said ASASU will be taking a "hit" of $6,000 out of their own budget to help bring Mraz to ASU students, but said he expects to sell the entire 1,200 tickets ASU bought from Lucky Name Productions.
Tristan Fitzgerald, a physics and astronomy freshman, said ASUA can't please everyone in bringing in big name acts like Mraz, but added that $22 is a reasonable concert fee considering the influx of ticket prices for concerts in bigger venues across the country.
He said Mraz probably didn't come to the UA for a handsome paycheck either.
"I'm sure Jason came here to perform on campus for the enjoyment of the students," Fitzgerald said. "He knows college students aren't the richest people in the world, so I'm sure he's glad to play here and not necessarily for the money."
The show, slated for Sept. 21 at Centennial Hall, is sponsored by ASUA and will run students $22 and the public $27. Students can only purchase two tickets per CatCard.