UC Davis budget about $7 million

I wonder if there is something that makes the William & Mary/Stony Brook programs so expensive to run. Do these budgets include scholarship/tuition costs?

teams are trying to invest in their programs, not run the bare minimum.

Yes, but I don't think that's the story with William & Mary/Stony Brook. Their budget has hardly changed since 2020 (9% and 14% respectively) compared to Davis increasing 38% over the same time period.

I think there's just something innately expensive about their program (maybe tuition)?

Those are both state schools and their tuition and fees bracket Davis’. Stony Brooks tuition and fees is around 11,000 William and Mary’s is about 25,000,