Cal State San Marcos Kinesiology and Exercise Science (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt
- Bachelor's in Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness
- Public university
- San Marcos, CA
- About 164 graduates a year
College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025
The short answer
Cal State San Marcos kinesiology and exercise science graduates earn less than graduates of most kinesiology and exercise science programs nationally, $26,203 in their first year. Where this program stands out is debt. The typical graduate leaves with $18,257 in federal loans, less than at 94% of kinesiology and exercise science programs in the country. Debt is low, but pay is also below the California median of $27,952.
How it compares
Each figure is the median for graduates of the program. The California and national columns are the medians across all kinesiology and exercise science bachelor's programs that report the figure.
Five years out, Cal State San Marcos graduates earn more than the national figure and about $6,424 more than the California median.
Debt and first-year pay at every California kinesiology and exercise science program
Programs in the upper left give graduates higher pay for less debt. Dashed lines mark the California medians.
Hover over or tap a dot to see the school. Only programs that report both earnings and debt are shown.
What graduates earn over time
Pay rises about 144% between the first and fifth year.
Year 1 and year 5 figures come from different graduating classes, so the growth rate is an estimate.
Paying back the loans
On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $194 a month, or 8.9% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.
The government publishes these as ranges to protect privacy. They were measured in 2018 to 2020, partly during the pandemic pause on federal loan payments, so the forbearance share may be higher than usual. Separately, 22 parents took out Parent PLUS loans for these students, with a median of $18,720.
Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth
92% of graduates (113 of 123) were working in California one year after graduating. Prices in the San Diego area are about 12% above the national average, so a $26,203 salary here buys what about $23,419 buys in a typical US city.
Careers this field leads to
These are the jobs that the federal crosswalk from fields of study to occupations links to kinesiology and exercise science, largest first. Pay is the median across all experience levels.
Exercise Trainers and Group Fitness Instructors
$57,990Median pay in California. 43,600 people work in this job in California. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 7% from 2025 to 2035, with about 68,000 openings a year. Typical education to start: high school diploma or equivalent.
Coaches and Scouts
$47,660Median pay in California. 31,150 people work in this job in California. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 6% from 2025 to 2035, with about 36,400 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree.
Entertainment and Recreation Managers, Except Gambling
$79,550Median pay in California. 7,000 people work in this job in California. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 6% from 2025 to 2035, with about 5,100 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree, plus less than 5 years of related work experience.
Athletic Trainers
$78,490Median pay in California. 1,760 people work in this job in California. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 13% from 2025 to 2035, with about 2,400 openings a year. Typical education to start: master's degree.
About Cal State San Marcos
Kinesiology and Exercise Science ranks 33rd of 35 bachelor's programs at Cal State San Marcos by first-year earnings. The top three are Nursing ($103,799), Accounting ($63,366), and Computer Systems Analysis ($61,054).
Other kinesiology and exercise science bachelor's programs near San Marcos
Common questions
The median graduate earns $26,203 one year after graduating and $63,880 five years after. The median across kinesiology and exercise science bachelor's programs in California is $27,952.
The median federal loan balance is $18,257, which ranks 16th lowest of 31 kinesiology and exercise science bachelor's programs in California. That works out to about $194 a month over 10 years.
On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 70% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 80%, and the share of borrowers in default two years into repayment is 10% or less. If the highest possible early salary is the main goal, several California programs report higher pay.
Most do. 92% (113 of 123) were working in California one year after graduating.
About this data
- Earnings and debt only include students who received federal financial aid (grants or loans).
- Earnings only count graduates who were working and not enrolled in more school. Graduates who went straight to further study are not included.
- Debt only includes federal loans. Private loans and credit cards are not counted.
- Some schools with several campuses report one combined figure for all of them. We count each of those schools once, and leave them out of California comparisons when their main campus is in another state.
- Scorecard figures describe graduating classes from several years ago. BLS wages are from May 2025.
- School-level numbers like tuition, admission rate, and graduation rate are for the whole school, not the kinesiology and exercise science program.
Sources
- U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, field of study and institution files, June 2026 release
- Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025
- Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025 to 2035
- Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024
- NCES, CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk, and IPEDS institution directory, 2024