Is a kinesiology and exercise science degree from Queens College worth it?

On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 34% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 80%. If the highest possible early salary is the main goal, several New York programs report higher pay, usually with more debt.

Queens College Kinesiology and Exercise Science (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Q: How much debt do Queens College kinesiology and exercise science graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $5,500, which ranks the lowest of 17 kinesiology and exercise science bachelor's programs in New York. That works out to about $58 a month over 10 years.

Q: Do Queens College kinesiology and exercise science graduates stay in New York?

Most do. 100% (27 of 27) were working in New York one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness
Public college
Queens, NY
About 45 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Queens College kinesiology and exercise science graduates earn less than graduates of most kinesiology and exercise science programs nationally, $16,236 in their first year. Where this program stands out is debt. The typical graduate leaves with $5,500 in federal loans, less than at more than 99% of kinesiology and exercise science programs in the country. Debt is low, but pay is also below the New York median of $27,413.

First-year earnings$16,236Bottom 1% of 524 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$49,077202% more than year one

Median federal debt$5,500The lowest of 17 New York programs

Debt-to-earnings34%New York median 91%, national 80%

How it compares

Each figure is the median for graduates of the program. The New York and national columns are the medians across all kinesiology and exercise science bachelor's programs that report the figure.

	Queens College	New York	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$16,236	$27,413	$30,486
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$49,077	$57,349	$52,393
Median federal debt at graduation	$5,500	$25,681	$25,954
Debt as share of first-year pay	34%	91%	80%
Programs compared		18	524

Five years out, Queens College graduates earn less than the national figure and about $8,272 less than the New York median. Several New York programs with higher debt show higher pay by the five-year mark.

Debt and first-year pay at every New York kinesiology and exercise science program

Programs in the upper left give graduates higher pay for less debt. Dashed lines mark the New York medians.

Queens CollegeOther New York programs

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 202% between the first and fifth year.

Queens College grads, year 1$16,236

Queens College grads, year 5$49,077

All New York kinesiology and exercise science grads, year 5$57,349

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 $58 a month, or 4.3% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

100% of graduates (27 of 27) were working in New York one year after graduating. Prices in the New York area are about 13% above the national average, so a $16,236 salary here buys what about $14,424 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

$47,090

Median pay in New York. 20,140 people work in this job in New York. 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.

Bottom 10%: $34,300Top 10%: $105,700

Coaches and Scouts

$59,920

Median pay in New York. 11,220 people work in this job in New York. 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.

Bottom 10%: $34,890Top 10%: $104,000

Entertainment and Recreation Managers, Except Gambling

$98,390

Median pay in New York. 1,330 people work in this job in New York. 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.

Bottom 10%: $60,780Top 10%: $141,810

Athletic Trainers

$66,230

Median pay in New York. 1,370 people work in this job in New York. 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.

Bottom 10%: $49,990Top 10%: $101,840

About Queens College

In-state tuition and fees	$7,538 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$15,488 / year
Average net price after aid	$4,195 / year
Admission rate	64%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	53%
Undergraduate students	12,550

Kinesiology and Exercise Science ranks 27th of 28 bachelor's programs at Queens College by first-year earnings. The top three are Computer Science ($63,632), Subject-Area Teacher Education ($58,894), and ESL Teaching ($48,923).

Other kinesiology and exercise science bachelor's programs near Queens

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
Queens CollegeQueens, NY · public		$16,236	$5,500
St. John's UniversityQueens, NY · private nonprofit	2 mi	$27,534	$25,748
Adelphi UniversityGarden City, NY · private nonprofit	9 mi	$25,041	$26,000
Brooklyn CollegeBrooklyn, NY · public	10 mi	$25,101	$13,629
Lehman CollegeBronx, NY · public	10 mi	$29,538	$10,861
Saint Peter's UniversityJersey City, NJ · private nonprofit	13 mi	$19,735	$25,051
Long Island UniversityBrookville, NY · private nonprofit	13 mi	$24,096	$25,000
Mercy UniversityDobbs Ferry, NY · private nonprofit	20 mi	$23,094	$25,520
Farmingdale State CollegeFarmingdale, NY · public	21 mi	$29,717	$18,500

Common questions

The median graduate earns $16,236 one year after graduating and $49,077 five years after. The median across kinesiology and exercise science bachelor's programs in New York is $27,413.

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 New York 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

Kinesiology and Exercise Science bachelor's programs in New York, ranked18 programs by pay and debt Kinesiology and Exercise Science bachelor's programs in the US, ranked524 programs by pay and debt All Queens College programs, ranked28 programs by pay and debt