Is a kinesiology and exercise science degree from Eastern Connecticut State worth it?

On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 75% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 80%, and the share of borrowers in default two years into repayment is 20% or less.

Eastern Connecticut State Kinesiology and Exercise Science (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Q: How much debt do Eastern Connecticut State kinesiology and exercise science graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $25,500, which ranks 2nd lowest of 5 kinesiology and exercise science bachelor's programs in Connecticut. That works out to about $270 a month over 10 years.

Q: Do Eastern Connecticut State kinesiology and exercise science graduates stay in Connecticut?

Most do. 67% (22 of 33) were working in Connecticut one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness
Public university
Willimantic, CT
About 31 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Eastern Connecticut State kinesiology and exercise science graduates earn about what kinesiology and exercise science graduates earn nationally, $34,132 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $25,500 in federal loans, close to the national median of $25,954. One other Connecticut program reports higher pay.

First-year earnings$34,13274th percentile of 524 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$50,86049% more than year one

Median federal debt$25,5002nd lowest of 5 Connecticut programs

Debt-to-earnings75%Connecticut median 75%, national 80%

How it compares

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

	Eastern Connecticut State	Connecticut	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$34,132	$31,089	$30,486
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$50,860	$48,819	$52,393
Median federal debt at graduation	$25,500	$26,000	$25,954
Debt as share of first-year pay	75%	75%	80%
Programs compared		6	524

Five years out, Eastern Connecticut State graduates earn about the national figure and about $2,041 more than the Connecticut median.

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

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

Eastern Connecticut StateOther Connecticut 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 49% between the first and fifth year.

Eastern Connecticut State grads, year 1$34,132

Eastern Connecticut State grads, year 5$50,860

All Connecticut kinesiology and exercise science grads, year 5$48,819

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 $270 a month, or 9.5% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (55 borrowers)	Share
Paid off in full	20% or less
Paying down the balance	20–39%
Paused payments (forbearance)	20% or less
In default	20% or less

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.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

67% of graduates (22 of 33) were working in Connecticut one year after graduating. Prices in the Norwich area are about the same as the national average.

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

$61,580

Median pay in Connecticut. 2,850 people work in this job in Connecticut. 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%: $34,010Top 10%: $103,590

Coaches and Scouts

$54,790

Median pay in Connecticut. 4,070 people work in this job in Connecticut. 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%: $34,010Top 10%: $105,170

Entertainment and Recreation Managers, Except Gambling

$78,010

Median pay in Connecticut. 130 people work in this job in Connecticut. 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%: $62,400Top 10%: $129,190

Athletic Trainers

$69,960

Median pay in Connecticut. 290 people work in this job in Connecticut. 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%: $50,900Top 10%: $112,140

About Eastern Connecticut State

In-state tuition and fees	$13,928 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$17,428 / year
Average net price after aid	$21,067 / year
Admission rate	83%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	58%
Undergraduate students	3,418

Kinesiology and Exercise Science ranks 12th of 19 bachelor's programs at Eastern Connecticut State by first-year earnings. The top three are Subject-Area Teacher Education ($47,736), Teacher Education ($47,445), and Mathematics ($45,858).

Other kinesiology and exercise science bachelor's programs near Willimantic

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
Eastern Connecticut StateWillimantic, CT · public		$34,132	$25,500
UConnStorrs, CT · public	6 mi	$32,586	$23,125
Nichols CollegeDudley, MA · private nonprofit	27 mi	$32,564	$27,000
Central Connecticut StateNew Britain, CT · public	28 mi	$35,701	$26,000
Western New England UniversitySpringfield, MA · private nonprofit	31 mi	$26,544	$27,000
Springfield CollegeSpringfield, MA · private nonprofit	32 mi	$34,191	$27,000
Westfield StateWestfield, MA · public	41 mi	$32,456	$27,000
Southern Connecticut StateNew Haven, CT · public	46 mi	$24,029	$26,000
Post UniversityWaterbury, CT · private for-profit	46 mi	$29,592	$31,250

Common questions

The median graduate earns $34,132 one year after graduating and $50,860 five years after. The median across kinesiology and exercise science bachelor's programs in Connecticut is $31,089.

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 Connecticut 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 Connecticut, ranked6 programs by pay and debt Kinesiology and Exercise Science bachelor's programs in the US, ranked524 programs by pay and debt All Eastern Connecticut State programs, ranked19 programs by pay and debt