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

  • Bachelor's in Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness
  • Private nonprofit college
  • Salisbury, NC
  • About 21 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Livingstone College kinesiology and exercise science graduates earn less than graduates of most kinesiology and exercise science programs nationally, $21,427 in their first year. Debt is high. The typical graduate leaves with $35,000 in federal loans, more than at 99% of kinesiology and exercise science programs in the country. Several North Carolina programs report higher pay.

First-year earnings$21,4272nd percentile of 524 programs nationally
Earnings after 5 years$37,21374% more than year one
Median federal debt$35,00029th lowest of 29 North Carolina programs
Debt-to-earnings163%North Carolina median 98%, national 80%

How it compares

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

Five years out, Livingstone College graduates earn less than the national figure and about $8,419 less than the North Carolina median.

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

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

Livingstone CollegeOther North Carolina 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 74% between the first and fifth year.

Livingstone College grads, year 1$21,427
Livingstone College grads, year 5$37,213
All North Carolina kinesiology and exercise science grads, year 5$45,632

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 $371 a month, or 20.8% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

Prices in the Charlotte area are about 3% below the national average, so a $21,427 salary here buys what about $22,011 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

$46,450

Median pay in North Carolina. 10,670 people work in this job in North Carolina. 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%: $24,910Top 10%: $74,210

Coaches and Scouts

$43,840

Median pay in North Carolina. 8,530 people work in this job in North Carolina. 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%: $25,130Top 10%: $87,060

Entertainment and Recreation Managers, Except Gambling

$77,990

Median pay in North Carolina. 1,200 people work in this job in North Carolina. 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%: $47,660Top 10%: $136,160

Athletic Trainers

$56,540

Median pay in North Carolina. 990 people work in this job in North Carolina. 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%: $46,740Top 10%: $77,000

About Livingstone College

Kinesiology and Exercise Science ranks 4th of 4 bachelor's programs at Livingstone College by first-year earnings. The top three are Criminal Justice ($27,405), Business Administration ($25,757), and Liberal Arts and General Studies ($21,640).

Other kinesiology and exercise science bachelor's programs near Salisbury

Common questions

The median graduate earns $21,427 one year after graduating and $37,213 five years after. The median across kinesiology and exercise science bachelor's programs in North Carolina is $27,519.

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 North Carolina 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

  1. U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, field of study and institution files, June 2026 release
  2. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025
  3. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025 to 2035
  4. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024
  5. NCES, CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk, and IPEDS institution directory, 2024

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