Is a kinesiology and exercise science degree from Mercy University worth it?

It depends on your other options. Debt equals 111% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 80%. Compare the cost with other New York programs before deciding.

Mercy University Kinesiology and Exercise Science (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Q: How much debt do Mercy University kinesiology and exercise science graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $25,520, which ranks 8th lowest of 17 kinesiology and exercise science bachelor's programs in New York. That works out to about $271 a month over 10 years.

Bachelor's in Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness
Private nonprofit university
Dobbs Ferry, NY
About 17 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Mercy University kinesiology and exercise science graduates earn less than graduates of most kinesiology and exercise science programs nationally, $23,094 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $25,520 in federal loans, close to the national median of $25,954. Several New York programs report higher pay.

First-year earnings$23,0944th percentile of 524 programs nationally

Median federal debt$25,5208th lowest of 17 New York programs

Debt-to-earnings111%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.

	Mercy University	New York	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$23,094	$27,413	$30,486
Median federal debt at graduation	$25,520	$25,681	$25,954
Debt as share of first-year pay	111%	91%	80%
Programs compared		18	524

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.

Mercy UniversityOther New York programs

Hover over or tap a dot to see the school. Only programs that report both earnings and debt are shown.

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $271 a month, or 14.1% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

Prices in the New York area are about 13% above the national average, so a $23,094 salary here buys what about $20,517 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 Mercy University

Tuition and fees	$22,880 / year
Average net price after aid	$14,072 / year
Admission rate	86%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	46%
Undergraduate students	5,735

Kinesiology and Exercise Science ranks 19th of 19 bachelor's programs at Mercy University by first-year earnings. The top three are Medical Laboratory Science ($101,516), Nursing ($90,933), and Information Technology ($55,745).

Other kinesiology and exercise science bachelor's programs near Dobbs Ferry

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
Mercy UniversityDobbs Ferry, NY · private nonprofit		$23,094	$25,520
Manhattanville UniversityPurchase, NY · private nonprofit	8 mi	$25,592	$26,000
Lehman CollegeBronx, NY · public	10 mi	$29,538	$10,861
William Paterson University of New JerseyWayne, NJ · public	18 mi	$31,382	$29,189
Queens CollegeQueens, NY · public	20 mi	$16,236	$5,500
Long Island UniversityBrookville, NY · private nonprofit	20 mi	$24,096	$25,000
Montclair StateMontclair, NJ · public	20 mi	$29,907	$26,949
St. John's UniversityQueens, NY · private nonprofit	21 mi	$27,534	$25,748
Saint Peter's UniversityJersey City, NJ · private nonprofit	23 mi	$19,735	$25,051

Common questions

The median graduate earns $23,094 one year after graduating. 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 Mercy University programs, ranked20 programs by pay and debt