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

On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 55% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 80%.

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

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

The median federal loan balance is $23,500, which ranks 3rd lowest of 8 kinesiology and exercise science bachelor's programs in Kentucky. That works out to about $249 a month over 10 years.

Q: Do Northern Kentucky University kinesiology and exercise science graduates stay in Kentucky?

Many leave. 47% (17 of 36) were working in Kentucky one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness
Public university
Highland Heights, KY

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Northern Kentucky University kinesiology and exercise science graduates earn more than graduates of most kinesiology and exercise science programs nationally, $42,725 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $23,500 in federal loans, close to the national median of $25,954. It is one of the higher-paying kinesiology and exercise science degrees in Kentucky.

First-year earnings$42,72598th percentile of 524 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$56,83533% more than year one

Median federal debt$23,5003rd lowest of 8 Kentucky programs

Debt-to-earnings55%Kentucky median 78%, national 80%

How it compares

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

	Northern Kentucky University	Kentucky	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$42,725	$31,049	$30,486
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$56,835	$48,206	$52,393
Median federal debt at graduation	$23,500	$25,472	$25,954
Debt as share of first-year pay	55%	78%	80%
Programs compared		8	524

Five years out, Northern Kentucky University graduates earn more than the national figure and about $8,630 more than the Kentucky median.

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

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

Northern Kentucky UniversityOther Kentucky 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 33% between the first and fifth year.

Northern Kentucky University grads, year 1$42,725

Northern Kentucky University grads, year 5$56,835

All Kentucky kinesiology and exercise science grads, year 5$48,206

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 $249 a month, or 7.0% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

47% of graduates (17 of 36) were working in Kentucky one year after graduating. Prices in the Cincinnati area are about 5% below the national average, so a $42,725 salary here buys what about $44,799 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

$45,280

Median pay in Kentucky. 1,990 people work in this job in Kentucky. 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%: $23,720Top 10%: $70,790

Coaches and Scouts

$35,570

Median pay in Kentucky. 2,800 people work in this job in Kentucky. 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%: $21,810Top 10%: $75,710

Entertainment and Recreation Managers, Except Gambling

$80,130

Median pay in Kentucky. 300 people work in this job in Kentucky. 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%: $40,300Top 10%: $137,890

Athletic Trainers

$60,680

Median pay in Kentucky. 720 people work in this job in Kentucky. 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%: $45,500Top 10%: $82,480

About Northern Kentucky University

In-state tuition and fees	$11,088 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$21,912 / year
Average net price after aid	$8,191 / year
Admission rate	68%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	52%
Undergraduate students	8,246

Kinesiology and Exercise Science ranks 14th of 33 bachelor's programs at Northern Kentucky University by first-year earnings. The top three are Nursing ($68,649), Management Information Systems ($68,628), and Industrial Technology ($67,641).

Other kinesiology and exercise science bachelor's programs near Highland Heights

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
Northern Kentucky UniversityHighland Heights, KY · public		$42,725	$23,500
University of CincinnatiCincinnati, OH · public	8 mi	$34,268	$23,250
Xavier UniversityCincinnati, OH · private nonprofit	8 mi	$33,003	$27,000
Mount St. Joseph UniversityCincinnati, OH · private nonprofit	10 mi	$31,870	$27,000
Miami UniversityOxford, OH · public	36 mi	$40,486	$25,000
Wilmington CollegeWilmington, OH · private nonprofit	45 mi	$26,433	$27,000
University of DaytonDayton, OH · private nonprofit	51 mi	$38,011	$26,000
Wright StateDayton, OH · public	56 mi	$35,640	$28,250
Georgetown CollegeGeorgetown, KY · private nonprofit	57 mi	$37,620	$27,000

Common questions

The median graduate earns $42,725 one year after graduating and $56,835 five years after. The median across kinesiology and exercise science bachelor's programs in Kentucky is $31,049.

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 Kentucky 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 Kentucky, ranked8 programs by pay and debt Kinesiology and Exercise Science bachelor's programs in the US, ranked524 programs by pay and debt All Northern Kentucky University programs, ranked35 programs by pay and debt