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

  • Bachelor's in Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness
  • Private nonprofit university
  • Delaware, OH
  • About 27 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Ohio Wesleyan University kinesiology and exercise science graduates earn about what kinesiology and exercise science graduates earn nationally, $28,294 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $27,000 in federal loans, close to the national median of $25,954. Several Ohio programs report higher pay.

First-year earnings$28,29431st percentile of 524 programs nationally
Earnings after 5 years$46,52464% more than year one
Median federal debt$27,00011th lowest of 26 Ohio programs
Debt-to-earnings95%Ohio median 83%, national 80%

How it compares

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

Five years out, Ohio Wesleyan University graduates earn less than the national figure and about $4,592 less than the Ohio median.

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

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

Ohio Wesleyan UniversityOther Ohio 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 64% between the first and fifth year.

Ohio Wesleyan University grads, year 1$28,294
Ohio Wesleyan University grads, year 5$46,524
All Ohio kinesiology and exercise science grads, year 5$51,116

Year 1 and year 5 figures come from different graduating classes, so the growth rate is an estimate.

Does family income change the outcome?

Graduates who received Pell Grants, which go to students from lower-income families, earned $6,566 less in their first year than other graduates. Students who expect to rely on grants should weigh this gap.

Pell Grant recipients, year 1 earnings$27,819Median debt $27,000
Other graduates, year 1 earnings$34,385Median debt $27,000

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $286 a month, or 12.1% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

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

63% of graduates (25 of 40) were working in Ohio one year after graduating. Prices in the Columbus area are about 5% below the national average, so a $28,294 salary here buys what about $29,637 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

$36,370

Median pay in Ohio. 9,040 people work in this job in Ohio. 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%: $24,040Top 10%: $59,290

Coaches and Scouts

$46,530

Median pay in Ohio. 13,150 people work in this job in Ohio. 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%: $28,280Top 10%: $81,760

Entertainment and Recreation Managers, Except Gambling

$58,440

Median pay in Ohio. 1,280 people work in this job in Ohio. 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%: $39,760Top 10%: $98,250

Athletic Trainers

$61,420

Median pay in Ohio. 2,100 people work in this job in Ohio. 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%: $49,700Top 10%: $75,100

About Ohio Wesleyan University

Kinesiology and Exercise Science ranks 5th of 8 bachelor's programs at Ohio Wesleyan University by first-year earnings. The top three are Accounting ($48,958), Business Administration ($41,734), and Psychology ($30,775).

Other kinesiology and exercise science bachelor's programs near Delaware

Common questions

The median graduate earns $28,294 one year after graduating and $46,524 five years after. The median across kinesiology and exercise science bachelor's programs in Ohio is $31,861.

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 Ohio 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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