Southern Arkansas University Kinesiology and Exercise Science (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt
- Bachelor's in Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness
- Public university
- Magnolia, AR
- About 34 graduates a year
College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025
The short answer
Southern Arkansas University kinesiology and exercise science graduates earn about what kinesiology and exercise science graduates earn nationally, $29,854 in their first year. Where this program stands out is debt. The typical graduate leaves with $20,169 in federal loans, less than at 89% of kinesiology and exercise science programs in the country. Strong value, but not one of the highest-paying kinesiology and exercise science degrees in Arkansas.
How it compares
Each figure is the median for graduates of the program. The Arkansas and national columns are the medians across all kinesiology and exercise science bachelor's programs that report the figure.
Debt and first-year pay at every Arkansas kinesiology and exercise science program
Programs in the upper left give graduates higher pay for less debt. Dashed lines mark the Arkansas medians.
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 $214 a month, or 8.6% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.
Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth
Prices in the parts of Arkansas outside metro areas are about 17% below the national average, so a $29,854 salary here buys what about $35,989 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
$42,140Median pay in Arkansas. 1,390 people work in this job in Arkansas. 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.
Coaches and Scouts
$38,930Median pay in Arkansas. 2,070 people work in this job in Arkansas. 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.
Entertainment and Recreation Managers, Except Gambling
$49,640Median pay in Arkansas. 230 people work in this job in Arkansas. 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.
Athletic Trainers
$57,240Median pay in Arkansas. 240 people work in this job in Arkansas. 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.
About Southern Arkansas University
Kinesiology and Exercise Science ranks 10th of 14 bachelor's programs at Southern Arkansas University by first-year earnings. The top three are Nursing ($67,213), Physics ($58,870), and Subject-Area Teacher Education ($44,843).
Other kinesiology and exercise science bachelor's programs near Magnolia
Common questions
The median graduate earns $29,854 one year after graduating. The median across kinesiology and exercise science bachelor's programs in Arkansas is $29,854.
The median federal loan balance is $20,169, which ranks 2nd lowest of 7 kinesiology and exercise science bachelor's programs in Arkansas. That works out to about $214 a month over 10 years.
On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 68% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 80%. If the highest possible early salary is the main goal, several Arkansas programs report higher pay, usually with more debt.
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 Arkansas 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