Southern Illinois University-Carbondale Kinesiology and Exercise Science (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt
- Bachelor's in Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness
- Public university
- Carbondale, IL
- About 39 graduates a year
College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025
The short answer
Southern Illinois University-Carbondale kinesiology and exercise science graduates earn about what kinesiology and exercise science graduates earn nationally, $29,258 in their first year. Where this program stands out is debt. The typical graduate leaves with $22,750 in federal loans, less than at 77% of kinesiology and exercise science programs in the country. Strong value, but not one of the highest-paying kinesiology and exercise science degrees in Illinois.
How it compares
Each figure is the median for graduates of the program. The Illinois and national columns are the medians across all kinesiology and exercise science bachelor's programs that report the figure.
Five years out, Southern Illinois University-Carbondale graduates earn less than the national figure and about $9,177 less than the Illinois median. Several Illinois programs with higher debt show higher pay by the five-year mark.
Debt and first-year pay at every Illinois kinesiology and exercise science program
Programs in the upper left give graduates higher pay for less debt. Dashed lines mark the Illinois medians.
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 45% between the first and fifth year.
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 more in their first year than other graduates, but borrowed more: a median of $27,200 against $18,055.
Paying back the loans
On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $241 a month, or 9.9% 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. Separately, 32 parents took out Parent PLUS loans for these students, with a median of $20,055.
Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth
58% of graduates (44 of 76) were working in Illinois one year after graduating. Prices in the parts of Illinois outside metro areas are about 13% below the national average, so a $29,258 salary here buys what about $33,468 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
$46,800Median pay in Illinois. 19,830 people work in this job in Illinois. 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
$49,120Median pay in Illinois. 8,840 people work in this job in Illinois. 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
$77,310Median pay in Illinois. 3,260 people work in this job in Illinois. 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
$64,750Median pay in Illinois. 850 people work in this job in Illinois. 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 Illinois University-Carbondale
Kinesiology and Exercise Science ranks 40th of 49 bachelor's programs at Southern Illinois University-Carbondale by first-year earnings. The top three are Fire Science ($104,017), Industrial Technology ($73,283), and Electrical Engineering Technology ($72,495).
Other kinesiology and exercise science bachelor's programs near Carbondale
Common questions
The median graduate earns $29,258 one year after graduating and $42,513 five years after. The median across kinesiology and exercise science bachelor's programs in Illinois is $30,051.
The median federal loan balance is $22,750, which ranks 4th lowest of 19 kinesiology and exercise science bachelor's programs in Illinois. That works out to about $241 a month over 10 years.
On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 78% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 80%, and the share of borrowers in default two years into repayment is 20% or less. If the highest possible early salary is the main goal, several Illinois programs report higher pay, usually with more debt.
Most do. 58% (44 of 76) were working in Illinois one year after graduating.
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 Illinois 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