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

It depends on your other options. Debt equals 108% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 80%. Compare the cost with other Pennsylvania programs before deciding.

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

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

The median federal loan balance is $27,000, which ranks 6th lowest of 20 kinesiology and exercise science bachelor's programs in Pennsylvania. That works out to about $286 a month over 10 years.

Bachelor's in Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness
Public university
Pittsburgh, PA
About 35 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

University of Pittsburgh kinesiology and exercise science graduates earn less than graduates of most kinesiology and exercise science programs nationally, $24,916 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $27,000 in federal loans, close to the national median of $25,954. Several Pennsylvania programs report higher pay.

First-year earnings$24,9169th percentile of 524 programs nationally

Median federal debt$27,0006th lowest of 20 Pennsylvania programs

Debt-to-earnings108%Pennsylvania median 86%, national 80%

How it compares

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

	University of Pittsburgh	Pennsylvania	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$24,916	$31,518	$30,486
Median federal debt at graduation	$27,000	$27,000	$25,954
Debt as share of first-year pay	108%	86%	80%
Programs compared		21	524

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

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

University of PittsburghOther Pennsylvania 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 $286 a month, or 13.8% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

Prices in the Pittsburgh area are about 5% below the national average, so a $24,916 salary here buys what about $26,319 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

$45,250

Median pay in Pennsylvania. 11,580 people work in this job in Pennsylvania. 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%: $27,780Top 10%: $67,450

Coaches and Scouts

$48,730

Median pay in Pennsylvania. 8,170 people work in this job in Pennsylvania. 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%: $21,170Top 10%: $119,060

Entertainment and Recreation Managers, Except Gambling

$68,990

Median pay in Pennsylvania. 1,220 people work in this job in Pennsylvania. 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%: $47,730Top 10%: $109,400

Athletic Trainers

$61,060

Median pay in Pennsylvania. 1,870 people work in this job in Pennsylvania. 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%: $46,960Top 10%: $77,920

About University of Pittsburgh

In-state tuition and fees	$21,926 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$41,430 / year
Average net price after aid	$30,434 / year
Admission rate	58%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	86%
Undergraduate students	20,370

Kinesiology and Exercise Science ranks 52nd of 53 bachelor's programs at University of Pittsburgh by first-year earnings. The top three are Computer Engineering ($78,075), Computer Science ($77,599), and Electrical Engineering ($76,853).

Other kinesiology and exercise science bachelor's programs near Pittsburgh

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
University of PittsburghPittsburgh, PA · public		$24,916	$27,000
Robert Morris UniversityMoon Township, PA · private nonprofit	15 mi	$34,433	$27,000
Seton Hill UniversityGreensburg, PA · private nonprofit	23 mi	$32,975	$27,000
Pennsylvania Western UniversityCalifornia, PA · public	26 mi	$32,632	$32,252
West Liberty UniversityWest Liberty, WV · public	39 mi	$24,139	$28,000
Slippery Rock University of PennsylvaniaSlippery Rock, PA · public	43 mi	$35,411	$27,000
Indiana University of PennsylvaniaIndiana, PA · public	43 mi	$31,311	$27,000
WVUMorgantown, WV · public	56 mi	$30,145	$25,000
Youngstown StateYoungstown, OH · public	58 mi	$30,661	$26,393

Common questions

The median graduate earns $24,916 one year after graduating. The median across kinesiology and exercise science bachelor's programs in Pennsylvania is $31,518.

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 Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania, ranked21 programs by pay and debt Kinesiology and Exercise Science bachelor's programs in the US, ranked524 programs by pay and debt All University of Pittsburgh programs, ranked71 programs by pay and debt