Wake Forest University Kinesiology and Exercise Science (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt
- Bachelor's in Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness
- Private nonprofit university
- Winston-Salem, NC
- About 102 graduates a year
College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025
The short answer
Wake Forest University kinesiology and exercise science graduates earn less than graduates of most kinesiology and exercise science programs nationally, $21,192 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $23,250 in federal loans, close to the national median of $25,954. Several North Carolina programs report higher pay.
How it compares
Each figure is the median for graduates of the program. The North Carolina and national columns are the medians across all kinesiology and exercise science bachelor's programs that report the figure.
Five years out, Wake Forest University graduates earn more than the national figure and about $26,096 more than the North Carolina median.
Debt and first-year pay at every North Carolina kinesiology and exercise science program
Programs in the upper left give graduates higher pay for less debt. Dashed lines mark the North Carolina 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 238% 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 $6,759 less in their first year than other graduates. Students who expect to rely on grants should weigh this gap.
Paying back the loans
On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $246 a month, or 13.9% 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.
Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth
Prices in the Winston-Salem area are about 8% below the national average, so a $21,192 salary here buys what about $23,024 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
$46,450Median pay in North Carolina. 10,670 people work in this job in North Carolina. 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
$43,840Median pay in North Carolina. 8,530 people work in this job in North Carolina. 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
$77,990Median pay in North Carolina. 1,200 people work in this job in North Carolina. 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
$56,540Median pay in North Carolina. 990 people work in this job in North Carolina. 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 Wake Forest University
Kinesiology and Exercise Science ranks 11th of 11 bachelor's programs at Wake Forest University by first-year earnings. The top three are Finance ($85,944), Business ($76,722), and Computer Science ($75,625).
Other kinesiology and exercise science bachelor's programs near Winston-Salem
Common questions
The median graduate earns $21,192 one year after graduating and $71,728 five years after. The median across kinesiology and exercise science bachelor's programs in North Carolina is $27,519.
The median federal loan balance is $23,250, which ranks 4th lowest of 29 kinesiology and exercise science bachelor's programs in North Carolina. That works out to about $246 a month over 10 years.
It depends on your other options. Debt equals 110% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 80%. Compare the cost with other North Carolina programs before deciding.
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 North Carolina 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