Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness: degree ROI, salary & best colleges
Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness graduates earn a median $54,562 four years after finishing — $6,202/yr above the $48,360 high-school baseline. At a typical $16,906/yr net price ($67,624 over four years), that pays back in about 10.9 years. Federal data pools 769 bachelor's programs graduating roughly 46,321 students a year. (Scorecard field-of-study, 2026 · our math.)
Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness ranks #141 of 202 bachelor's fields by earnings — pays more than 31% of majors.
| # | College | State | Grad earnings |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rice University | TX | $87,404 |
| 2 | Emory University | GA | $87,254 |
| 3 | University of Virginia-Main Campus | VA | $81,110 |
| 4 | University of Scranton | PA | $79,700 |
| 5 | Wake Forest University | NC | $79,599 |
| 6 | University of Michigan-Ann Arbor | MI | $79,411 |
| 7 | Manhattan University | NY | $78,264 |
| 8 | Seton Hall University | NJ | $77,835 |
| 9 | Carroll University | WI | $77,095 |
| 10 | Saint Louis University | MO | $77,066 |
| 11 | Simmons University | MA | $76,569 |
| 12 | University of Delaware | DE | $76,478 |
College Scorecard field-of-study (2026), program-level median earnings for this CIP · our ranking.
How we compute this. Earnings are the national median for graduates of this field measured 1 and 4 years after completion (Scorecard field-of-study, bachelor's). Premium = 4-year earnings − the $48,360 high-school baseline. Payback = a representative 4-year net cost (median college net price × 4) ÷ premium. Field medians blend every school — a specific program can pay far more or less. Full method on the methodology page; the field ranking is on ROI by major.