Best Colleges for Kinesiology & Exercise Science
50 Kinesiology & Exercise Science programs ranked by real graduate earnings, debt, and completion — from the College Scorecard Field-of-Study data.
For Kinesiology & Exercise Science, Rice University (Texas) ranks #1 by our outcome score, with median graduate earnings of $87,404. Rankings reflect earnings, debt, and completion — not reputation or cost — across 50 programs with published outcome data.
| # | School | Credential | Median earnings | Median debt | Completers | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rice University Houston, TX | Bachelor's Degree | $87,404 | $10,000 | 104 | 97.9 |
| 2 | University of Michigan-Ann Arbor Ann Arbor, MI | Bachelor's Degree | $79,411 | $18,924 | 263 | 96.3 |
| 3 | Emory University Atlanta, GA | Bachelor's Degree | $87,254 | $19,500 | 90 | 94.5 |
| 4 | Indiana University-Bloomington Bloomington, IN | Bachelor's Degree | $68,675 | $19,400 | 391 | 91.7 |
| 5 | University of Mississippi University, MS | Bachelor's Degree | $73,870 | $21,516 | 109 | 90.5 |
| 6 | University of Virginia-Main Campus Charlottesville, VA | Bachelor's Degree | $81,110 | $22,973 | 95 | 90.3 |
| 7 | University of Georgia Athens, GA | Bachelor's Degree | $67,275 | $19,516 | 292 | 89.8 |
| 8 | Wake Forest University Winston-Salem, NC | Bachelor's Degree | $79,599 | $22,777 | 75 | 89.8 |
| 9 | University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Champaign, IL | Bachelor's Degree | $67,782 | $19,986 | 166 | 89.7 |
| 10 | University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus Norman, OK | Bachelor's Degree | $71,589 | $21,508 | 169 | 89.6 |
| 11 | William & Mary Williamsburg, VA | Bachelor's Degree | $68,992 | $20,500 | 112 | 89.1 |
| 12 | Utah Valley University Orem, UT | Bachelor's Degree | $63,951 | $13,000 | 124 | 88.6 |
| 13 | University of Utah Salt Lake City, UT | Bachelor's Degree | $64,356 | $17,663 | 281 | 88.5 |
| 14 | Sonoma State University Rohnert Park, CA | Bachelor's Degree | $67,351 | $20,174 | 116 | 88.2 |
| 15 | University of South Carolina-Columbia Columbia, SC | Bachelor's Degree | $67,705 | $21,500 | 290 | 88.1 |
| 16 | University of Wisconsin-Madison Madison, WI | Bachelor's Degree | $74,963 | $24,000 | 186 | 88.1 |
| 17 | The University of Texas at Austin Austin, TX | Bachelor's Degree | $66,580 | $20,730 | 290 | 87.9 |
| 18 | University of Massachusetts-Amherst Amherst, MA | Bachelor's Degree | $73,238 | $23,250 | 158 | 87.7 |
| 19 | California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo San Luis Obispo, CA | Bachelor's Degree | $64,579 | $15,000 | 75 | 87.5 |
| 20 | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Chapel Hill, NC | Bachelor's Degree | $63,286 | $16,500 | 346 | 87.4 |
| 21 | Texas Tech University Lubbock, TX | Master's Degree | $66,230 | $17,550 | 47 | 87 |
| 22 | Purdue University-Main Campus West Lafayette, IN | Bachelor's Degree | $72,724 | $20,500 | 28 | 86.9 |
| 23 | University of Connecticut Storrs, CT | Bachelor's Degree | $73,289 | $21,500 | 29 | 86.5 |
| 24 | Concordia University-Chicago River Forest, IL | Master's Degree | $66,304 | $21,612 | 250 | 86.4 |
| 25 | University of Delaware Newark, DE | Bachelor's Degree | $76,478 | $25,000 | 210 | 86.1 |
| 26 | Texas A & M University-College Station College Station, TX | Bachelor's Degree | $62,888 | $18,667 | 453 | 86.1 |
| 27 | Elmhurst University Elmhurst, IL | Bachelor's Degree | $66,244 | $18,375 | 37 | 86 |
| 28 | Rutgers University-New Brunswick New Brunswick, NJ | Bachelor's Degree | $71,844 | $24,838 | 369 | 86 |
| 29 | University of Toledo Toledo, OH | Bachelor's Degree | $68,866 | $20,058 | — | 86 |
| 30 | Elon University Elon, NC | Bachelor's Degree | $68,178 | $22,750 | 108 | 85.9 |
| 31 | Miami University-Oxford Oxford, OH | Bachelor's Degree | $70,919 | $24,500 | 260 | 85.9 |
| 32 | University of Central Florida Orlando, FL | Master's Degree | $76,984 | — | 59 | 85.6 |
| 33 | California Baptist University Riverside, CA | Master's Degree | $68,926 | $23,309 | 122 | 85.2 |
| 34 | San Jose State University San Jose, CA | Bachelor's Degree | $69,505 | — | 248 | 85.1 |
| 35 | James Madison University Harrisonburg, VA | Bachelor's Degree | $63,065 | $19,500 | 256 | 85.1 |
| 36 | Arkansas State University Jonesboro, AR | Master's Degree | $63,551 | $20,012 | 195 | 84.9 |
| 37 | University of San Francisco San Francisco, CA | Bachelor's Degree | $70,495 | $23,250 | 69 | 84.9 |
| 38 | CUNY Brooklyn College Brooklyn, NY | Master's Degree | $88,828 | — | 28 | 84.6 |
| 39 | Western Carolina University Cullowhee, NC | Master's Degree | $77,046 | — | 39 | 84.5 |
| 40 | Sul Ross State University Alpine, TX | Master's Degree | $65,321 | $13,538 | 21 | 84.5 |
| 41 | Texas A & M University-College Station College Station, TX | Master's Degree | $70,383 | $24,412 | 79 | 83.9 |
| 42 | University of Western States Portland, OR | Doctoral Degree | $77,396 | — | — | 83.8 |
| 43 | Northern Arizona University Flagstaff, AZ | Bachelor's Degree | $61,250 | $18,013 | 205 | 83.4 |
| 44 | Michigan State University East Lansing, MI | Bachelor's Degree | $67,290 | $24,580 | 312 | 83.3 |
| 45 | Seton Hall University South Orange, NJ | Bachelor's Degree | $77,835 | $25,125 | 44 | 83.3 |
| 46 | California State University-Long Beach Long Beach, CA | Master's Degree | $72,540 | $25,602 | 126 | 83.2 |
| 47 | Chapman University Orange, CA | Bachelor's Degree | $75,108 | — | — | 83.2 |
| 48 | University of Kansas Lawrence, KS | Bachelor's Degree | $62,876 | $20,500 | 193 | 83.2 |
| 49 | Saint Louis University Saint Louis, MO | Bachelor's Degree | $77,066 | $26,316 | 99 | 83.2 |
| 50 | California State University-San Marcos San Marcos, CA | Bachelor's Degree | $61,252 | $17,500 | 126 | 83.2 |
How we ranked this
Programs are scored 0–100 within the Kinesiology & Exercise Science field (CIP 31.05) using three College Scorecard figures: median graduate earnings (weighted 70%), median federal-loan debt (20%, inverted so lower debt scores higher), and completer count (10%, log-scaled). Each input is percentile-ranked against the other Kinesiology & Exercise Science programs, so the score is robust to outliers and comparable across schools. Programs with no published earnings are excluded — never given a fabricated number. This is the same engine that powers our interactive Major Rankings. Minimum 5 scorable programs required to publish.
Frequently asked questions
Which college has the best Kinesiology & Exercise Science program?+
By our outcome score, Rice University (Texas) ranks #1 for Kinesiology & Exercise Science, with median graduate earnings of $87,404.
How are these Kinesiology & Exercise Science programs ranked?+
Each program gets a 0–100 outcome score from three real College Scorecard figures: median graduate earnings (70%), median federal-loan debt (20%, lower is better), and completer count (10%). Programs are compared within the major so the score reflects the best schools for this field specifically.
Where does the earnings and debt data come from?+
The U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard Field-of-Study file, which publishes median earnings and median debt by institution and major (4-digit CIP). Figures are post-graduation medians; programs without published earnings are not scored and are omitted from this ranking.
Can I filter Kinesiology & Exercise Science programs by state or degree level?+
Yes. This page shows the national top programs; use the interactive Major Rankings tool to filter the same data by state, and by credential level (bachelor’s, master’s, doctoral).
Keep exploring
Data sources: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard (Field of Study) · IPEDS Completions. Figures are the most recent values published in each federal dataset; cells with no published value are shown as “—” and never estimated. CertiHomes Education does not sell rankings or accept placement fees.