CollegeCostWise

Bachelor's · Cullowhee, North Carolina

Is Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness at Western Carolina University worth it?

Medium confidence Medium confidence: 40–99 graduates behind the earnings figures.

The verdict · all families, in-state, half paid with loans

Pays back in time: graduates typically recover the cost in about 5.6 years.

Earnings 1 year after graduating
$41,587
Treasury AY2020-21, AY2021-22 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars
Earnings 4 years after graduating
$54,523
Treasury AY2017-2018, AY2018-2019 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars
Typical federal debt at graduation
$21,720
NSLDS pooled AY2022-23, AY2023-24 cohort
Net cost to graduate, all families
$55k (likely $55k – $72k)
AcadYr 2024-25, reported in IPEDS DCY2025-26
Earnings bump, year 4
$18k a year vs high-school graduates aged 25–34 in NC
2023 ACS 5-year pooled, adjusted to 2024 dollars
Payback
5.6 years (likely 4.1–7.9)
Bump vs net cost plus loan interest
10-year net return
−$59k (likely −$130k – $20k)
Today's dollars
20-year net return
$169k (likely $17k – $356k)
Today's dollars
Odds of finishing (school-wide)
61%
Fall 2019 or AcadYr 2019-20 cohort (differs by institutional calendar), reported in IPEDS DCY2025-26

Change income, residency or loans Compare Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness at other schools

🏃 Getting ready in high school

Students heading toward sports, fitness & wellness majors like this one often take these classes. Every school offers a different mix, so check with your counselor.

AP classes

  • AP Biology
  • AP Psychology
  • AP Statistics

IB Higher Level

  • Sports, Exercise and Health Science HL
  • Biology HL

Build my roadmap 🗺️ Middle school to career, plus high schools near you that offer these classes.

Other majors at Western Carolina University

Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness at other schools in North Carolina