Best Exercise Trainer programs in South Carolina, ranked by enrollment
Instruct or coach groups or individuals in exercise activities for the primary purpose of personal fitness.
23 schools in South Carolina run programs that feed this job, graduating 975 people a year. The job pays a median of $43,630 in South Carolina across about 5,130 jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).
Fields of study in South Carolina that lead to this job
Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level. Numbers are graduates per year in this state.
4 programs in South Carolina that lead to this job
Ranked by graduates per year in South Carolina (IPEDS completions). Graduate earnings and debt are national College Scorecard figures reported at the 4-digit CIP level, so specializations within one field share a figure. Each program also links to its own South Carolina page.
| # | Program | Graduates / yr | Share of pipeline | Schools | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CIP 31.0504In South Carolina → | 802 | 82.3% | 16 | $30,426 | $25,643 |
| 2 | CIP 13.1314In South Carolina → | 129 | 13.2% | 13 | $43,033 | $26,044 |
| 3 | CIP 31.0501In South Carolina → | 30 | 3.1% | 4 | $30,426 | $25,643 |
| 4 | CIP 31.0507In South Carolina → | 14 | 1.4% | 2 | $30,426 | $25,643 |
Top 23 schools in South Carolina
Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 13 of the 23 schools in this state.
| # | School | Graduates / yr | Top feeder program | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Grad rate | Net price | Acceptance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of South Carolina - Columbia Columbia, SC Public · 2 feeder programs | 409 | Sport and Fitness Administration/Management | $40,702 | 79% | — | 60% |
| 2 | Coastal Carolina University Conway, SC Public · 2 feeder programs | 149 | Sport and Fitness Administration/Management | $27,920 | 48% | — | 75% |
| 3 | Clemson University Clemson, SC Public · 1 feeder programs | 55 | Sport and Fitness Administration/Management | — | 87% | — | 38% |
| 4 | Newberry College Newberry, SC Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 43 | Sport and Fitness Administration/Management | $33,159 | 45% | $20,306 | 90% |
| 5 | Winthrop University Rock Hill, SC Public · 1 feeder programs | 32 | Sport and Fitness Administration/Management | $30,527 | 57% | — | 79% |
| 6 | Benedict College Columbia, SC Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 30 | Sport and Fitness Administration/Management | — | 24% | $19,589 | 96% |
| 7 | Claflin University Orangeburg, SC Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 30 | Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness, General | $22,642 | 52% | $23,698 | 65% |
| 8 | North Greenville University Tigerville, SC Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 29 | Sport and Fitness Administration/Management | $27,537 | 55% | $20,327 | 67% |
| 9 | Allen University Columbia, SC Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 23 | Sport and Fitness Administration/Management | — | 13% | $11,853 | 73% |
| 10 | Citadel Military College of South Carolina Charleston, SC Public · 2 feeder programs | 22 | Sport and Fitness Administration/Management | $43,727 | 75% | — | 23% |
| 11 | Coker University Hartsville, SC Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 21 | Sport and Fitness Administration/Management | $28,319 | 40% | $17,749 | 94% |
| 12 | Erskine College Due West, SC Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 20 | Sport and Fitness Administration/Management | — | 45% | $21,534 | 63% |
| 13 | South Carolina State University Orangeburg, SC Public · 2 feeder programs | 20 | Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness, General | — | 37% | — | 83% |
| 14 | Columbia International University Columbia, SC Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 17 | Sport and Fitness Administration/Management | — | 47% | $21,361 | 94% |
| 15 | Bob Jones University Greenville, SC Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 15 | Sport and Fitness Administration/Management | $32,481 | 65% | $18,053 | — |
| 16 | Lander University Greenwood, SC Public · 2 feeder programs | 13 | Physical Fitness Technician | $27,155 | 50% | — | 81% |
| 17 | Charleston Southern University Charleston, SC Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 10 | Physical Education Teaching and Coaching | $40,612 | 47% | $21,848 | 96% |
| 18 | Voorhees University Denmark, SC Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 10 | Sport and Fitness Administration/Management | — | 43% | $17,824 | — |
| 19 | University of South Carolina - Upstate Spartanburg, SC Public · 1 feeder programs | 8 | Physical Education Teaching and Coaching | $39,511 | 43% | — | 67% |
| 20 | York Technical College Rock Hill, SC Public · 1 feeder programs | 7 | Physical Fitness Technician | — | 30% | — | — |
| 21 | Anderson University Anderson, SC Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 4 | Physical Education Teaching and Coaching | $40,445 | 66% | $24,812 | 55% |
| 22 | College of Charleston Charleston, SC Public · 1 feeder programs | 4 | Physical Education Teaching and Coaching | — | 66% | — | 60% |
| 23 | Southern Wesleyan University Central, SC Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 4 | Physical Education Teaching and Coaching | — | 52% | $19,568 | 100% |
All 23 schools in South Carolina
Every school in South Carolina with a program that feeds this job, ordered by graduates per year. Earnings are shown for the ranked schools above; open a school profile for the rest.
| School | City | Control | Graduates / yr | Feeder programs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of South Carolina - Columbia | Columbia | Public | 409 | 2 |
| Coastal Carolina University | Conway | Public | 149 | 2 |
| Clemson University | Clemson | Public | 55 | 1 |
| Newberry College | Newberry | Private not-for-profit | 43 | 2 |
| Winthrop University | Rock Hill | Public | 32 | 1 |
| Benedict College | Columbia | Private not-for-profit | 30 | 1 |
| Claflin University | Orangeburg | Private not-for-profit | 30 | 2 |
| North Greenville University | Tigerville | Private not-for-profit | 29 | 2 |
| Allen University | Columbia | Private not-for-profit | 23 | 1 |
| Citadel Military College of South Carolina | Charleston | Public | 22 | 2 |
| Coker University | Hartsville | Private not-for-profit | 21 | 1 |
| Erskine College | Due West | Private not-for-profit | 20 | 2 |
| South Carolina State University | Orangeburg | Public | 20 | 2 |
| Columbia International University | Columbia | Private not-for-profit | 17 | 1 |
| Bob Jones University | Greenville | Private not-for-profit | 15 | 2 |
What exercise trainers and group fitness instructors earn in South Carolina
What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.
U.S. median $47,160. South Carolina pays below the national figure.
1.00× means the state has its expected share of these jobs.
Metro areas in South Carolina
Job outlook
Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.
Growth and openings are national. The Bureau of Labor Statistics does not publish employment projections at state level, so these figures describe the occupation across the whole U.S., not this state alone.
How to get in
The full skills, tools, and day-to-day breakdown lives on the national Exercise Trainers and Group Fitness Instructors page.
How to become a Exercise Trainer
Job zone 3 of 5 · SVP 6.0 to < 7.0- Typical entry education
- High school diploma or equivalent
- On-the-job training
- Short-term on-the-job training
Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.
Previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for these occupations. For example, an electrician must have completed three or four years of apprenticeship or several years of vocational training, and often must have passed a licensing exam, in order to perform the job.
Employees in these occupations usually need one or two years of training involving both on-the-job experience and informal training with experienced workers. A recognized apprenticeship program may be associated with these occupations.
Top skills
The same job in other states
Where else this occupation employs the most people, and what it pays there.
Related careers in South Carolina
Every major mapped to this job
The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.
All 5 majors mapped to Exercise Trainers and Group Fitness Instructors5 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
- 13.1314Physical Education Teaching and Coaching
- 31.0501Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness, General
- 31.0504Sport and Fitness Administration/Management
- 31.0507Physical Fitness Technician
- 51.3602Yoga Teacher Training/Yoga Therapy
Common questions
Answers for people weighing exercise trainers and group fitness instructors programs in South Carolina.
What degree do you need to become an Exercise Trainer?+
High school diploma or equivalent is the typical entry-level education BLS reports for this occupation. The most common program people actually graduate from is Sport and Fitness Administration/Management, which awarded 802 degrees in South Carolina in 2024-25, 82.3% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.
Which college majors lead to becoming an Exercise Trainer?+
The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 4 programs to this occupation. The largest are Sports, Teacher Education and Professional Development. Together they graduate about 975 people a year in South Carolina.
How much do exercise trainers and group fitness instructors earn in South Carolina?+
The median is $43,630 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 7.5% below the U.S. median of $47,160. This is pay for people already working in the occupation, not the same thing as graduate earnings one year after finishing a degree.
Is demand for exercise trainers and group fitness instructors growing?+
BLS projects a +11.9% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, much faster than average, with roughly 74,200 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.
How many schools offer programs for this career in South Carolina?+
23 institutions in South Carolina reported graduates from at least one of the 4 programs that feed this occupation in IPEDS 2024-25. Rankings on this page use graduates per year, because the federal data publishes no enrollment count by program.
What other job titles do exercise trainers and group fitness instructors work under?+
Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Personal Trainer, Fitness Instructor, Aerobics Instructor, Group Fitness Instructor among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 39-9031.
About the data on this page
Rankings use IPEDS completions 2024–25, degrees awarded per year. That is the closest federal measure of how many people a program puts into a career, because no federal dataset publishes enrollment by program. Wages and employment come from BLS OEWS May 2025, growth and openings from BLS Employment Projections 2024-34, and which majors lead to which jobs from the NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk. Occupation descriptions, tasks, skills and tools are O*NET 30.3 (CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor/ETA).
BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics
May 2025Wages, employment counts, location quotients and metro breakdowns.
BLS Employment Projections
2024–34Projected growth, annual openings and typical entry-level education.
IPEDS Completions
2024-25 (provisional)Graduates per year by program and institution — the ranking metric.
College Scorecard, Field of Study
2020-21 cohortsMedian graduate earnings one year after completion, and median debt.
Census Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes
latest availableGraduate earnings 1/5/10 years out, where the state participates.
NCES CIP 2020 and the CIP-to-SOC 2018 crosswalk
CIP 2020 / SOC 2018Which college programs officially lead to this occupation.
O*NET Database 30.3
30.3Tasks, skills, knowledge, tools, job zone and alternate job titles.
Official source →CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor / ETA
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