Best Exercise Trainer programs in Virginia, ranked by enrollment
Instruct or coach groups or individuals in exercise activities for the primary purpose of personal fitness.
20 schools in Virginia run programs that feed this job, graduating 1,335 people a year. The job pays a median of $40,820 in Virginia across about 12,100 jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).
Fields of study in Virginia that lead to this job
Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level. Numbers are graduates per year in this state.
4 programs in Virginia that lead to this job
Ranked by graduates per year in Virginia (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 Virginia page.
| # | Program | Graduates / yr | Share of pipeline | Schools | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CIP 31.0504In Virginia → | 803 | 60.1% | 15 | $30,426 | $25,643 |
| 2 | CIP 31.0501In Virginia → | 328 | 24.6% | 7 | $30,426 | $25,643 |
| 3 | CIP 13.1314In Virginia → | 194 | 14.5% | 12 | $43,033 | $26,044 |
| 4 | CIP 31.0507In Virginia → | 10 | 0.7% | 3 | $30,426 | $25,643 |
Top 20 schools in Virginia
Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 13 of the 20 schools in this state.
| # | School | Graduates / yr | Top feeder program | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Grad rate | Net price | Acceptance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | James Madison University Harrisonburg, VA Public · 2 feeder programs | 389 | Sport and Fitness Administration/Management | $35,955 | 80% | — | 72% |
| 2 | Liberty University Lynchburg, VA Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs | 251 | Sport and Fitness Administration/Management | $27,423 | 65% | $28,911 | 99% |
| 3 | Old Dominion University Norfolk, VA Public · 2 feeder programs | 113 | Sport and Fitness Administration/Management | $29,989 | 46% | — | 90% |
| 4 | William & Mary Williamsburg, VA Public · 1 feeder programs | 110 | Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness, General | $27,114 | 89% | — | 34% |
| 5 | Virginia State University Petersburg, VA Public · 2 feeder programs | 73 | Physical Education Teaching and Coaching | $26,547 | 39% | — | 89% |
| 6 | George Mason University Fairfax, VA Public · 3 feeder programs | 52 | Sport and Fitness Administration/Management | $34,890 | 68% | — | 87% |
| 7 | Bridgewater College Bridgewater, VA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 51 | Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness, General | $30,243 | 53% | $19,485 | 92% |
| 8 | Radford University Radford, VA Public · 2 feeder programs | 49 | Sport and Fitness Administration/Management | — | 49% | — | 90% |
| 9 | Virginia Commonwealth University Richmond, VA Public · 2 feeder programs | 48 | Sport and Fitness Administration/Management | — | 63% | — | 93% |
| 10 | Emory & Henry University Emory, VA Private not-for-profit · 4 feeder programs | 37 | Sport and Fitness Administration/Management | $28,146 | 56% | $20,446 | 84% |
| 11 | Ferrum College Ferrum, VA Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 30 | Physical Education Teaching and Coaching | $29,100 | 32% | $22,258 | 89% |
| 12 | Hampton University Hampton, VA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 25 | Sport and Fitness Administration/Management | $27,633 | 57% | $34,268 | 62% |
| 13 | Roanoke College Salem, VA Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 25 | Sport and Fitness Administration/Management | $27,304 | 67% | $24,604 | 83% |
| 14 | Shenandoah University Winchester, VA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 16 | Physical Education Teaching and Coaching | $51,601 | 67% | $27,455 | 77% |
| 15 | Longwood University Farmville, VA Public · 1 feeder programs | 14 | Physical Education Teaching and Coaching | — | 61% | — | 90% |
| 16 | Virginia Wesleyan University Virginia Beach, VA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 14 | Sport and Fitness Administration/Management | — | 42% | $20,171 | 73% |
| 17 | University of Lynchburg Lynchburg, VA Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 12 | Sport and Fitness Administration/Management | — | 57% | $19,488 | 43% |
| 18 | Averett University Danville, VA Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs | 10 | Sport and Fitness Administration/Management | $36,908 | 48% | $23,171 | 57% |
| 19 | Randolph College Lynchburg, VA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 9 | Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness, General | — | 46% | $18,525 | 94% |
| 20 | Eastern Mennonite University Harrisonburg, VA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 7 | Sport and Fitness Administration/Management | — | 67% | $21,933 | 100% |
All 20 schools in Virginia
Every school in Virginia 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| James Madison University | Harrisonburg | Public | 389 | 2 |
| Liberty University | Lynchburg | Private not-for-profit | 251 | 3 |
| Old Dominion University | Norfolk | Public | 113 | 2 |
| William & Mary | Williamsburg | Public | 110 | 1 |
| Virginia State University | Petersburg | Public | 73 | 2 |
| George Mason University | Fairfax | Public | 52 | 3 |
| Bridgewater College | Bridgewater | Private not-for-profit | 51 | 1 |
| Radford University | Radford | Public | 49 | 2 |
| Virginia Commonwealth University | Richmond | Public | 48 | 2 |
| Emory & Henry University | Emory | Private not-for-profit | 37 | 4 |
| Ferrum College | Ferrum | Private not-for-profit | 30 | 2 |
| Hampton University | Hampton | Private not-for-profit | 25 | 1 |
| Roanoke College | Salem | Private not-for-profit | 25 | 2 |
| Shenandoah University | Winchester | Private not-for-profit | 16 | 1 |
| Longwood University | Farmville | Public | 14 | 1 |
What exercise trainers and group fitness instructors earn in Virginia
What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.
U.S. median $47,160. Virginia pays below the national figure.
Concentrated here: Virginia employs more of this job per worker than the U.S. average.
Metro areas in Virginia
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 Virginia
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 Virginia.
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 803 degrees in Virginia in 2024-25, 60.1% 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 1,335 people a year in Virginia.
How much do exercise trainers and group fitness instructors earn in Virginia?+
The median is $40,820 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 13.4% 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 Virginia?+
20 institutions in Virginia 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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