2022 Best Value Colleges for Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies (Income $0-$30k) in Iowa

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in Iowa For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking.

In 2019-2020, 3,224 people earned their degree in parks, recreation and leisure studies, making the major the 191st most popular in the United States.

Across Iowa, there were 127 parks, recreation and leisure studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in Iowa For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking looked at 2 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in parks, recreation and leisure studies. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent parks, recreation and leisure studies programs, but they also cost less that schools of similar quality.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the parks, recreation and leisure studies program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in Iowa For Those Making $0-$30k” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

To further help you make the college decision, we’ve developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.

Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in Iowa For Those Making $0-$30k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in Iowa For Those Making $0-$30k.

Top 2 Best Value Colleges for Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies (Income $0-$30k) in Iowa

#1

University of Northern Iowa

Cedar Falls, Iowa

#2 in overall quality

$10,757 Average Net Price

$39,900 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Northern Iowa. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in Iowa For Those Making $0-$30k. Located in Cedar Falls, Iowa, this medium-sized public school awarded 60 diplomas to qualified ’s parks and rec students in 2019-2020.

UNI also made our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in Iowa” list, coming in at #2. The yearly cost to attend University of Northern Iowa is $10,757 for Iowa Parks & Rec students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at UNI

#2

University of Iowa

Iowa City, Iowa

#1 in overall quality

$12,975 Average Net Price

$44,594 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Iowa. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in Iowa For Those Making $0-$30k. University of Iowa is a large school located in Iowa City, Iowa that handed out 67 ’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

Iowa not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in Iowa” list. The estimated yearly cost for Iowa is $12,975 for iowa parks & rec students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 88%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at University of Iowa

• Best Value Colleges for Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies (Income $0-$30k) in the Plains States Region
• Best Value Colleges for Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies (Income $0-$30k)

Notes and References

References

• The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of our data about colleges.
• Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
• Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

• *Average salary, average net price, and average tuition and fees are for the top schools only.
• Some schools otherwise deserving of recognition may have been removed from this ranking in the event that new data identified post-publication warranted it, or at the request of the school.

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