Find Schools

Study Area & Zipcode

Find Schools Near

2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies (Income $30-$48k) in the Great Lakes Region

8 Ranked Colleges
425 Degrees Awarded
$13,000 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor's in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k

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 for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking.

Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies is the 191st most popular major in the country with 3,224 degrees awarded in 2019-2020.

Across the Great Lakes region, there were 517 parks, recreation and leisure studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 425 parks, recreation and leisure studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $39,075 and $25,381 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking, we looked at 8 colleges that offer a degree in parks, recreation and leisure studies. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality parks, recreation and leisure studies programs that also have a lower cost than 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 picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

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. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.

Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k

The colleges and universities below are the best for great lakes region bachelor’s degree parks & rec students whose families make $30-$48k.

Top 8 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies (Income $30-$48k) in the Great Lakes Region

#1 in overall quality

Out of the 8 schools in the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign landed the #1 spot on the list. Champaign, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s parks and rec degrees to 99 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UIUC, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $8,464 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree parks & rec students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%.

Full UIUC Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Report

#2

Indiana University - Bloomington

Bloomington, Indiana
#2 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Indiana University - Bloomington. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. IU Bloomington is a public institution located in Bloomington, Indiana. The school has a large population, and it awarded 181 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our great lakes region bachelor’s degree parks & rec students whose families make $30-$48k list, IU Bloomington has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend IU Bloomington is $6,192 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree parks & rec students whose families make $30-$48k.

With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at IU Bloomington

#5 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Southern Illinois University Carbondale. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k. Located in Carbondale, Illinois, this fairly large public school awarded 21 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s parks and rec students in 2019-2020.

SIUC not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #5 on our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The yearly cost to attend SIUC is $14,306 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree parks & rec students whose families make $30-$48k.

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

#4 in overall quality

Out of the 8 schools in the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, Bowling Green State University - Main Campus landed the #4 spot on the list. BGSU is a fairly large public school situated in Bowling Green, Ohio. It awarded 55 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

BGSU also took the #4 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for BGSU is $15,533 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree parks & rec students whose families make $30-$48k.

Full BGSU Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Report

#5

Northern Michigan University

Marquette, Michigan
#8 in overall quality

Out of the 8 schools in the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, Northern Michigan University landed the #5 spot on the list. This medium-sized school is located in Marquette, Michigan, and it awarded 29 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

Northern Michigan University did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #8 on our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Northern Michigan University is $11,723 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students whose families make $30-$48k.

Read full report on Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at Northern Michigan University

#6

Aurora University

Aurora, Illinois
#7 in overall quality

With a ranking of #6, Aurora University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. Aurora is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Aurora, Illinois. It awarded 4 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

Aurora also took the #7 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $13,845 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree parks & rec students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Aurora.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Aurora Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Report

#3 in overall quality

Ohio University - Athens Campus ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. OHIO Athens is located in Athens, Ohio and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 21 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our great lakes region bachelor’s degree parks & rec students whose families make $30-$48k list, OHIO Athens has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Ohio University - Athens Campus is $18,863 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree parks & rec students whose families make $30-$48k.

Read more about Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at Ohio University - Athens Campus

#8

Olivet Nazarene University

Bourbonnais, Illinois
#6 in overall quality

Olivet Nazarene University ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. Olivet Nazarene University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Bourbonnais, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 4 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Olivet Nazarene also made our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #6. The estimated yearly cost for Olivet Nazarene University is $15,390 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree parks & rec students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at Olivet Nazarene

Switch to a Different Ranking Method

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.

Featured Athletic Training Schools

Find Schools Near You