2022 Best Value Colleges for Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies (Income $75-$110k) in Illinois

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

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

Across Illinois, there were 167 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 Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k” ranking analyzed 4 colleges that offered 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.

To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as the cost to attend the school after aid is awarded and overall quality of the parks, recreation and leisure studies program at the school. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

More Ways to Rank Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools

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 Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

In addition to College Factual’s rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.

Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k

The colleges and universities below are the best for illinois parks & rec students whose families make $75-$110k.

Top 4 Best Value Colleges for Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies (Income $75-$110k) in Illinois

#1

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Champaign, Illinois

#1 in overall quality

$21,998 Average Net Price

$49,122 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k list. Located in Champaign, Illinois, this large public school handed out 130 diplomas to qualified ’s parks and rec students in 2019-2020.

UIUC also made our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #1. It costs about $21,998 for illinois parks & rec students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend UIUC.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%.

Read more about Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at UIUC

#2

Southern Illinois University Carbondale

Carbondale, Illinois

#2 in overall quality

$20,698 Average Net Price

$38,710 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Southern Illinois University Carbondale. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k list. SIUC is located in Carbondale, Illinois and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 29 ’s parks and rec degrees to qualified students.

SIUC also took the #2 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Southern Illinois University Carbondale is $20,698 for Illinois Parks & Rec students whose families make $75-$110k.

Full SIUC Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Report

#3

Aurora University

Aurora, Illinois

#4 in overall quality

$19,609 Average Net Price

$43,032 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Aurora University. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k list. Aurora, Illinois is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s parks and rec degrees to 4 students in 2019-2020.

Aurora also took the #4 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $19,609 for illinois parks & rec students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend Aurora University.

The low student loan default rate of 4.4% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Read more about Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at Aurora

#4

Olivet Nazarene University

Bourbonnais, Illinois

#3 in overall quality

$21,306 Average Net Price

$46,385 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Olivet Nazarene University. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k. Located in Bourbonnais, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 4 diplomas to qualified ’s parks and rec students in 2019-2020.

Olivet Nazarene also made our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #3. The estimated yearly cost for Olivet Nazarene is $21,306 for illinois parks & rec students whose families make $75-$110k.

The low student loan default rate of 3.4% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Full Olivet Nazarene University Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Report

• Best Value Colleges for Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies (Income $75-$110k) in the Great Lakes Region
• Best Value Colleges for Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies (Income $75-$110k)

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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