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2023 Most Focused Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies in the Great Lakes Region

19 Ranked Colleges
349 Degrees Awarded
$25,800 Avg Cost*
Schools for a Bachelor's Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major in the Great Lakes Region

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major in the Great Lakes Region” ranking - to help you make that decision.

Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies is the 218th most popular major in the country with 2,818 degrees awarded in 2021-2022.

Across the Great Lakes region, there were 469 parks, recreation & leisure studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 349 parks, recreation & leisure studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $40,415 and $23,858 respectively.

This year’s “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major in the Great Lakes Region” ranking analyzed 19 colleges that offered a degree in parks, recreation & leisure studies. That schools that top this list have a program in parks, recreation & leisure studies in which the largest percentage of students at the school are enrolled.

For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

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The parks & rec school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we’ve developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major in the Great Lakes Region”.

You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. 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.

Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major in the Great Lakes Region

The colleges and universities below are the best for great lakes region bachelor’s degree parks & rec students.

Top 19 Most Focused Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies in the Great Lakes Region

1
Central State University crest
Central State University
Wilberforce, Ohio

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Central State University. The school came in at #1 for the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major in the Great Lakes Region. Central State University is a medium-sized school located in Wilberforce, Ohio that handed out 5 bachelors’s parks & rec degrees in 2021-2022.

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

Read full report on Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at Central State University

2

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Indiana University - Bloomington. The school came in at #2 for the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major in the Great Lakes Region. IU Bloomington is located in Bloomington, Indiana and, has a large student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 124 bachelors’s parks & rec degrees to qualified students.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 90%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Full IU Bloomington Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Report

3

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Bowling Green State University - Main Campus. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Bowling Green, Ohio is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s parks & rec degrees to 59 students in 2021-2022.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.2% 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 BGSU Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Report

4
Northern Michigan University crest
Northern Michigan University
Marquette, Michigan

Out of the 19 schools in the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Northern Michigan University landed the #4 spot on the list. Northern Michigan University is located in Marquette, Michigan and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 18 bachelors’s parks & rec degrees to qualified students.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Northern Michigan University Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Report

5

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The school came in at #5 for the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major in the Great Lakes Region. UIUC is located in Champaign, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 91 bachelors’s parks & rec degrees to qualified students.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.6%, 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 93%.

Read more about Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

6

Southern Illinois University Carbondale landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. SIUC is located in Carbondale, Illinois and, has a fairly large student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 11 bachelors’s parks & rec degrees to qualified students.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Read full report on Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at Southern Illinois University Carbondale

7
Olivet Nazarene crest
Olivet Nazarene University
Bourbonnais, Illinois

Olivet Nazarene University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. 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 2021-2022.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

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

8

Ohio University - Athens Campus came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Ohio University - Athens Campus is a public institution located in Athens, Ohio. The school has a large population, and it awarded 31 bachelors’s degrees in 2021-2022.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.2% 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 Ohio University - Athens Campus Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Report

9

Indiana Institute of Technology did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #9. This small school is located in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and it awarded 0 bachelors’s parks & rec degrees in 2021-2022.

Full Indiana Institute of Technology Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Report

10
Aurora crest
Aurora University
Aurora, Illinois

Aurora University came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Located in Aurora, Illinois, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school awarded 5 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s parks & rec students in 2021-2022.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Aurora University Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Report

11
WMU crest
Western Michigan University
Kalamazoo, Michigan

Western Michigan University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #11. WMU is located in Kalamazoo, Michigan and, has a fairly large student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 1 bachelors’s parks & rec degrees to qualified students.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.0% 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 Western Michigan University Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Report

11
Spring Arbor crest
Spring Arbor University
Spring Arbor, Michigan

Spring Arbor University landed the #11 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Spring Arbor is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Spring Arbor, Michigan. It awarded 0 bachelors’s parks & rec degrees in 2021-2022.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Spring Arbor Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Report

11

Ohio University - Southern Campus ranked #11 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Ohio University - Southern Campus is a small school located in Ironton, Ohio that handed out 0 bachelors’s parks & rec degrees in 2021-2022.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at OHIO Southern

11

University of Toledo came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Toledo, Ohio is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s parks & rec degrees to 19 students in 2021-2022.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

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

11
OHIO Eastern crest
Ohio University - Eastern Campus
Saint Clairsville, Ohio

With a ranking of #11, Ohio University - Eastern Campus did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major in the Great Lakes Region list. OHIO Eastern is a public institution located in Saint Clairsville, Ohio. The school has a small population, and it awarded 0 bachelors’s degrees in 2021-2022.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.2% 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 full report on Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at Ohio University - Eastern Campus

11

With a ranking of #11, Indiana Institute of Technology - College of Professional Studies did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Indiana Institute of Technology - College of Professional Studies is a small school located in Fort Wayne, Indiana that handed out 0 bachelors’s parks & rec degrees in 2021-2022.

Read more about Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at Indiana Institute of Technology - College of Professional Studies

11

Ohio University - Chillicothe Campus landed the #11 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Ohio University - Chillicothe Campus is located in Chillicothe, Ohio and, has a small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 0 bachelors’s parks & rec degrees to qualified students.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.2% 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 full report on Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at Ohio University - Chillicothe Campus

11

Ohio University - Zanesville Campus ranked #11 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Ohio University - Zanesville Campus is a small school located in Zanesville, Ohio that handed out 0 bachelors’s parks & rec degrees in 2021-2022.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.2% 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 full report on Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at Ohio University - Zanesville Campus

11

With a ranking of #11, Ohio University - Lancaster Campus did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major in the Great Lakes Region list. OHIO Lancaster is a small public school situated in Lancaster, Ohio. It awarded 0 bachelors’s parks & rec degrees in 2021-2022.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Ohio University - Lancaster Campus Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Report

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References

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