2023 Most Focused Colleges for Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies in the Great Lakes Region
19
Ranked Colleges
$25,800
Avg Cost*
Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Schools Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major in the Great Lakes Region” ranking.
In 2021-2022, 2,818 people earned their degree in parks, recreation & leisure studies, making the major the 218th most popular in the United States.
Across the Great Lakes region, there were 469 parks, recreation & leisure studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively.
For this year’s “Schools Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major in the Great Lakes Region” ranking, we looked at 19 colleges that offer a degree in parks, recreation & leisure studies. The colleges and universities that top this list are recognized because their parks, recreation & leisure studies program is one of the largest majors offered at the school.
Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
More Ways to Rank Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools
When choosing the right school for you, it’s important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we’ve created a number of major-specific rankings, including this “Schools Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major in the Great Lakes Region” list to help you make the college decision.
We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most to you. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.
Schools Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major in the Great Lakes Region
The colleges and universities below are the best for great lakes region parks & rec students.
Top 19 Most Focused Colleges for Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies in the Great Lakes Region
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Central State University. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Wilberforce, Ohio is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s parks & rec degrees to 5 students in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad 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 Central State University Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Indiana University - Bloomington. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major in the Great Lakes Region list. IU Bloomington is a large school located in Bloomington, Indiana that handed out 150 ’s parks & rec degrees in 2021-2022.
With a freshman retention rate of 90%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full IU Bloomington Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Southern Illinois University Carbondale. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major in the Great Lakes Region list. SIUC is located in Carbondale, Illinois and, has a fairly large student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 18 ’s parks & rec degrees to qualified students.
The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.4% 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 SIUC Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Bowling Green State University - Main Campus. The school came in at #4 for the Schools Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major in the Great Lakes Region. BGSU is a fairly large public school situated in Bowling Green, Ohio. It awarded 59 ’s parks & rec degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at Bowling Green State University - Main Campus
Out of the 19 schools in the Schools Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Northern Michigan University landed the #5 spot on the list. Located in Marquette, Michigan, this medium-sized public school handed out 18 diplomas to qualified ’s parks & rec students in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.8% 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 Northern Michigan University
With a ranking of #6, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major in the Great Lakes Region list. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is a public institution located in Champaign, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 145 ’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Full UIUC Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Report
Olivet Nazarene University did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #7. Olivet Nazarene is a small school located in Bourbonnais, Illinois that handed out 4 ’s parks & rec 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 full report on Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at Olivet Nazarene University
With a ranking of #8, Ohio University - Athens Campus did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Athens, Ohio is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s parks & rec degrees to 42 students in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full Ohio University - Athens Campus Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Report
University of Toledo did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #9. University of Toledo is a public institution located in Toledo, Ohio. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 19 ’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.9% 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 University of Toledo
With a ranking of #10, Indiana Institute of Technology did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Indiana Tech is a small school located in Fort Wayne, Indiana that handed out 0 ’s parks & rec degrees in 2021-2022.
Full Indiana Institute of Technology Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Report
Aurora University came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Aurora University is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Aurora, Illinois. It awarded 5 ’s parks & rec degrees 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%.
Read full report on Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at Aurora University
Ohio University - Eastern Campus came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Saint Clairsville, Ohio is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s parks & rec degrees to 0 students 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 - Eastern Campus Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Report
With a ranking of #12, Western Michigan University did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Western Michigan University is a fairly large school located in Kalamazoo, Michigan that handed out 1 ’s parks & rec degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full Western Michigan University Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Report
Indiana Institute of Technology - College of Professional Studies did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #12. Indiana Institute of Technology - College of Professional Studies is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Fort Wayne, Indiana. It awarded 0 ’s parks & rec degrees in 2021-2022.
Full Indiana Institute of Technology - College of Professional Studies Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Report
Spring Arbor University ranked #12 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Spring Arbor is located in Spring Arbor, Michigan and, has a small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 0 ’s parks & rec degrees to qualified students.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.1% 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 Spring Arbor University
Ohio University - Chillicothe Campus landed the #12 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Ohio University - Chillicothe Campus is a small public school situated in Chillicothe, Ohio. It awarded 0 ’s parks & rec degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at OHIO Chillicothe
Ohio University - Southern Campus ranked #12 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Ohio University - Southern Campus is located in Ironton, Ohio and, has a small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 0 ’s parks & rec degrees to qualified students.
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 University - Southern Campus
Ohio University - Lancaster Campus came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Ohio University - Lancaster Campus is a small public school situated in Lancaster, Ohio. It awarded 0 ’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 full report on Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at OHIO Lancaster
Ohio University - Zanesville Campus landed the #12 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Zanesville, Ohio is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s parks & rec degrees to 0 students in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at OHIO Zanesville
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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
- *Avg Salary and Avg 4-Year Grad Rate 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.
