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2023 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k

8 Ranked Colleges
475 Degrees Awarded
Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking - to help you make that decision.

In 2020-2021, 3,106 people earned their degree in parks, recreation and leisure studies, making the major the 166th most popular in the United States. In 2019-2020, parks, recreation and leisure studies graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $31,801 and had an average of $23,333 in loans still to pay off.

Across the Great Lakes region, there were 475 parks, recreation and leisure studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $33,140 and $23,596 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking analyzed 8 colleges that offered a degree 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. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

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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 the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k” 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. 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 the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k.

Top 8 Best Value Colleges for Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies (Income $48-$75k) in the Great Lakes Region

1

Out of the 8 schools in the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k 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 ’s parks and rec degrees to 142 students in 2020-2021.

UIUC also took the #1 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UIUC is $11,505 for Great Lakes Region Parks & Rec students whose families make $48-$75k.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Full UIUC Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Report

2
IU Bloomington crest
Indiana University - Bloomington
Bloomington, Indiana

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 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k. Bloomington, Indiana is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s parks and rec degrees to 160 students in 2020-2021.

IU Bloomington did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The yearly cost to attend IU Bloomington is $12,369 for Great Lakes Region Parks & Rec students whose families make $48-$75k.

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%. With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read more about Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at Indiana University - Bloomington

3

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 in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k. SIUC is located in Carbondale, Illinois and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 44 ’s parks and rec degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at SIUC, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $14,499 for Great Lakes Region Parks & Rec students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Southern Illinois University Carbondale.

Full SIUC Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Report

4
Northern Michigan University crest
Northern Michigan University
Marquette, Michigan

Out of the 8 schools in the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, Northern Michigan University landed the #4 spot on the list. Northern Michigan University is a public institution located in Marquette, Michigan. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 16 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Northern Michigan University also made our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #7. The yearly cost to attend Northern Michigan University is $16,017 for great lakes region parks & rec students whose families make $48-$75k.

Full Northern Michigan University Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Report

5

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Ohio University - Athens Campus. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k. Athens, Ohio is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s parks and rec degrees to 35 students in 2020-2021.

OHIO Athens also made our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #3. The estimated yearly cost for OHIO Athens is $23,509 for great lakes region parks & rec students whose families make $48-$75k.

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

6
University of Toledo crest
University of Toledo
Toledo, Ohio

University of Toledo did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #6. University of Toledo is a fairly large school located in Toledo, Ohio that handed out 14 ’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our great lakes region parks & rec students whose families make $48-$75k list, University of Toledo has also earned the #6 rank in our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Toledo is $17,555 for Great Lakes Region Parks & Rec students whose families make $48-$75k.

Read full report on Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at University of Toledo

7

Bowling Green State University - Main Campus ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. Bowling Green, Ohio is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s parks and rec degrees to 45 students in 2020-2021.

BGSU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Bowling Green State University - Main Campus is $18,606 for great lakes region parks & rec students whose families make $48-$75k.

Full BGSU Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Report

8
Olivet Nazarene crest
Olivet Nazarene University
Bourbonnais, Illinois

Olivet Nazarene University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. This small school is located in Bourbonnais, Illinois, and it awarded 6 ’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our great lakes region parks & rec students whose families make $48-$75k list, Olivet Nazarene has also earned the #8 rank in our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Olivet Nazarene is $17,206 for great lakes region parks & rec students whose families make $48-$75k.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.7% 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 Olivet Nazarene

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Notes and References

References

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