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2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies (Income $75-$110k)

77 Ranked Colleges
2,732 Degrees Awarded
$16,900 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor's For Those Making $75-$110k

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 “Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $75-$110k” ranking - to help you make that decision.

Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies is the 152nd most popular major in the country with 3,224 degrees awarded in 2019-2020. In 2017-2018, parks, recreation and leisure studies graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $29,957 and had an average of $22,487 in loans still to pay off.

At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 2,732 parks, recreation and leisure studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,303 and $24,501 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $75-$110k” ranking analyzed 77 colleges that offered a degree in parks, recreation and leisure studies. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great parks, recreation and leisure studies programs and 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.

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 For Those Making $75-$110k” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.

Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $75-$110k

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

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies (Income $75-$110k)

Out of the 77 schools in the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $75-$110k that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Fresno landed the #1 spot on the list. California State University - Fresno is a large school located in Fresno, California that handed out 37 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

Fresno State also took the #20 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Fresno State is $11,819 for bachelor’s degree parks & rec students whose families make $75-$110k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

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

Out of the 77 schools in the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $75-$110k that were part of this year’s ranking, Brigham Young University - Provo landed the #2 spot on the list. BYU is a large school located in Provo, Utah that handed out 78 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

BYU also made our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #6. It costs about $15,362 for Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend BYU.

The student loan default rate at the school is 1.7%, 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 92%.

Full Brigham Young University - Provo Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Report

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Long Beach. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $75-$110k list. Located in Long Beach, California, this large public school awarded 87 degrees to qualified bachelors’s parks and rec students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at CSULB, the school also landed the #13 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend CSULB is $14,544 for Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students whose families make $75-$110k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

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

#4

Lehman College

Bronx, New York

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Lehman College. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $75-$110k. Located in Bronx, New York, this fairly large public school awarded 14 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s parks and rec students in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Lehman is $8,818 for Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students whose families make $75-$110k.

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

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Southeastern Oklahoma State University. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $75-$110k. Southeastern Oklahoma State University is a public institution located in Durant, Oklahoma. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 11 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Southeastern Oklahoma State University is $12,771 for Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students whose families make $75-$110k.

Full Southeastern Oklahoma State University Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Report

California State University - Sacramento did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $75-$110k ranking, coming in at #6. Sac State is a public institution located in Sacramento, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 121 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Sac State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #12 on our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It costs about $15,812 for bachelor’s degree parks & rec students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend Sac State.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

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

#7

Shepherd University

Shepherdstown, West Virginia

Shepherd University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. Located in Shepherdstown, West Virginia, this small public school handed out 40 degrees to qualified bachelors’s parks and rec students in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Shepherd University is $14,106 for bachelor’s degree parks & rec students whose families make $75-$110k.

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

#8

University of Northern Iowa

Cedar Falls, Iowa

University of Northern Iowa ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $75-$110k list. Located in Cedar Falls, Iowa, this medium-sized public school awarded 48 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s parks and rec students in 2019-2020.

UNI also made our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #7. The yearly cost to attend UNI is $17,467 for Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students whose families make $75-$110k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 3.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

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

#9

Indiana University - Bloomington

Bloomington, Indiana

Indiana University - Bloomington landed the #9 spot on the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. IU Bloomington is located in Bloomington, Indiana and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 181 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees to qualified students.

IU Bloomington also made our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #2. It costs about $18,951 for Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend IU Bloomington.

With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The student loan default rate at the school is 4.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at IU Bloomington

#10

University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Minneapolis, Minnesota

University of Minnesota - Twin Cities landed the #10 spot on the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. UMN Twin Cities is located in Minneapolis, Minnesota and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 26 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our bachelor’s degree parks & rec students whose families make $75-$110k list, UMN Twin Cities has also earned the #5 rank in our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It costs about $19,942 for Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend University of Minnesota - Twin Cities.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.2%, 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 University of Minnesota - Twin Cities Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Report

Northwest Missouri State University ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $75-$110k list. Northwest is a public institution located in Maryville, Missouri. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 43 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Northwest is $14,385 for Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students whose families make $75-$110k.

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

#12

University of Utah

Salt Lake City, Utah

With a ranking of #12, University of Utah did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $75-$110k list. Located in Salt Lake City, Utah, this large public school awarded 38 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s parks and rec students in 2019-2020.

U of U also made our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #22. It costs about $17,718 for Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend U of U.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at U of U

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign landed the #13 spot on the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. This large school is located in Champaign, Illinois, and it awarded 99 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our bachelor’s degree parks & rec students whose families make $75-$110k list, UIUC has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It costs about $21,998 for bachelor’s degree parks & rec students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

The low 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Report

University of Missouri - Columbia ranked #14 on this year’s Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $75-$110k list. Mizzou is a large school located in Columbia, Missouri that handed out 126 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

Mizzou did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend University of Missouri - Columbia is $19,595 for Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students whose families make $75-$110k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

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

#15

Winona State University

Winona, Minnesota

Winona State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $75-$110k ranking, coming in at #15. Winona State University is a public institution located in Winona, Minnesota. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 38 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Winona State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #9 on our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It costs about $18,682 for bachelor’s degree parks & rec students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend Winona State.

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 Winona State

#16

University of Arkansas

Fayetteville, Arkansas

University of Arkansas did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $75-$110k ranking, coming in at #16. Located in Fayetteville, Arkansas, this large public school handed out 101 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s parks and rec students in 2019-2020.

UARK also took the #10 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UARK is $18,927 for Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students whose families make $75-$110k.

With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

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

#17

University of Iowa

Iowa City, Iowa

University of Iowa came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. Iowa City, Iowa is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s parks and rec degrees to 67 students in 2019-2020.

Iowa not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #4 on our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend Iowa is $20,738 for bachelor’s degree parks & rec students whose families make $75-$110k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 88%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The student loan default rate at the school is 3.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

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

University of Nebraska at Kearney came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. Located in Kearney, Nebraska, this medium-sized public school handed out 57 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s parks and rec students in 2019-2020.

UNK also made our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #11. It costs about $18,669 for bachelor’s degree parks & rec students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend UNK.

The low student loan default rate of 4.3% 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 UNK

#19

Emporia State University

Emporia, Kansas

Emporia State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $75-$110k ranking, coming in at #19. ESU is a public institution located in Emporia, Kansas. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 7 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Emporia State University is $16,515 for bachelor’s degree parks & rec students whose families make $75-$110k.

Read more about Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at ESU

#20

San Jose State University

San Jose, California

With a ranking of #20, San Jose State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $75-$110k list. This large school is located in San Jose, California, and it awarded 31 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

San Jose State also took the #8 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for San Jose State is $19,805 for bachelor’s degree parks & rec students whose families make $75-$110k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

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

#21

San Diego State University

San Diego, California

San Diego State University came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. Located in San Diego, California, this large public school awarded 41 degrees to qualified bachelors’s parks and rec students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at SDSU, the school also landed the #18 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for SDSU is $18,766 for bachelor’s degree parks & rec students whose families make $75-$110k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

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

#22

Georgia Southern University

Statesboro, Georgia

Georgia Southern University ranked #22 on this year’s Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $75-$110k list. Located in Statesboro, Georgia, this large public school awarded 55 degrees to qualified bachelors’s parks and rec students in 2019-2020.

GaSou not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #21 on our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend GaSou is $18,255 for Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students whose families make $75-$110k.

Full Georgia Southern University Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Report

#23

MSU Texas

Wichita Falls, Texas

MSU Texas ranked #23 on this year’s Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $75-$110k list. Located in Wichita Falls, Texas, this medium-sized public school awarded 16 degrees to qualified bachelors’s parks and rec students in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend MSU Texas is $15,146 for bachelor’s degree parks & rec students whose families make $75-$110k.

Read more about Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at MSU Texas

#24

Pittsburg State University

Pittsburg, Kansas

Pittsburg State University came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. Located in Pittsburg, Kansas, this medium-sized public school handed out 23 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s parks and rec students in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Pitt State is $16,826 for bachelor’s degree parks & rec students whose families make $75-$110k.

Read more about Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at Pitt State

University of Nebraska at Omaha ranked #25 on this year’s Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $75-$110k list. UNOMAHA is a fairly large public school situated in Omaha, Nebraska. It awarded 8 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for University of Nebraska at Omaha is $17,400 for bachelor’s degree parks & rec students whose families make $75-$110k.

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

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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

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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