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

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. College Factual has developed its “Best Vallue Parks & Rec Schools in Illinois For Those Making Over $110k” ranking as one item you can use to help make this 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.

Across Illinois, there were 167 parks, recreation and leisure studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $34,733 and $24,414 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Vallue Parks & Rec Schools in Illinois For Those Making Over $110k” ranking, we looked at 4 colleges that offer 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. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

One Size Does Not Fit All

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 “Best Vallue Parks & Rec Schools in Illinois For Those Making Over $110k”.

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. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

27310218192236225833

Best Vallue Parks & Rec Schools in Illinois For Those Making Over $110k

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

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

#1

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Champaign, Illinois

#1 in overall quality

$15,880 Average Net Price

$49,122 Average Early-Career Earnings

Out of the 4 schools in the Best Vallue Parks & Rec Schools in Illinois For Those Making Over $110k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign landed the #1 spot on the list. Located in Champaign, Illinois, this large public school awarded 130 degrees to qualified ’s parks and rec students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois parks & rec students whose families make more than $110k list, UIUC has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is $15,880 for Illinois Parks & Rec students whose families make more than $110k.

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%. 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

$16,945 Average Net Price

$38,710 Average Early-Career Earnings

Out of the 4 schools in the Best Vallue Parks & Rec Schools in Illinois For Those Making Over $110k that were part of this year’s ranking, Southern Illinois University Carbondale landed the #2 spot on the list. Carbondale, Illinois is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s parks and rec degrees to 29 students in 2019-2020.

SIUC also took the #2 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Southern Illinois University Carbondale is $16,945 for Illinois Parks & Rec students whose families make more than $110k.

Full SIUC Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Report

#3

Aurora University

Aurora, Illinois

#4 in overall quality

$17,215 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 Vallue Parks & Rec Schools in Illinois For Those Making Over $110k list. Aurora University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Aurora, Illinois. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 4 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Aurora also made our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #4. The yearly cost to attend Aurora is $17,215 for Illinois Parks & Rec students whose families make more than $110k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Aurora University Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Report

#4

Olivet Nazarene University

Bourbonnais, Illinois

#3 in overall quality

$20,195 Average Net Price

$46,385 Average Early-Career Earnings

Out of the 4 schools in the Best Vallue Parks & Rec Schools in Illinois For Those Making Over $110k that were part of this year’s ranking, Olivet Nazarene University landed the #4 spot on the list. This small school is located in Bourbonnais, Illinois, and it awarded 4 ’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

Olivet Nazarene not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $20,195 for illinois parks & rec students whose families make more than $110k per year to attend Olivet Nazarene University.

The student loan default rate at the school is 3.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

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

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

Featured Athletic Training Schools

Request Info

Southern New Hampshire University You have goals. Southern New Hampshire University can help you get there. Whether you need a bachelor's degree to get into a career or want a master's degree to move up in your current career, SNHU has an online program for you. Find your degree from over 200 online programs ... Learn More >