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2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major

123 Ranked Colleges
2,310 Degrees Awarded
$31,256 Avg Salary
Schools for a Bachelor's Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major” ranking.

In 2021-2022, 2,818 people earned their degree in parks, recreation & leisure studies, making the major the 166th most popular in the United States. In , parks, recreation & leisure studies graduates who were awarded their degree in , earned an average of $31,801 and had an average of $21,309 in loans still to pay off.

At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 2,310 parks, recreation & leisure studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $39,724 and $23,030 respectively.

This year’s “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major” ranking analyzed 123 colleges that offered a degree in parks, recreation & leisure studies. This a ranking of the schools where the largest percentage of students has enrolled in parks, recreation & leisure studies.

See our ranking methodology to learn more.

More Ways to Rank Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools

Rankings by Degree Other Award Levels
Rankings by Location Check Out Other Locales
More Parks & Rec Rankings Other Ranking Categories

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 for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major” 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. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.

Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major

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

Top 25 Most Focused Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies

1
VWU crest
Virginia Wesleyan University
Virginia Beach, Virginia

Out of the 123 schools in the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major that were part of this year’s ranking, Virginia Wesleyan University landed the #1 spot on the list. VWU is a private not-for-profit institution located in Virginia Beach, Virginia. The school has a small population, and it awarded 0 bachelors’s degrees in 2021-2022.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

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

2
Ferrum College crest
Ferrum College
Ferrum, Virginia

Out of the 123 schools in the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major that were part of this year’s ranking, Ferrum College landed the #2 spot on the list. Ferrum College is located in Ferrum, Virginia and, has a small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 6 bachelors’s parks & rec degrees to qualified students.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at Ferrum College

3
Western crest
Western Colorado University
Gunnison, Colorado

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Western Colorado University. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major list. This small school is located in Gunnison, Colorado, and it awarded 20 bachelors’s parks & rec degrees in 2021-2022.

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%.

Read more about Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at Western

4
Alaska Pacific crest
Alaska Pacific University
Anchorage, Alaska

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Alaska Pacific University. The school came in at #4 for the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major. Anchorage, Alaska is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s parks & rec degrees to 10 students in 2021-2022.

The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Alaska Pacific Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Report

5

Out of the 123 schools in the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major that were part of this year’s ranking, Kutztown University of Pennsylvania landed the #5 spot on the list. Located in Kutztown, Pennsylvania, this medium-sized public school handed out 60 diplomas to qualified bachelors’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 Kutztown University

6

Paul Smiths College of Arts and Science landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major ranking. Paul Smiths College of Arts and Science is a private not-for-profit institution located in Paul Smiths, New York. The school has a small population, and it awarded 12 bachelors’s degrees in 2021-2022.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.8% 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 more about Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at Paul Smith’s College

7
Shepherd University crest
Shepherd University
Shepherdstown, West Virginia

Shepherd University landed the #7 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major ranking. Shepherd University is a public institution located in Shepherdstown, West Virginia. The school has a small population, and it awarded 36 bachelors’s degrees in 2021-2022.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Shepherd University Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Report

8

University of Nebraska at Kearney landed the #8 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major ranking. University of Nebraska at Kearney is a public institution located in Kearney, Nebraska. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 53 bachelors’s degrees in 2021-2022.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

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

9
Gallaudet crest
Gallaudet University
Washington, District of Columbia

Gallaudet University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major ranking. Gallaudet is a private not-for-profit institution located in Washington, District of Columbia. The school has a small population, and it awarded 0 bachelors’s degrees in 2021-2022.

The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

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

10
Houghton crest
Houghton College
Houghton, New York

Houghton College came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major ranking. Houghton is a small school located in Houghton, New York that handed out 15 bachelors’s parks & rec degrees in 2021-2022.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.6% 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 Houghton College Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Report

11
Mars Hill crest
Mars Hill University
Mars Hill, North Carolina

Mars Hill University ranked #11 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major list. Mars Hill is a private not-for-profit institution located in Mars Hill, North Carolina. The school has a small population, and it awarded 10 bachelors’s degrees in 2021-2022.

The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at Mars Hill University

12
GSU crest
Grambling State University
Grambling, Louisiana

Grambling State University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major ranking, coming in at #12. This medium-sized school is located in Grambling, Louisiana, and it awarded 37 bachelors’s parks & rec degrees in 2021-2022.

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

13
Shaw University crest
Shaw University
Raleigh, North Carolina

With a ranking of #13, Shaw University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major list. Shaw University is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Raleigh, North Carolina. It awarded 8 bachelors’s parks & rec degrees in 2021-2022.

Full Shaw University Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Report

14
Central State University crest
Central State University
Wilberforce, Ohio

Central State University landed the #14 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major ranking. 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 undergrad 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 Central State University

15
Gordon College crest
Gordon College
Wenham, Massachusetts

Gordon College did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major ranking, coming in at #15. Gordon College is a small school located in Wenham, Massachusetts that handed out 9 bachelors’s parks & rec degrees in 2021-2022.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.6% 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 Gordon College

16
Newberry College crest
Newberry College
Newberry, South Carolina

Newberry College landed the #16 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major ranking. Newberry, South Carolina is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s parks & rec degrees to 7 students in 2021-2022.

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%.

Read full report on Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at Newberry College

17

California State University - Chico landed the #17 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major ranking. Chico, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s parks & rec degrees to 101 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 California State University - Chico Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Report

18

California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo ranked #18 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major list. California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo is located in San Luis Obispo, California and, has a large student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 95 bachelors’s parks & rec degrees to qualified students.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.8%, 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 95%.

Read full report on Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo

19
Radford crest
Radford University
Radford, Virginia

Radford University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major ranking, coming in at #19. Radford is a public institution located in Radford, Virginia. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 41 bachelors’s degrees in 2021-2022.

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%.

Read more about Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at Radford University

20
Winona State crest
Winona State University
Winona, Minnesota

Winona State University landed the #20 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major ranking. Winona, Minnesota is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s parks & rec degrees to 35 students 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%.

Read more about Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at Winona State University

21

University of Northern Iowa did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major ranking, coming in at #21. University of Northern Iowa is a medium-sized school located in Cedar Falls, Iowa that handed out 27 bachelors’s parks & rec degrees in 2021-2022.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full University of Northern Iowa Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Report

22
Jacksonville State University crest
Jacksonville State University
Jacksonville, Alabama

Jacksonville State University landed the #22 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major ranking. This medium-sized school is located in Jacksonville, Alabama, and it awarded 23 bachelors’s parks & rec degrees in 2021-2022.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Jacksonville State University Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Report

23
Humboldt State University crest
Humboldt State University
Arcata, California

With a ranking of #23, Humboldt State University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major list. Humboldt State University is a medium-sized public school situated in Arcata, California. It awarded 20 bachelors’s parks & rec 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%.

Full Humboldt State University Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Report

24

With a ranking of #24, Southern Oregon University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major list. Southern Oregon University is located in Ashland, Oregon and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 12 bachelors’s parks & rec degrees to qualified students.

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 more about Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at Southern Oregon University

25

York College of Pennsylvania landed the #25 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major ranking. York, Pennsylvania is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s parks & rec degrees to 21 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 York College of Pennsylvania Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Report

Notes and References

References

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

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