2023 Most Focused Colleges for Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies in the Southeast Region
34
Ranked Colleges
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Avg Cost*
When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Schools Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major in the Southeast Region” ranking is part of that endeavor.
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.
Across the Southeast region, there were 504 parks, recreation & leisure studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $28,183 and $26,370 respectively.
For this year’s “Schools Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major in the Southeast Region” ranking, we looked at 34 colleges that offer a degree in parks, recreation & leisure studies. That schools that top this list have a program in parks, recreation & leisure studies in which the largest percentage of students at the school are enrolled.
For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
More Ways to Rank Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools
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 “Schools Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major in the Southeast Region”.
In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique 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.
Schools Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major in the Southeast Region
The following schools top our list of the Best “Schools Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major in the Southeast Region”.
Top 25 Most Focused Colleges for Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies in the Southeast Region
Out of the 34 schools in the Schools Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major in the Southeast Region 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 ’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.0% 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 VWU
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Ferrum College. The school came in at #2 for the Schools Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major in the Southeast Region. Located in Ferrum, Virginia, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 6 diplomas to qualified ’s parks & rec students in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full Ferrum College Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Shepherd University. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major in the Southeast Region list. Shepherdstown, West Virginia is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s parks & rec degrees to 36 students 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
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Mars Hill University. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major in the Southeast Region list. Mars Hill University is a small school located in Mars Hill, North Carolina that handed out 10 ’s parks & rec degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. 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.
Full Mars Hill University Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Report
Out of the 34 schools in the Schools Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major in the Southeast Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Grambling State University landed the #5 spot on the list. Grambling, Louisiana is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s parks & rec degrees to 37 students in 2021-2022.
Read full report on Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at Grambling State University
With a ranking of #6, Shaw University did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major in the Southeast Region list. Shaw University is a small school located in Raleigh, North Carolina that handed out 8 ’s parks & rec degrees in 2021-2022.
Full Shaw University Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Report
Newberry College came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major in the Southeast Region ranking. This small school is located in Newberry, South Carolina, and it awarded 7 ’s parks & rec degrees 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%.
Full Newberry College Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Report
With a ranking of #8, Radford University did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major in the Southeast Region list. Radford University is a public institution located in Radford, Virginia. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 41 ’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at Radford University
Jacksonville State University did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major in the Southeast Region ranking, coming in at #9. Jacksonville State University is located in Jacksonville, Alabama and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 23 ’s parks & rec degrees to qualified students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at Jacksonville State University
North Greenville University did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major in the Southeast Region ranking, coming in at #10. Located in Tigerville, South Carolina, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 2 diplomas to qualified ’s parks & rec students in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.3% 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%.
Full North Greenville Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Report
University of North Carolina at Greensboro came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major in the Southeast Region ranking. UNC Greensboro is a fairly large school located in Greensboro, North Carolina that handed out 37 ’s parks & rec degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at University of North Carolina at Greensboro
University of Mount Olive came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major in the Southeast Region ranking. Mount Olive, North Carolina is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s parks & rec degrees to 10 students in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at UMO
South Georgia Technical College came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major in the Southeast Region ranking. Americus, Georgia is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s parks & rec degrees to 28 students in 2021-2022.
Read more about Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at South Georgia Technical College
University of Arkansas landed the #14 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major in the Southeast Region ranking. UARK is a public institution located in Fayetteville, Arkansas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 79 ’s degrees in 2021-2022.
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 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 UARK
Georgia Southern University did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major in the Southeast Region ranking, coming in at #15. Statesboro, Georgia is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s parks & rec degrees to 43 students in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at GaSou
Alcorn State University came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major in the Southeast Region ranking. Alcorn State, Mississippi is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s parks & rec degrees to 9 students in 2021-2022.
Full Alcorn State Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Report
University of South Alabama did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major in the Southeast Region ranking, coming in at #17. This fairly large school is located in Mobile, Alabama, and it awarded 41 ’s parks & rec degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at University of South Alabama
Asbury University did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major in the Southeast Region ranking, coming in at #18. Asbury is a private not-for-profit institution located in Wilmore, Kentucky. The school has a small population, and it awarded 0 ’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full Asbury University Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Report
Ouachita Baptist University came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major in the Southeast Region ranking. Ouachita Baptist University is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Arkadelphia, Arkansas. It awarded 5 ’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 full report on Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at Ouachita Baptist
Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College ranked #20 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major in the Southeast Region list. This medium-sized school is located in Perkinston, Mississippi, and it awarded 21 ’s parks & rec degrees in 2021-2022.
Read full report on Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College
East Carolina University came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major in the Southeast Region ranking. East Carolina University is a public institution located in Greenville, North Carolina. The school has a large population, and it awarded 31 ’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at ECU
Carson - Newman University landed the #22 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major in the Southeast Region ranking. Carson - Newman is a small school located in Jefferson City, Tennessee that handed out 0 ’s parks & rec degrees in 2021-2022.
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 Carson - Newman
With a ranking of #23, University of Southern Mississippi did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major in the Southeast Region list. This fairly large school is located in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, and it awarded 18 ’s parks & rec degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full University of Southern Mississippi Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Report
With a ranking of #24, Georgia College & State University did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major in the Southeast Region list. Georgia College & State University is a public institution located in Milledgeville, Georgia. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 0 ’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at Georgia College
East Mississippi Community College ranked #25 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major in the Southeast Region list. EMCC is located in Scooba, Mississippi and, has a small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 0 ’s parks & rec degrees to qualified students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at EMCC
