2023 Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Veterans in the Far Western US Region
14
Ranked Colleges
707
Degrees Awarded
$33,514
Avg Salary
When it comes to choosing a college, veterans have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Most Veteran Friendly in the Far Western US Region for Parks & Rec for a Bachelor’s” ranking - to help you make that decision.
Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies is the 166th most popular major in the country with 3,106 degrees awarded in 2020-2021. 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 Far Western US region, there were 787 parks, recreation and leisure studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $33,514 and $19,115 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 707 parks, recreation and leisure studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $39,720 and $23,024 respectively.
This year’s “Most Veteran Friendly in the Far Western US Region for Parks & Rec for a Bachelor’s” ranking analyzed 14 colleges that offered a degree in parks, recreation and leisure studies. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality parks, recreation and leisure studies programs as well as strong veteran support.
To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as veteran satisfaction, veteran affordability, and overall quality of the parks, recreation and leisure studies program at the school. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
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 “Most Veteran Friendly in the Far Western US Region for Parks & Rec for a Bachelor’s” 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. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.
Most Veteran Friendly in the Far Western US Region for Parks & Rec for a Bachelor’s
The colleges and universities below are the best for far western us region bachelor’s degree vets studying parks & rec.
Top 14 Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Veterans in the Far Western US Region
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State University - Long Beach. The school came in at #1 for the Most Veteran Friendly in the Far Western US Region for Parks & Rec for a Bachelor’s. Located in Long Beach, California, this large public school handed out 81 degrees to qualified bachelors’s parks and rec students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our far western us region bachelor’s degree vets studying parks & rec list, CSULB has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 822 of the 40,069 students enrolled at California State University - Long Beach were GI Bill® students, of which 310 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $3,845. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, 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 undergraduate students.
Full CSULB Veteran Student Life Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend San Jose State University. The school came in at #2 for the Most Veteran Friendly in the Far Western US Region for Parks & Rec for a Bachelor’s. San Jose State is a large school located in San Jose, California that handed out 40 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.
San Jose State also made our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list, coming in at #4.Our most recent data shows that 660 of the 36,208 students enrolled at San Jose State were GI Bill® students, of which 384 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $4,909. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. San Jose State does offer credit for military training for eligible students.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full San Jose State Veteran Student Life Report
Out of the 14 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in the Far Western US Region for Parks & Rec for a Bachelor’s that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Chico landed the #3 spot on the list. Located in Chico, California, this fairly large public school awarded 95 degrees to qualified bachelors’s parks and rec students in 2020-2021.
Chico State also made our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list, coming in at #2.Of the 16,746 students enrolled at Chico State, 354 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 166 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $5,098. During this same period, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full Chico State Veteran Student Life Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Sacramento. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Far Western US Region for Parks & Rec for a Bachelor’s list. California State University - Sacramento is located in Sacramento, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 96 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees to qualified students.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Sac State, the school also landed the #5 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking.Among the 32,293 students enrolled at California State University - Sacramento, 34 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 23 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $4,555. To help with additional expenses, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full Sac State Veteran Student Life Report
Out of the 14 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in the Far Western US Region for Parks & Rec for a Bachelor’s that were part of this year’s ranking, San Diego State University landed the #5 spot on the list. San Diego, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s parks and rec degrees to 32 students in 2020-2021.
SDSU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #8 on our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list.Of the 36,334 students enrolled at SDSU, 1,433 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 853 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $4,806. To help with additional expenses, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. SDSU offers credit for military training for eligible students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, 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 undergraduate students.
Read More…
Western Washington University ranked #6 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in the Far Western US Region for Parks & Rec for a Bachelor’s list. WWU is a fairly large school located in Bellingham, Washington that handed out 48 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at WWU, the school also landed the #6 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking.Among the 15,197 students enrolled at WWU, 622 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 324 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $5,933. To help with additional expenses, 7 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% 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 WWU Veteran Student Life Report
San Francisco State University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in the Far Western US Region for Parks & Rec for a Bachelor’s ranking. San Francisco, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s parks and rec degrees to 46 students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our far western us region bachelor’s degree vets studying parks & rec list, SFSU has also earned the #7 rank in our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking.Of the 27,349 students enrolled at SFSU, 950 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 536 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $5,581. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full San Francisco State University Veteran Student Life Report
California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo ranked #8 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in the Far Western US Region for Parks & Rec for a Bachelor’s list. Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is a public institution located in San Luis Obispo, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 119 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Cal Poly San Luis Obispo did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list.Our most recent data shows that 268 of the 22,440 students enrolled at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo were GI Bill® students, of which 128 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $6,027. During this same period, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% 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 Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo Veteran Student Life Report
Eastern Washington University did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Far Western US Region for Parks & Rec for a Bachelor’s ranking, coming in at #9. Eastern Washington University is a fairly large school located in Cheney, Washington that handed out 10 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at EWU, the school also landed the #10 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking.Of the 12,349 students enrolled at EWU, 647 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 296 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $4,760. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. EWU offers credit for military training for eligible students.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% 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 veteran student life at Eastern Washington University]](/colleges/eastern-washington-university/student-life/veterans/)
Oregon State University ranked #10 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in the Far Western US Region for Parks & Rec for a Bachelor’s list. This large school is located in Corvallis, Oregon, and it awarded 14 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.
Oregon State also made our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list, coming in at #12.According to our most recent data, Oregon State supports 32,312 students, and 1,559 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 1,000 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $8,385. On top of their other funding sources, 17 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% 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 85%.
Full Oregon State Veteran Student Life Report
California State University - Fresno came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in the Far Western US Region for Parks & Rec for a Bachelor’s ranking. Located in Fresno, California, this large public school handed out 37 degrees to qualified bachelors’s parks and rec students in 2020-2021.
Fresno State also made our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list, coming in at #9.Of the 25,497 students enrolled at California State University - Fresno, 471 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 211 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $3,324. During this same period, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. California State University - Fresno offers credit for military training for eligible students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, 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 87%.
[Read full report on veteran student life at Fresno State]](/colleges/california-state-university-fresno/student-life/veterans/)
Southern Oregon University landed the #12 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Far Western US Region for Parks & Rec for a Bachelor’s ranking. Southern Oregon University is a medium-sized school located in Ashland, Oregon that handed out 19 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.
Southern Oregon University also took the #13 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking.According to our most recent data, Southern Oregon University supports 5,140 students, and 250 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 116 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $7,435. During this same period, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program.
[Read full report on veteran student life at Southern Oregon University]](/colleges/southern-oregon-university/student-life/veterans/)
Humboldt State University did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Far Western US Region for Parks & Rec for a Bachelor’s ranking, coming in at #13. Humboldt State University is a public institution located in Arcata, California. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 31 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Humboldt State University, the school also landed the #14 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 177 of the 6,612 students enrolled at Humboldt State University were GI Bill® students, of which 68 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $3,772. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
Read More…
California State University - East Bay did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Far Western US Region for Parks & Rec for a Bachelor’s ranking, coming in at #14. California State University - East Bay is a fairly large school located in Hayward, California that handed out 31 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.
Cal State East Bay also took the #11 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking.Among the 16,253 students enrolled at California State University - East Bay, 32 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 16 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $7,956. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% 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…
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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).
- Veteran-specific data can be found at the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs.
- 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
- *Avg Salary and Avg 4-Year Grad Rate are for the top schools only.
- **GI Bill® student total includes all chapters of the GI Bill® program (e.g., Post-9/11, Montgomery GI Bill, Reserve Education Assistance Program, and Veteran Readiness and Employment)
- 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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