College Factual  by our College Data Analytics Team
       Unbiased Factual Guarantee

2023 Most Veteran Friendly in California for Parks & Rec for a Bachelor’s

10 Ranked Colleges
609 Degrees Awarded
$37,222 Avg Salary
Most Veteran Friendly in California for Parks & Rec for a Bachelor's

When it comes to choosing a college, veterans have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Most Veteran Friendly in California for Parks & Rec for a Bachelor’s” ranking is part of that endeavor.

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 California, there were 678 parks, recreation and leisure studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $37,222 and $17,096 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 609 parks, recreation and leisure studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $39,566 and $21,995 respectively.

This year’s “Most Veteran Friendly in California for Parks & Rec for a Bachelor’s” ranking analyzed 10 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 a strong support system for veterans and active service members.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the parks, recreation and leisure studies program at the school, veteran affordability, and veteran satisfaction. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

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

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Most Veteran Friendly in California for Parks & Rec for a Bachelor’s” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to you. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.

Most Veteran Friendly in California for Parks & Rec for a Bachelor’s

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

Top 10 Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Veterans in California

1

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Long Beach. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in California for Parks & Rec for a Bachelor’s list. California State University - Long Beach is a large public school situated in Long Beach, California. It awarded 81 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.

CSULB did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list.According to our most recent data, California State University - Long Beach supports 40,069 students, and 822 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 310 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $3,845. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students received scholarships through 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read More…

2
San Jose State crest
San Jose State University
San Jose, California

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 California 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 not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #4 on our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list.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 Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $4,909. To help with additional expenses, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. 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 San Jose State Veteran Student Life Report

3

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Chico. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in California for Parks & Rec for a Bachelor’s list. California State University - Chico is a public institution located in Chico, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 95 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Chico State also made our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #2.Among the 16,746 students enrolled at California State University - Chico, 354 are 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 received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.

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%.

Full Chico State Veteran Student Life Report

4

Out of the 10 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in California for Parks & Rec for a Bachelor’s that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Sacramento landed the #4 spot on the list. Sac State is a public institution located in Sacramento, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 96 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Sac State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #5 on our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list.Our most recent data shows that 34 of the 32,293 students enrolled at Sac State were GI Bill® students, of which 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. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Sac State 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%.

Read More…

5
SDSU crest
San Diego State University
San Diego, California

Out of the 10 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in California 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. This large school is located in San Diego, California, and it awarded 32 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.

SDSU also took the #7 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking.Of the 36,334 students enrolled at San Diego State University, 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 Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $4,806. 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 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full SDSU Veteran Student Life Report

6
SFSU crest
San Francisco State University
San Francisco, California

San Francisco State University did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in California for Parks & Rec for a Bachelor’s ranking, coming in at #6. SFSU is located in San Francisco, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 46 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at SFSU, the school also landed the #6 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 950 of the 27,349 students enrolled at San Francisco State University were GI Bill® students, of which 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. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students received scholarships through 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…

7

California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo landed the #7 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in California for Parks & Rec for a Bachelor’s ranking. Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is a large school located in San Luis Obispo, California that handed out 119 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree vets studying parks & rec list, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking.Among the 22,440 students enrolled at California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo, 268 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 128 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $6,027. During this same period, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.

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%.

[Read full report on veteran student life at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo]](/colleges/california-polytechnic-state-university-san-luis-obispo/student-life/veterans/)

8

California State University - Fresno ranked #8 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in California for Parks & Rec for a Bachelor’s list. Fresno State is located in Fresno, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 37 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree vets studying parks & rec list, Fresno State has also earned the #8 rank in our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking.Among the 25,497 students enrolled at California State University - Fresno, 471 are 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 funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. California State University - Fresno 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full California State University - Fresno Veteran Student Life Report

9
Humboldt State University crest
Humboldt State University
Arcata, California

Humboldt State University ranked #9 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in California for Parks & Rec for a Bachelor’s list. 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.

Humboldt State University also took the #10 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking.Among the 6,612 students enrolled at Humboldt State University, 177 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 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. During this same period, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.

[Read full report on veteran student life at Humboldt State University]](/colleges/humboldt-state-university/student-life/veterans/)

10

California State University - East Bay did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in California for Parks & Rec for a Bachelor’s ranking, coming in at #10. This fairly large school is located in Hayward, California, and it awarded 31 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree vets studying parks & rec list, Cal State East Bay has also earned the #9 rank in our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 32 of the 16,253 students enrolled at Cal State East Bay were GI Bill® students, of which 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. During this same period, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Cal State East Bay does offer 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%.

Read More…

Notes and References

References

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

Popular Reports

College Rankings
Best by Location
Degree Guides by Major
Graduate Programs

Compare Your School Options