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2023 Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Colleges for Veterans in California

10 Ranked Colleges
678 Degrees Awarded
$26,500 Avg Cost*
Most Veteran Friendly in California for Parks & Rec

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 California for Parks & Rec” ranking - to help you make that decision.

In 2020-2021, 3,106 people earned their degree in parks, recreation and leisure studies, making the major the 166th most popular in the United States. 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.

For this year’s “Most Veteran Friendly in California for Parks & Rec” ranking, we looked at 10 colleges that offer 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. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

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” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.

Most Veteran Friendly in California for Parks & Rec

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

Top 10 Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Colleges for Veterans in California

1

Out of the 10 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in California for Parks & Rec that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Long Beach landed the #1 spot on the list. California State University - Long Beach is located in Long Beach, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 91 ’s parks and rec degrees to qualified students.

CSULB also made our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list, coming in at #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS].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 Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $3,845. To help with additional expenses, 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 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 be in good company if you decide to attend San Jose State University. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in California for Parks & Rec list. San Jose State University is located in San Jose, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 40 ’s parks and rec degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at San Jose State, the school also landed the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Of the 36,208 students enrolled at San Jose State, 660 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 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. 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.

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%.

[Read full report on veteran student life at San Jose State]](/colleges/san-jose-state-university/student-life/veterans/)

3

Out of the 10 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in California for Parks & Rec that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Chico landed the #3 spot on the list. Chico State is located in Chico, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 99 ’s parks and rec degrees to qualified students.

Chico State also made our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list, coming in at #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS].Among the 16,746 students enrolled at Chico State, 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 tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $5,098. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students received funds through 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

4

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 California for Parks & Rec list. This large school is located in Sacramento, California, and it awarded 100 ’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Sac State, the school also landed the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Of the 32,293 students enrolled at California State University - Sacramento, 34 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 23 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $4,555. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students received funds 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%.

Full Sac State Veteran Student Life Report

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 that were part of this year’s ranking, San Diego State University landed the #5 spot on the list. SDSU is a large school located in San Diego, California that handed out 32 ’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.

SDSU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” 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 qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. SDSU does offer credit for military training for eligible students.

With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate 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 full report on veteran student life at SDSU]](/colleges/san-diego-state-university/student-life/veterans/)

6
SFSU crest
San Francisco State University
San Francisco, California

San Francisco State University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in California for Parks & Rec ranking. This large school is located in San Francisco, California, and it awarded 46 ’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.

SFSU also took the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” 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 Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $5,581. To help with additional expenses, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. SFSU 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%.

[Read full report on veteran student life at SFSU]](/colleges/san-francisco-state-university/student-life/veterans/)

7

With a ranking of #7, California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in California for Parks & Rec list. This large school is located in San Luis Obispo, California, and it awarded 119 ’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.

Cal Poly San Luis Obispo also made our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list, coming in at #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS].According to our most recent data, California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo supports 22,440 students, and 268 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 128 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $6,027. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read More…

8

California State University - Fresno landed the #8 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in California for Parks & Rec ranking. Fresno State is a public institution located in Fresno, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 37 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Fresno State, the school also landed the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 471 of the 25,497 students enrolled at Fresno State were GI Bill® students, of which 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. To help with additional expenses, 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%.

Full California State University - Fresno Veteran Student Life Report

9
Humboldt State University crest
Humboldt State University
Arcata, California

Humboldt State University landed the #9 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in California for Parks & Rec ranking. Humboldt State University is a medium-sized public school situated in Arcata, California. It awarded 31 ’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Humboldt State University, the school also landed the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.According to our most recent data, Humboldt State University supports 6,612 students, and 177 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 68 are 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 funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.

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

10

California State University - East Bay ranked #10 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in California for Parks & Rec list. This fairly large school is located in Hayward, California, and it awarded 31 ’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.

Cal State East Bay did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.According to our most recent data, California State University - East Bay supports 16,253 students, and 32 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 16 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $7,956. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. California State University - East Bay does offer 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 full report on veteran student life at California State University - East Bay]](/colleges/california-state-university-east-bay/student-life/veterans/)

Notes and References

References

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

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