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2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies (Income $0-$30k) in Washington

9 Ranked Colleges
535 Degrees Awarded
$16,300 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor's in Washington For Those Making $0-$30k

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in Washington For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking - to help you make that decision.

Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies is the 15th most popular major in the country with 72,122 degrees awarded in 2019-2020. In 2017-2018, parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $29,823 and had an average of $24,576 in loans still to pay off.

Across Washington, there were 718 parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 535 parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $39,202 and $21,977 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in Washington For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, we looked at 9 colleges that offer a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.

To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as the cost to attend the school after aid is awarded and overall quality of the parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies program at the school. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

More Ways to Rank Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness 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 “Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in Washington For Those Making $0-$30k”.

To further help you make the college decision, we’ve developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. 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.

Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in Washington For Those Making $0-$30k

The colleges and universities below are the best for washington bachelor’s degree parks & rec students whose families make $0-$30k.

Top 9 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies (Income $0-$30k) in Washington

#1

Washington State University

Pullman, Washington
#1 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Washington State University. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in Washington For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Pullman, Washington, this large public school handed out 178 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s parks and rec students in 2019-2020.

Wazzu also took the #1 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Washington” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Washington State University is $9,334 for washington bachelor’s degree parks & rec students whose families make $0-$30k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

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

#2

Eastern Washington University

Cheney, Washington
#9 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Eastern Washington University. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in Washington For Those Making $0-$30k. Cheney, Washington is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s parks and rec degrees to 19 students in 2019-2020.

EWU also took the #9 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Washington” ranking. The yearly cost to attend EWU is $8,473 for Washington Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at EWU

#3

Western Washington University

Bellingham, Washington
#5 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Western Washington University. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in Washington For Those Making $0-$30k list. WWU is a fairly large school located in Bellingham, Washington that handed out 95 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

WWU also took the #5 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Washington” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Western Washington University is $9,743 for washington bachelor’s degree parks & rec students whose families make $0-$30k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Western Washington University Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Report

#4

Central Washington University

Ellensburg, Washington
#6 in overall quality

Out of the 9 schools in the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in Washington For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Central Washington University landed the #4 spot on the list. CWU is a public institution located in Ellensburg, Washington. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 71 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

CWU also made our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Washington” list, coming in at #6. It costs about $9,875 for washington bachelor’s degree parks & rec students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Central Washington University.

Read more about Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Central Washington University

#5

Pacific Lutheran University

Tacoma, Washington
#2 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Pacific Lutheran University. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in Washington For Those Making $0-$30k. Pacific Lutheran University is a small school located in Tacoma, Washington that handed out 52 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at PLU, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Washington” ranking. The yearly cost to attend PLU is $17,344 for washington bachelor’s degree parks & rec students whose families make $0-$30k.

The 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 Pacific Lutheran University Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Report

#6

Whitworth University

Spokane, Washington
#8 in overall quality

With a ranking of #6, Whitworth University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in Washington For Those Making $0-$30k list. Spokane, Washington is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s parks and rec degrees to 14 students in 2019-2020.

Whitworth also made our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Washington” list, coming in at #8. The estimated yearly cost for Whitworth is $17,565 for washington bachelor’s degree parks & rec students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low student loan default rate of 2.6% 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, & Fitness Studies at Whitworth University

#7

Gonzaga University

Spokane, Washington
#3 in overall quality

Gonzaga University ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in Washington For Those Making $0-$30k list. Gonzaga is located in Spokane, Washington and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 17 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our washington bachelor’s degree parks & rec students whose families make $0-$30k list, Gonzaga has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Washington” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Gonzaga University is $23,389 for washington bachelor’s degree parks & rec students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low student loan default rate of 1.3% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 92%.

Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Gonzaga

#8

Seattle University

Seattle, Washington
#4 in overall quality

With a ranking of #8, Seattle University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in Washington For Those Making $0-$30k list. Seattle U is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Seattle, Washington. It awarded 30 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

Seattle U also made our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Washington” list, coming in at #4. It costs about $23,730 for washington bachelor’s degree parks & rec students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Seattle U.

The low student loan default rate of 2.1% 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%. The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.

Read more about Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Seattle University

#9

University of Puget Sound

Tacoma, Washington
#7 in overall quality

University of Puget Sound ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in Washington For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of Puget Sound is a private not-for-profit institution located in Tacoma, Washington. The school has a small population, and it awarded 26 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Puget Sound not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #7 on our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Washington” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of Puget Sound is $26,828 for washington bachelor’s degree parks & rec students whose families make $0-$30k.

Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The student loan default rate at the school is 2.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full University of Puget Sound Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Report

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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).
  • 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

Footnotes

  • *Average salary, average net price, and average tuition and fees are for the top schools only.
  • 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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