2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k
With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.
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 Illinois, there were 2,352 parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $31,766 and $23,636 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 1,555 parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,319 and $24,183 respectively.
For this year’s “Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking, we looked at 21 colleges that offer a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies programs and cost less that schools of similar quality.
Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
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When choosing the right school for you, it’s important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we’ve created a number of major-specific rankings, including this “Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k” list to help you make the college decision.
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. 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 Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k.
Top 21 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies (Income $30-$48k) in Illinois
Out of the 21 schools in the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign landed the #1 spot on the list. Located in Champaign, Illinois, this large public school awarded 278 degrees to qualified bachelors’s parks and rec students in 2019-2020.
UIUC not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The yearly cost to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is $8,464 for illinois bachelor’s degree parks & rec students whose families make $30-$48k.
With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k. Edwardsville, Illinois is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s parks and rec degrees to 89 students in 2019-2020.
SIUE also took the #11 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $9,938 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Southern Illinois University Edwardsville.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Illinois at Chicago. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k list. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s parks and rec degrees to 160 students in 2019-2020.
UIC also took the #3 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $11,185 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend University of Illinois at Chicago.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Eastern Illinois University. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k. Eastern Illinois University is a medium-sized public school situated in Charleston, Illinois. It awarded 100 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.
EIU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #8 on our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for EIU is $11,316 for illinois bachelor’s degree parks & rec students whose families make $30-$48k.
Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at EIU
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of St Francis. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k list. University of Saint Francis is a private not-for-profit institution located in Joliet, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 6 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
University of Saint Francis did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The yearly cost to attend University of St Francis is $11,229 for illinois bachelor’s degree parks & rec students whose families make $30-$48k.
The student loan default rate at the school is 3.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at University of St Francis
Illinois State University landed the #6 spot on the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Normal, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s parks and rec degrees to 162 students in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Illinois State, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Illinois State is $14,999 for illinois bachelor’s degree parks & rec students whose families make $30-$48k.
The low student loan default rate of 4.4% 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 Illinois State Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Report
Northern Illinois University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Located in Dekalb, Illinois, this fairly large public school awarded 62 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s parks and rec students in 2019-2020.
NIU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #10 on our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The yearly cost to attend NIU is $15,861 for illinois bachelor’s degree parks & rec students whose families make $30-$48k.
Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Northern Illinois University
Southern Illinois University Carbondale came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. SIUC is located in Carbondale, Illinois and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 94 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees to qualified students.
SIUC also made our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #9. It costs about $14,306 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend SIUC.
Monmouth College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #9. Located in Monmouth, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 23 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s parks and rec students in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree parks & rec students whose families make $30-$48k list, Monmouth has also earned the #4 rank in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Monmouth is $14,337 for illinois bachelor’s degree parks & rec students whose families make $30-$48k.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The 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 Monmouth Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Report
Western Illinois University landed the #10 spot on the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Macomb, Illinois is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s parks and rec degrees to 83 students in 2019-2020.
WIU also made our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #15. The yearly cost to attend WIU is $14,526 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students whose families make $30-$48k.
Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Western Illinois University
With a ranking of #11, Aurora University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k list. Aurora University is a medium-sized school located in Aurora, Illinois that handed out 60 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.
Aurora also took the #18 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Aurora is $13,845 for illinois bachelor’s degree parks & rec students whose families make $30-$48k.
The low student loan default rate of 4.4% 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 Aurora University
Concordia University, Chicago came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Concordia University, Chicago is a medium-sized school located in River Forest, Illinois that handed out 71 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.
Concordia University, Chicago did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #16 on our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $15,406 for illinois bachelor’s degree parks & rec students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Concordia University, Chicago.
Full Concordia University, Chicago Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Report
Elmhurst University came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Elmhurst is a private not-for-profit institution located in Elmhurst, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 28 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
Elmhurst not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #7 on our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The yearly cost to attend Elmhurst University is $17,837 for illinois bachelor’s degree parks & rec students whose families make $30-$48k.
The low student loan default rate of 3.0% 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%.
Full Elmhurst Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Report
With a ranking of #14, Quincy University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k list. Quincy University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Quincy, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 21 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
Quincy U also took the #14 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Quincy U is $17,518 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students whose families make $30-$48k.
Read more about Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Quincy University
With a ranking of #15, Millikin University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k list. Millikin is a small school located in Decatur, Illinois that handed out 24 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.
Millikin also made our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #12. The yearly cost to attend Millikin is $17,692 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students whose families make $30-$48k.
With a student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Millikin University
Lewis University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #16. Lewis is a medium-sized school located in Romeoville, Illinois that handed out 31 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.
Lewis also took the #17 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Lewis is $13,377 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students whose families make $30-$48k.
The low student loan default rate of 3.6% 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 more about Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Lewis University
Olivet Nazarene University landed the #17 spot on the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Olivet Nazarene is located in Bourbonnais, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 30 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees to qualified students.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Olivet Nazarene, the school also landed the #21 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Olivet Nazarene is $15,390 for illinois bachelor’s degree parks & rec students whose families make $30-$48k.
The student loan default rate at the school is 3.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Olivet Nazarene
With a ranking of #18, McKendree University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k list. McKendree University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Lebanon, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 28 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
McKendree did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #20 on our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The yearly cost to attend McKendree University is $16,659 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students whose families make $30-$48k.
Read more about Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at McKendree
Trinity International University - Illinois came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Deerfield, Illinois 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 12 students in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree parks & rec students whose families make $30-$48k list, TIU Illinois has also earned the #13 rank in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for TIU Illinois is $20,693 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students whose families make $30-$48k.
The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at TIU Illinois
With a ranking of #20, North Central College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k list. Located in Naperville, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 55 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s parks and rec students in 2019-2020.
North Central also made our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #6. It costs about $20,128 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend North Central.
The 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 North Central College Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Report
Benedictine University landed the #21 spot on the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Benedictine University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Lisle, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 14 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Benedictine U, the school also landed the #19 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Benedictine U is $20,915 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students whose families make $30-$48k.
Read more about Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Benedictine University
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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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