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2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $48-$75k

59 Ranked Colleges
7,778 Degrees Awarded
$28,242 Avg Salary
Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor's in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $48-$75k

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. 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 the Far Western US Region For Those Making $48-$75k” 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 the Far Western US region, there were 13,292 parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $30,601 and $24,679 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 7,778 parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,083 and $22,209 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking looked at 59 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies programs, but they also cost less that 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. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

One Size Does Not Fit All

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 the Far Western US Region For Those Making $48-$75k” list to help you make the college decision.

We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most to you. 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.

Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $48-$75k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $48-$75k.

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies (Income $48-$75k) in the Far Western US Region

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Los Angeles. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. Cal State LA is a large school located in Los Angeles, California that handed out 268 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $5,644 for far western us region bachelor’s degree parks & rec students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Cal State LA.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Cal State LA

#8 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Fullerton. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. Fullerton, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s parks and rec degrees to 562 students in 2019-2020.

Cal State Fullerton also made our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list, coming in at #8. The yearly cost to attend California State University - Fullerton is $9,427 for far western us region bachelor’s degree parks & rec students whose families make $48-$75k.

With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Cal State Fullerton

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State University - Fresno. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $48-$75k. This large school is located in Fresno, California, and it awarded 271 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Fresno State is $7,549 for far western us region bachelor’s degree parks & rec students whose families make $48-$75k.

The low student loan default rate of 4.7% 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 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

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

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Dominguez Hills. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. CSUDH is a fairly large school located in Carson, California that handed out 140 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for CSUDH is $6,907 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students whose families make $48-$75k.

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%.

Read more about Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at California State University - Dominguez Hills

#14 in overall quality

Out of the 59 schools in the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Northridge landed the #5 spot on the list. California State University - Northridge is a large school located in Northridge, California that handed out 443 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

CSUN did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #14 on our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Northridge is $10,783 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students whose families make $48-$75k.

The low student loan default rate of 2.0% 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%.

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

#12 in overall quality

California State University - Long Beach ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. California State University - Long Beach is a large school located in Long Beach, California that handed out 305 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at CSULB, the school also landed the #12 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for CSULB is $10,807 for far western us region bachelor’s degree parks & rec students whose families make $48-$75k.

The low student loan default rate of 1.6% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%.

Full California State University - Long Beach Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Report

California State University - San Bernardino landed the #7 spot on the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. San Bernardino, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s parks and rec degrees to 276 students in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend CSUSB is $8,924 for far western us region bachelor’s degree parks & rec students whose families make $48-$75k.

With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

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

California State University - Stanislaus did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #8. California State University - Stanislaus is a fairly large public school situated in Turlock, California. It awarded 117 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Stan State is $7,772 for far western us region bachelor’s degree parks & rec students whose families make $48-$75k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

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

#18 in overall quality

University of Nevada - Las Vegas came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. UNLV is a large public school situated in Las Vegas, Nevada. It awarded 265 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

UNLV did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #18 on our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for UNLV is $12,470 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students whose families make $48-$75k.

Full UNLV Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Report

#13 in overall quality

California State University - Sacramento did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #10. This large school is located in Sacramento, California, and it awarded 438 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

Sac State also made our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list, coming in at #13. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Sacramento is $11,413 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students whose families make $48-$75k.

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 California State University - Sacramento

#11

Washington State University

Pullman, Washington
#3 in overall quality

With a ranking of #11, Washington State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. Wazzu is a large school located in Pullman, Washington that handed out 178 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

Wazzu also took the #3 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. It costs about $15,548 for far western us region bachelor’s degree parks & rec students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Washington State University.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Wazzu

#12

San Diego State University

San Diego, California
#6 in overall quality

San Diego State University landed the #12 spot on the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. SDSU is located in San Diego, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 427 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees to qualified students.

SDSU also made our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list, coming in at #6. The yearly cost to attend San Diego State University is $14,730 for far western us region bachelor’s degree parks & rec students whose families make $48-$75k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 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 San Diego State University Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Report

#13

San Jose State University

San Jose, California
#1 in overall quality

With a ranking of #13, San Jose State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. San Jose State University is located in San Jose, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 263 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees to qualified students.

San Jose State also made our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list, coming in at #1. The yearly cost to attend San Jose State is $16,397 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students whose families make $48-$75k.

The low student loan default rate of 3.7% 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 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

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

California State University - Bakersfield did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #14. This fairly large school is located in Bakersfield, California, and it awarded 117 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $7,564 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend CSUB.

Read more about Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at CSUB

#23 in overall quality

California State University - Monterey Bay ranked #15 on this year’s Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. California State University - Monterey Bay is a public institution located in Seaside, California. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 185 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our far western us region bachelor’s degree parks & rec students whose families make $48-$75k list, CSUMB has also earned the #23 rank in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Monterey Bay is $13,311 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students whose families make $48-$75k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 5.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full California State University - Monterey Bay Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Report

#16

Eastern Washington University

Cheney, Washington

Eastern Washington University ranked #16 on this year’s Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. This fairly large school is located in Cheney, Washington, and it awarded 19 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $12,856 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend EWU.

Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Eastern Washington University

#17

San Francisco State University

San Francisco, California
#9 in overall quality

San Francisco State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #17. SFSU is a public institution located in San Francisco, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 247 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at SFSU, the school also landed the #9 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for San Francisco State University is $16,661 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students whose families make $48-$75k.

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

California State University - San Marcos came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. San Marcos, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s parks and rec degrees to 207 students in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend CSUSM is $14,582 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students whose families make $48-$75k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at California State University - San Marcos

#24 in overall quality

California State University - East Bay landed the #19 spot on the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. California State University - East Bay is located in Hayward, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 191 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our far western us region bachelor’s degree parks & rec students whose families make $48-$75k list, Cal State East Bay has also earned the #24 rank in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - East Bay is $13,048 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students whose families make $48-$75k.

Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at California State University - East Bay

#20

University of Hawaii at Manoa

Honolulu, Hawaii

University of Hawaii at Manoa ranked #20 on this year’s Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. Honolulu, Hawaii is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s parks and rec degrees to 115 students in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend University of Hawaii at Manoa is $15,372 for far western us region bachelor’s degree parks & rec students whose families make $48-$75k.

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 UH Manoa

#21

Southern Oregon University

Ashland, Oregon

Southern Oregon University came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Southern Oregon University is a medium-sized public school situated in Ashland, Oregon. It awarded 52 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Southern Oregon University is $10,562 for far western us region bachelor’s degree parks & rec students whose families make $48-$75k.

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

California State Polytechnic University - Pomona came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. California State Polytechnic University - Pomona is located in Pomona, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 160 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees to qualified students.

The estimated yearly cost for Cal Poly Pomona is $14,012 for far western us region bachelor’s degree parks & rec students whose families make $48-$75k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 1.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Full Cal Poly Pomona Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Report

#19 in overall quality

California State University - Chico ranked #23 on this year’s Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. Chico, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s parks and rec degrees to 307 students in 2019-2020.

Chico State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #19 on our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Chico is $16,116 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students whose families make $48-$75k.

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 more about Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at California State University - Chico

#24

Western Washington University

Bellingham, Washington
#21 in overall quality

Western Washington University ranked #24 on this year’s Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. WWU is a fairly large school located in Bellingham, Washington that handed out 95 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at WWU, the school also landed the #21 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. It costs about $16,398 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Western Washington University.

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%.

Read more about Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at WWU

#25

Central Washington University

Ellensburg, Washington

Central Washington University came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. This fairly large school is located in Ellensburg, Washington, and it awarded 71 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $15,744 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Central Washington University.

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

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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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