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2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies in Texas (With Aid)

47 Ranked Colleges
6,010 Degrees Awarded
$13,100 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor's in Texas For Those Getting Aid

When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in Texas For Those Getting Aid” ranking is part of that endeavor.

In 2019-2020, 72,122 people earned their degree in parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies, making the major the 15th most popular in the United States. 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 Texas, there were 7,340 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 6,010 parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in Texas For Those Getting Aid” ranking analyzed 47 colleges that offered 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.

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

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 Texas For Those Getting Aid”.

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.

Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in Texas For Those Getting Aid

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in Texas For Those Getting Aid.

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies in Texas (With Aid)

#19 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in Texas For Those Getting Aid list. UT Rio Grande Valley is a large school located in Edinburg, Texas that handed out 305 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

UT Rio Grande Valley not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #19 on our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Texas” list. The estimated yearly cost for The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley is $4,514 for texas bachelor’s degree parks & rec students with aid.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at UT Rio Grande Valley

#15 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend The University of Texas of the Permian Basin. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in Texas For Those Getting Aid list. UT Permian Basin is a public institution located in Odessa, Texas. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 46 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UT Permian Basin not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #15 on our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Texas” list. The yearly cost to attend UT Permian Basin is $10,092 for Texas Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students with aid.

Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at The University of Texas of the Permian Basin

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Texas A&M International University. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in Texas For Those Getting Aid list. This medium-sized school is located in Laredo, Texas, and it awarded 62 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Texas A&M International University is $3,074 for texas bachelor’s degree parks & rec students with aid.

Read more about Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Texas A&M International University

#1 in overall quality

Out of the 47 schools in the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in Texas For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, The University of Texas at Austin landed the #4 spot on the list. Austin, Texas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s parks and rec degrees to 247 students in 2019-2020.

UT Austin did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Texas” list. The estimated yearly cost for UT Austin is $18,023 for Texas Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students with aid.

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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at The University of Texas at Austin

#13 in overall quality

Out of the 47 schools in the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in Texas For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, The University of Texas at San Antonio landed the #5 spot on the list. UTSA is a large public school situated in San Antonio, Texas. It awarded 355 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

UTSA also made our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Texas” list, coming in at #13. The estimated yearly cost for The University of Texas at San Antonio is $13,853 for Texas Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students with aid.

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

#18 in overall quality

Texas Woman’s University ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in Texas For Those Getting Aid list. Texas Woman’s University is a public institution located in Denton, Texas. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 126 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at TWU, the school also landed the #18 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Texas” ranking. It costs about $9,617 for texas bachelor’s degree parks & rec students with aid per year to attend TWU.

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

#7

Texas State University

San Marcos, Texas
#6 in overall quality

Texas State University ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in Texas For Those Getting Aid list. Texas State University is a large public school situated in San Marcos, Texas. It awarded 551 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

Texas State also made our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Texas” list, coming in at #6. The yearly cost to attend Texas State is $15,230 for texas bachelor’s degree parks & rec students with aid.

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

#8

Texas Tech University

Lubbock, Texas
#5 in overall quality

Texas Tech University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in Texas For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #8. Texas Tech University is located in Lubbock, Texas and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 349 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our texas bachelor’s degree parks & rec students with aid list, Texas Tech has also earned the #5 rank in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Texas” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Texas Tech is $17,571 for Texas Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students with aid.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%.

Read more about Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Texas Tech

#9 in overall quality

University of North Texas came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in Texas For Those Getting Aid ranking. UNT is located in Denton, Texas and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 308 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UNT, the school also landed the #9 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Texas” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UNT is $15,086 for Texas Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students with aid.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at University of North Texas

The University of Texas at El Paso ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in Texas For Those Getting Aid list. The University of Texas at El Paso is a large public school situated in El Paso, Texas. It awarded 169 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for UTEP is $8,920 for texas bachelor’s degree parks & rec students with aid.

Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at The University of Texas at El Paso

#11

Rice University

Houston, Texas
#3 in overall quality

Rice University ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in Texas For Those Getting Aid list. Located in Houston, Texas, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school handed out 102 degrees to qualified bachelors’s parks and rec students in 2019-2020.

Rice not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Texas” list. The estimated yearly cost for Rice University is $16,999 for texas bachelor’s degree parks & rec students with aid.

Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The low student loan default rate of 1.0% 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

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

#12

University of Houston

Houston, Texas
#8 in overall quality

University of Houston came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in Texas For Those Getting Aid ranking. This large school is located in Houston, Texas, and it awarded 439 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

UH did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #8 on our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Texas” list. The yearly cost to attend UH is $12,838 for Texas Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students with aid.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full University of Houston Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Report

#16 in overall quality

Stephen F Austin State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in Texas For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #13. This fairly large school is located in Nacogdoches, Texas, and it awarded 146 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

SFASU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #16 on our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Texas” list. The estimated yearly cost for Stephen F Austin State University is $13,723 for Texas Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students with aid.

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

#7 in overall quality

University of Houston - Clear Lake came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in Texas For Those Getting Aid ranking. UH Clear Lake is a public institution located in Houston, Texas. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 63 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UH Clear Lake, the school also landed the #7 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Texas” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UH Clear Lake is $10,612 for Texas Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students with aid.

Read more about Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at UH Clear Lake

#21 in overall quality

The University of Texas at Tyler did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in Texas For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #15. UT Tyler is a medium-sized school located in Tyler, Texas that handed out 91 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

UT Tyler not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #21 on our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Texas” list. It costs about $10,974 for Texas Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students with aid per year to attend The University of Texas at Tyler.

Read more about Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at The University of Texas at Tyler

#16

Texas A&M University - College Station

College Station, Texas
#4 in overall quality

Texas A&M University - College Station came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in Texas For Those Getting Aid ranking. Texas A&M University - College Station is a large public school situated in College Station, Texas. It awarded 453 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

Texas A&M College Station did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Texas” list. It costs about $19,057 for texas bachelor’s degree parks & rec students with aid per year to attend Texas A&M University - College Station.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Texas A&M College Station

#17

MSU Texas

Wichita Falls, Texas

With a ranking of #17, MSU Texas did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in Texas For Those Getting Aid list. MSU Texas is a public institution located in Wichita Falls, Texas. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 28 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend MSU Texas is $10,045 for Texas Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students with aid.

Read more about Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at MSU Texas

#18

Lamar University

Beaumont, Texas

Lamar University landed the #18 spot on the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in Texas For Those Getting Aid ranking. Beaumont, Texas is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s parks and rec degrees to 46 students in 2019-2020.

It costs about $12,311 for texas bachelor’s degree parks & rec students with aid per year to attend Lamar University.

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

#19

Sam Houston State University

Huntsville, Texas
#14 in overall quality

Sam Houston State University came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in Texas For Those Getting Aid ranking. Huntsville, Texas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s parks and rec degrees to 141 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our texas bachelor’s degree parks & rec students with aid list, SHSU has also earned the #14 rank in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Texas” ranking. It costs about $14,617 for Texas Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students with aid per year to attend Sam Houston State University.

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

#20

Tarleton State University

Stephenville, Texas
#10 in overall quality

Tarleton State University came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in Texas For Those Getting Aid ranking. Located in Stephenville, Texas, this fairly large public school handed out 222 degrees to qualified bachelors’s parks and rec students in 2019-2020.

Tarleton did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #10 on our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Texas” list. It costs about $18,979 for texas bachelor’s degree parks & rec students with aid per year to attend Tarleton State University.

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

#21

Angelo State University

San Angelo, Texas
#23 in overall quality

Angelo State University ranked #21 on this year’s Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in Texas For Those Getting Aid list. Angelo State University is a fairly large public school situated in San Angelo, Texas. It awarded 95 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our texas bachelor’s degree parks & rec students with aid list, Angelo State has also earned the #23 rank in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Texas” ranking. It costs about $13,819 for Texas Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students with aid per year to attend Angelo State University.

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

#11 in overall quality

The University of Texas at Arlington did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in Texas For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #22. The University of Texas at Arlington is a large public school situated in Arlington, Texas. It awarded 235 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

UT Arlington did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #11 on our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Texas” list. The yearly cost to attend UT Arlington is $14,246 for Texas Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students with aid.

Full UT Arlington Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Report

#23

West Texas A&M University

Canyon, Texas
#24 in overall quality

West Texas A&M University ranked #23 on this year’s Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in Texas For Those Getting Aid list. West Texas A&M University is a public institution located in Canyon, Texas. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 58 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at West Texas A&M University, the school also landed the #24 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Texas” ranking. It costs about $12,761 for texas bachelor’s degree parks & rec students with aid per year to attend West Texas A&M University.

Read more about Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at West Texas A&M University

#24

Texas A&M University - Corpus Christi

Corpus Christi, Texas
#17 in overall quality

Texas A&M University - Corpus Christi landed the #24 spot on the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in Texas For Those Getting Aid ranking. This fairly large school is located in Corpus Christi, Texas, and it awarded 109 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our texas bachelor’s degree parks & rec students with aid list, Texas A&M Corpus Christi has also earned the #17 rank in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Texas” ranking. It costs about $16,332 for Texas Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students with aid per year to attend Texas A&M Corpus Christi.

Full Texas A&M Corpus Christi Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Report

Texas A&M University - Commerce did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in Texas For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #25. Located in Commerce, Texas, this fairly large public school awarded 75 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s parks and rec students in 2019-2020.

It costs about $13,017 for texas bachelor’s degree parks & rec students with aid per year to attend Texas A&M University - Commerce.

Read more about Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Texas A&M University - Commerce

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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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