2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies in California
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 California” 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 California, there were 11,357 parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $30,588 and $23,018 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 6,201 parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $37,907 and $21,546 respectively.
This year’s “Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in California” ranking analyzed 36 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. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
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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 California”.
In addition to College Factual’s rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest 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 California
The colleges and universities below are the best for california bachelor’s degree parks & rec students.
Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies in California
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State University - Northridge. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in California. This large school is located in Northridge, California, and it awarded 443 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree parks & rec students list, CSUN has also earned the #9 rank in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend CSUN is $8,414 for california bachelor’s degree parks & rec students.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.0%, 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 California State University - Long Beach. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in California. 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.
CSULB did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #7 on our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $9,622 for California Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students per year to attend California State University - Long Beach.
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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend San Jose State University. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. Located in San Jose, California, this large public school handed out 263 degrees to qualified bachelors’s parks and rec students in 2019-2020.
San Jose State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend San Jose State University is $14,928 for California Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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%.
Read more about Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at San Jose State
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State University - Monterey Bay. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in California. Seaside, California is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s parks and rec degrees to 185 students in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree parks & rec students list, CSUMB has also earned the #14 rank in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend California State University - Monterey Bay is $12,212 for California Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students.
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 CSUMB Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Fresno. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. This large school is located in Fresno, California, and it awarded 271 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Fresno State, the school also landed the #17 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $5,464 for california bachelor’s degree parks & rec students per year to attend Fresno State.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%.
California State University - Fullerton did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking, coming in at #6. California State University - Fullerton is a large school located in Fullerton, California that handed out 562 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.
Cal State Fullerton also took the #4 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $7,991 for California Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students per year to attend Cal State Fullerton.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. 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
San Francisco State University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking. San Francisco, California 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.
SFSU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #5 on our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend SFSU is $15,113 for california bachelor’s degree parks & rec students.
Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at San Francisco State University
California State University - Chico landed the #8 spot on the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking. California State University - Chico is a fairly large public school situated in Chico, California. It awarded 307 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree parks & rec students list, Chico State has also earned the #12 rank in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend California State University - Chico is $15,017 for California Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Chico State
California State University - San Bernardino came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking. CSUSB is a fairly large public school situated in San Bernardino, California. It awarded 276 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.
CSUSB also made our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #22. It costs about $7,342 for California Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students per year to attend CSUSB.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%.
California State University - Sacramento did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in California 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 took the #8 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Sacramento is $9,979 for california bachelor’s degree parks & rec students.
The low student loan default rate of 4.6% 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 Sac State
California State University - San Marcos came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking. CSUSM is a public institution located in San Marcos, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 207 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
CSUSM not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #19 on our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend California State University - San Marcos is $13,399 for California Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students.
The student loan default rate at the school is 4.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
California State University - East Bay landed the #12 spot on the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking. Cal State East Bay is a fairly large school located in Hayward, California that handed out 191 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.
Cal State East Bay did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #15 on our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $11,116 for california bachelor’s degree parks & rec students per year to attend Cal State East Bay.
San Diego State University came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking. San Diego State University is a public institution located in San Diego, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 427 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at SDSU, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend SDSU is $14,788 for california bachelor’s degree parks & rec students.
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%. With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
Read more about Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at San Diego State University
California State University - Los Angeles did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking, coming in at #14. 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.
Cal State LA not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #21 on our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $2,768 for California Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students per year to attend California State University - Los Angeles.
The low student loan default rate of 1.4% 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%.
California State Polytechnic University - Pomona landed the #15 spot on the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking. This large school is located in Pomona, California, and it awarded 160 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Cal Poly Pomona, the school also landed the #18 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for California State Polytechnic University - Pomona is $12,734 for california bachelor’s degree parks & rec students.
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 low student loan default rate of 1.7% 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%.
Full Cal Poly Pomona Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Report
California State University - Stanislaus came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking. Stan State is located in Turlock, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 117 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees to qualified students.
It costs about $6,019 for california bachelor’s degree parks & rec students per year to attend California State University - Stanislaus.
The low student loan default rate of 4.3% 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read more about Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Stan State
California State University - Dominguez Hills ranked #18 on this year’s Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. Located in Carson, California, this fairly large public school awarded 140 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s parks and rec students in 2019-2020.
It costs about $4,215 for california bachelor’s degree parks & rec students per year to attend California State University - Dominguez Hills.
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 CSUDH
Sonoma State University came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking. SSU is a public institution located in Rohnert Park, California. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 102 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for SSU is $17,478 for california bachelor’s degree parks & rec students.
The student loan default rate at the school is 4.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full SSU Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Report
California State University - Bakersfield did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking, coming in at #20. California State University - Bakersfield is located in Bakersfield, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 117 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees to qualified students.
It costs about $5,318 for california bachelor’s degree parks & rec students per year to attend California State University - Bakersfield.
With a ranking of #21, National University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. National University is located in La Jolla, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 9 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees to qualified students.
National University also took the #23 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking.
The student loan default rate at the school is 4.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full National University Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Report
Humboldt State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking, coming in at #22. Located in Arcata, California, this medium-sized public school handed out 111 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s parks and rec students in 2019-2020.
It costs about $14,692 for California Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students per year to attend Humboldt State University.
Read more about Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Humboldt State University
San Diego Christian College ranked #23 on this year’s Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. San Diego Christian College is a private not-for-profit institution located in Santee, California. The school has a small population, and it awarded 7 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend San Diego Christian College is $34,609 for California Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students.
The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 9 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 San Diego Christian
California Baptist University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking, coming in at #24. Located in Riverside, California, this fairly large private not-for-profit school awarded 129 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s parks and rec students in 2019-2020.
Cal Baptist did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #16 on our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend California Baptist University is $24,707 for california bachelor’s degree parks & rec students.
The low student loan default rate of 4.6% 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 California Baptist University
La Sierra University ranked #25 on this year’s Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. La Sierra University is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Riverside, California. It awarded 24 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend La Sierra is $24,046 for california bachelor’s degree parks & rec students.
The student loan default rate at the school is 4.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at La Sierra
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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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