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2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in Washington

9 Ranked Colleges
535 Degrees Awarded
$23,700 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor's in Washington

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. 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 Washington” 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 Washington, there were 718 parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 535 parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $39,202 and $21,977 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in Washington” ranking looked at 9 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.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

More Ways to Rank Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in Washington” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

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 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 Washington

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in Washington.

Top 9 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies in Washington

#1

Washington State University

Pullman, Washington
#1 in overall quality

Out of the 9 schools in the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in Washington that were part of this year’s ranking, Washington State University landed the #1 spot on the list. Wazzu is located in Pullman, Washington and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 178 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our washington bachelor’s degree parks & rec students list, Wazzu has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Washington” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Wazzu is $16,358 for Washington Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students.

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 full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Wazzu

#2

Western Washington University

Bellingham, Washington
#5 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Western Washington University. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in Washington. WWU is located in Bellingham, Washington and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 95 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees to qualified students.

WWU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Washington” list. It costs about $16,529 for washington bachelor’s degree parks & rec students 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%.

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

#3

Central Washington University

Ellensburg, Washington
#6 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Central Washington University. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in Washington. CWU is a public institution located in Ellensburg, Washington. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 71 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our washington bachelor’s degree parks & rec students list, CWU has also earned the #6 rank in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Washington” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Central Washington University is $15,397 for Washington Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students.

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

#4

Eastern Washington University

Cheney, Washington
#9 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Eastern Washington University. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in Washington list. EWU is a fairly large public school situated in Cheney, Washington. It awarded 19 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at EWU, the school also landed the #9 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Washington” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for EWU is $12,607 for Washington Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students.

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

#5

Pacific Lutheran University

Tacoma, Washington
#2 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Pacific Lutheran University. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in Washington list. PLU is a private not-for-profit institution located in Tacoma, Washington. The school has a small population, and it awarded 52 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

PLU also took the #2 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Washington” ranking. The yearly cost to attend PLU is $23,058 for Washington Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

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

#6

Gonzaga University

Spokane, Washington
#3 in overall quality

Gonzaga University landed the #6 spot on the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in Washington ranking. Gonzaga University is a medium-sized school located in Spokane, Washington that handed out 17 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Gonzaga, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Washington” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Gonzaga is $33,793 for Washington Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 92%. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

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

#7

Whitworth University

Spokane, Washington
#8 in overall quality

Whitworth University ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in Washington list. This small school is located in Spokane, Washington, and it awarded 14 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our washington bachelor’s degree parks & rec students list, Whitworth has also earned the #8 rank in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Washington” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Whitworth University is $25,557 for Washington Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Whitworth University Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Report

#8

Seattle University

Seattle, Washington
#4 in overall quality

Seattle University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in Washington ranking, coming in at #8. Seattle U is located in Seattle, Washington and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 30 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our washington bachelor’s degree parks & rec students list, Seattle U has also earned the #4 rank in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Washington” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Seattle University is $34,802 for washington bachelor’s degree parks & rec students.

The low student loan default rate of 2.1% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. The student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Full Seattle U Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Report

#9

University of Puget Sound

Tacoma, Washington
#7 in overall quality

University of Puget Sound did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in Washington ranking, coming in at #9. This small school is located in Tacoma, Washington, and it awarded 26 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

Puget Sound did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #7 on our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Washington” list. It costs about $35,149 for washington bachelor’s degree parks & rec students per year to attend Puget Sound.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at University of Puget Sound

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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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