2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in North Carolina
When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in North Carolina” ranking as one item you can use to help make this 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 North Carolina, there were 3,567 parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $26,371 and $26,986 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 3,100 parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $35,192 and $24,368 respectively.
For this year’s “Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in North Carolina” ranking, we looked at 36 colleges that offer a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies programs that also have a lower cost than 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. See our ranking methodology to learn more.
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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 North Carolina” list to help you make the college decision.
You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. 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 North Carolina
The colleges and universities below are the best for north carolina bachelor’s degree parks & rec students.
Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies in North Carolina
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in North Carolina. This large school is located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, and it awarded 346 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.
UNC Chapel Hill also took the #2 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in North Carolina” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UNC Chapel Hill is $12,352 for North Carolina Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 95%. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.9%, 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 North Carolina State University. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in North Carolina. North Carolina State University is located in Raleigh, North Carolina and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 137 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees to qualified students.
In addition to being on our north carolina bachelor’s degree parks & rec students list, NC State has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in North Carolina” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for North Carolina State University is $16,458 for north carolina bachelor’s degree parks & rec students.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. The low student loan default rate of 2.9% 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 NC State Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Report
Out of the 36 schools in the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in North Carolina that were part of this year’s ranking, University of North Carolina at Wilmington landed the #3 spot on the list. UNCW is a public institution located in Wilmington, North Carolina. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 229 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
UNCW did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in North Carolina” list. The yearly cost to attend University of North Carolina at Wilmington is $19,055 for north carolina bachelor’s degree parks & rec students.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Out of the 36 schools in the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in North Carolina that were part of this year’s ranking, Appalachian State University landed the #4 spot on the list. Located in Boone, North Carolina, this large public school awarded 368 degrees to qualified bachelors’s parks and rec students in 2019-2020.
Appalachian State also made our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in North Carolina” list, coming in at #7. The estimated yearly cost for Appalachian State University is $13,920 for north carolina 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 3.9% 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 Appalachian State
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend East Carolina University. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in North Carolina. Located in Greenville, North Carolina, this large public school handed out 156 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s parks and rec students in 2019-2020.
ECU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #9 on our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in North Carolina” list. The estimated yearly cost for East Carolina University is $15,844 for north carolina bachelor’s degree parks & rec students.
Read more about Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at ECU
With a ranking of #6, University of North Carolina at Greensboro did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in North Carolina list. Located in Greensboro, North Carolina, this fairly large public school handed out 215 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s parks and rec students in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our north carolina bachelor’s degree parks & rec students list, UNC Greensboro has also earned the #10 rank in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in North Carolina” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UNC Greensboro is $12,748 for north carolina bachelor’s degree parks & rec students.
University of North Carolina at Charlotte came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in North Carolina ranking. This large school is located in Charlotte, North Carolina, and it awarded 190 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.
UNC Charlotte also took the #8 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in North Carolina” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UNC Charlotte is $16,529 for North Carolina Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%.
Full University of North Carolina at Charlotte Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Report
North Carolina A & T State University landed the #8 spot on the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in North Carolina ranking. Located in Greensboro, North Carolina, this fairly large public school handed out 142 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s parks and rec students in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at NC A&T, the school also landed the #17 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in North Carolina” ranking. It costs about $10,274 for north carolina bachelor’s degree parks & rec students per year to attend NC A&T.
Read more about Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at NC A&T
Elizabeth City State University ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in North Carolina list. ECSU is a public institution located in Elizabeth City, North Carolina. The school has a small population, and it awarded 19 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
ECSU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #22 on our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in North Carolina” list. The yearly cost to attend ECSU is $2,350 for north carolina bachelor’s degree parks & rec students.
Read more about Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at ECSU
With a ranking of #10, Western Carolina University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in North Carolina list. This fairly large school is located in Cullowhee, North Carolina, and it awarded 68 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.
WCU also took the #16 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in North Carolina” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for WCU is $13,722 for North Carolina Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students.
Full WCU Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Report
University of North Carolina at Pembroke came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in North Carolina ranking. Pembroke, North Carolina is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s parks and rec degrees to 101 students in 2019-2020.
UNC Pembroke also made our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in North Carolina” list, coming in at #20. The estimated yearly cost for UNC Pembroke is $10,228 for North Carolina Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students.
Winston - Salem State University came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in North Carolina ranking. This medium-sized school is located in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and it awarded 101 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.
WSSU also took the #23 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in North Carolina” ranking. It costs about $12,286 for North Carolina Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students per year to attend Winston - Salem State University.
Read more about Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Winston - Salem State University
North Carolina Central University ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in North Carolina list. North Carolina Central University is a public institution located in Durham, North Carolina. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 96 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend North Carolina Central University is $14,732 for North Carolina Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students.
Full North Carolina Central University Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Report
University of Mount Olive came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in North Carolina ranking. University of Mount Olive is a private not-for-profit institution located in Mount Olive, North Carolina. The school has a small population, and it awarded 35 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
UMO did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #21 on our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in North Carolina” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of Mount Olive is $16,437 for North Carolina Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students.
Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at UMO
Johnson C Smith University came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in North Carolina ranking. Located in Charlotte, North Carolina, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 22 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s parks and rec students in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for Johnson C Smith University is $19,220 for north carolina bachelor’s degree parks & rec students.
Read more about Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at JCSU
Greensboro College landed the #16 spot on the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in North Carolina ranking. Located in Greensboro, North Carolina, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 30 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s parks and rec students in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend Greensboro College is $18,764 for North Carolina Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students.
The student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Greensboro College
With a ranking of #17, Elon University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in North Carolina list. Elon is a medium-sized school located in Elon, North Carolina that handed out 70 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.
Elon also made our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in North Carolina” list, coming in at #1. The estimated yearly cost for Elon University is $37,230 for North Carolina Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students.
The student loan default rate at the school is 1.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 90%.
Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Elon
Johnson & Wales University - Charlotte came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in North Carolina ranking. Johnson & Wales University - Charlotte is located in Charlotte, North Carolina and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 34 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees to qualified students.
In addition to being on our north carolina bachelor’s degree parks & rec students list, JWU Charlotte has also earned the #6 rank in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in North Carolina” ranking. The yearly cost to attend JWU Charlotte is $23,774 for north carolina bachelor’s degree parks & rec students.
Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at JWU Charlotte
With a ranking of #19, Livingstone College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in North Carolina list. This small school is located in Salisbury, North Carolina, and it awarded 20 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $18,006 for North Carolina Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students per year to attend Livingstone College.
Full Livingstone College Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Report
Shaw University landed the #20 spot on the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in North Carolina ranking. Shaw University is a small school located in Raleigh, North Carolina that handed out 28 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for Shaw University is $19,244 for north carolina bachelor’s degree parks & rec students.
Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Shaw University
Catawba College ranked #21 on this year’s Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in North Carolina list. Catawba College is a private not-for-profit institution located in Salisbury, North Carolina. The school has a small population, and it awarded 22 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
Catawba not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #18 on our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in North Carolina” list. The yearly cost to attend Catawba is $18,185 for north carolina bachelor’s degree parks & rec students.
Full Catawba College Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Report
Brevard College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in North Carolina ranking, coming in at #22. Brevard College is located in Brevard, North Carolina and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 18 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees to qualified students.
The yearly cost to attend Brevard College is $22,933 for North Carolina Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students.
Full Brevard College Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Report
St. Andrews University landed the #23 spot on the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in North Carolina ranking. This small school is located in Laurinburg, North Carolina, and it awarded 8 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend St. Andrews is $22,666 for North Carolina Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students.
Read more about Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at St. Andrews University
With a ranking of #24, Barton College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in North Carolina list. This small school is located in Wilson, North Carolina, and it awarded 31 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.
Barton College also made our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in North Carolina” list, coming in at #19. The yearly cost to attend Barton College is $24,141 for North Carolina Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students.
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%.
Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Barton College
Lees - McRae College came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in North Carolina ranking. Banner Elk, North Carolina 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 7 students in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend Lees - McRae College is $21,024 for north carolina bachelor’s degree parks & rec students.
Full Lees - McRae College Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Report
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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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