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2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region

88 Ranked Colleges
5,005 Degrees Awarded
$15,500 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor's in the Plains States Region

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 the Plains States Region” ranking is part of that endeavor.

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 Plains States region, there were 5,808 parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $29,644 and $24,923 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 5,005 parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $39,786 and $25,576 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region” ranking looked at 88 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s 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.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. 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 Plains States Region” 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. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.

Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region

The colleges and universities below are the best for plains states region bachelor’s degree parks & rec students.

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies in the Plains States Region

#1

Chadron State College

Chadron, Nebraska
#1 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Chadron State College. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region list. Chadron State College is a small public school situated in Chadron, Nebraska. It awarded 17 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our plains states region bachelor’s degree parks & rec students list, Chadron State College has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Chadron State College is $14,268 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students.

Full Chadron State College Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Report

#2

South Dakota State University

Brookings, South Dakota
#13 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend South Dakota State University. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region list. South Dakota State is a fairly large school located in Brookings, South Dakota that handed out 50 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at South Dakota State, the school also landed the #13 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. It costs about $19,252 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students per year to attend South Dakota State University.

The student loan default rate at the school is 3.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

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

#7 in overall quality

Out of the 88 schools in the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region that were part of this year’s ranking, North Dakota State University - Main Campus landed the #3 spot on the list. Fargo, North Dakota is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s parks and rec degrees to 79 students in 2019-2020.

North Dakota State University did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #7 on our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. The yearly cost to attend North Dakota State University is $16,584 for plains states region bachelor’s degree parks & rec students.

The low student loan default rate of 3.1% 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%.

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

#4

Dickinson State University

Dickinson, North Dakota

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Dickinson State University. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region list. DSU is a small school located in Dickinson, North Dakota that handed out 8 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Dickinson State University is $10,855 for plains states region bachelor’s degree parks & rec students.

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

#5

Truman State University

Kirksville, Missouri
#5 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Truman State University. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region. Truman State is a small school located in Kirksville, Missouri that handed out 104 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Truman State, the school also landed the #5 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Truman State is $12,462 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students.

With a freshman retention rate of 88%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Truman State University Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Report

Southwest Minnesota State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region ranking, coming in at #6. Located in Marshall, Minnesota, this medium-sized public school handed out 58 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s parks and rec students in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Southwest Minnesota State University is $14,397 for plains states region bachelor’s degree parks & rec students.

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

#7

Winona State University

Winona, Minnesota
#11 in overall quality

Winona State University ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region list. Winona State is a public institution located in Winona, Minnesota. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 107 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Winona State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #11 on our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Winona State is $17,656 for plains states region bachelor’s degree parks & rec students.

The student loan default rate at the school is 3.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

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

#8

University of South Dakota

Vermillion, South Dakota

University of South Dakota did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region ranking, coming in at #8. Located in Vermillion, South Dakota, this medium-sized public school awarded 91 degrees to qualified bachelors’s parks and rec students in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for USD is $18,555 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

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

#9

University of North Dakota

Grand Forks, North Dakota
#17 in overall quality

With a ranking of #9, University of North Dakota did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region list. Grand Forks, North Dakota is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s parks and rec degrees to 38 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UND, the school also landed the #17 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UND is $15,738 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students.

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%.

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

#10

Dakota State University

Madison, South Dakota

Dakota State University came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region ranking. Located in Madison, South Dakota, this small public school handed out 11 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s parks and rec students in 2019-2020.

It costs about $17,691 for plains states region bachelor’s degree parks & rec students per year to attend Dakota State University.

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

#11

Northern State University

Aberdeen, South Dakota

Northern State University landed the #11 spot on the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region ranking. Northern State University is located in Aberdeen, South Dakota and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 24 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees to qualified students.

The yearly cost to attend NSU is $15,851 for plains states region bachelor’s degree parks & rec students.

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

#12

University of Mary

Bismarck, North Dakota
#10 in overall quality

With a ranking of #12, University of Mary did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region list. UMary is a private not-for-profit institution located in Bismarck, North Dakota. The school has a small population, and it awarded 26 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our plains states region bachelor’s degree parks & rec students list, UMary has also earned the #10 rank in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UMary is $17,410 for plains states region 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%.

Read more about Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at University of Mary

#13

University of Minnesota - Crookston

Crookston, Minnesota

University of Minnesota - Crookston came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region ranking. University of Minnesota - Crookston is located in Crookston, Minnesota and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 15 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees to qualified students.

The estimated yearly cost for University of Minnesota - Crookston is $10,952 for plains states region bachelor’s degree parks & rec students.

Full University of Minnesota - Crookston Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Report

#14 in overall quality

Minnesota State University - Mankato did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region ranking, coming in at #14. This fairly large school is located in Mankato, Minnesota, and it awarded 151 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

Minnesota State Mankato not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #14 on our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Minnesota State Mankato is $16,221 for plains states region bachelor’s degree parks & rec students.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

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

#19 in overall quality

University of Nebraska at Kearney did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region ranking, coming in at #15. Located in Kearney, Nebraska, this medium-sized public school awarded 81 degrees to qualified bachelors’s parks and rec students in 2019-2020.

UNK did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #19 on our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. It costs about $16,017 for plains states region bachelor’s degree parks & rec students per year to attend UNK.

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 full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at University of Nebraska at Kearney

#23 in overall quality

University of Minnesota - Duluth ranked #16 on this year’s Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region list. This fairly large school is located in Duluth, Minnesota, and it awarded 55 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

UMN Duluth did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #23 on our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. The yearly cost to attend UMN Duluth is $17,067 for plains states region bachelor’s degree parks & rec students.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at UMN Duluth

#17

Bemidji State University

Bemidji, Minnesota

Bemidji State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region ranking, coming in at #17. Bemidji State University is a small public school situated in Bemidji, Minnesota. It awarded 30 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Bemidji State University is $15,868 for plains states region bachelor’s degree parks & rec students.

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

Northwest Missouri State University ranked #18 on this year’s Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region list. Northwest Missouri State University is a medium-sized public school situated in Maryville, Missouri. It awarded 43 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Northwest is $12,354 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students.

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

#3 in overall quality

Iowa State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region ranking, coming in at #19. Located in Ames, Iowa, this large public school awarded 238 degrees to qualified bachelors’s parks and rec students in 2019-2020.

Iowa State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Iowa State University is $15,496 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students.

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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%.

Full Iowa State Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Report

#20

University of Northern Iowa

Cedar Falls, Iowa
#15 in overall quality

University of Northern Iowa landed the #20 spot on the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region ranking. Cedar Falls, Iowa is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s parks and rec degrees to 113 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our plains states region bachelor’s degree parks & rec students list, UNI has also earned the #15 rank in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Northern Iowa is $15,620 for plains states region bachelor’s degree parks & rec students.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

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

#21

Lindenwood University

Saint Charles, Missouri

Lindenwood University landed the #21 spot on the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region ranking. Located in Saint Charles, Missouri, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school handed out 150 degrees to qualified bachelors’s parks and rec students in 2019-2020.

It costs about $17,491 for plains states region bachelor’s degree parks & rec students per year to attend Lindenwood University.

The low student loan default rate of 4.8% 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 Lindenwood University

#22

Black Hills State University

Spearfish, South Dakota

Black Hills State University came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region ranking. Black Hills State University is a small public school situated in Spearfish, South Dakota. It awarded 44 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $16,641 for plains states region bachelor’s degree parks & rec students per year to attend Black Hills State University.

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

#23

Southeast Missouri State University

Cape Girardeau, Missouri

Southeast Missouri State University landed the #23 spot on the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region ranking. Southeast Missouri State University is a fairly large school located in Cape Girardeau, Missouri that handed out 54 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Southeast Missouri State University is $12,774 for plains states region bachelor’s degree parks & rec students.

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

#24

Wayne State College

Wayne, Nebraska

Wayne State College ranked #24 on this year’s Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region list. Located in Wayne, Nebraska, this small public school handed out 33 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s parks and rec students in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for WSC is $13,765 for plains states region bachelor’s degree parks & rec students.

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

Minnesota State University - Moorhead landed the #25 spot on the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region ranking. MSU Moorhead is located in Moorhead, Minnesota and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 37 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees to qualified students.

The yearly cost to attend MSU Moorhead is $16,893 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

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

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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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