2023 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in the New England Region
32
Ranked Colleges
2,777
Degrees Awarded
$24,000
Avg Net Price*
When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in the New England Region” ranking.
In 2020-2021, 73,813 people earned their degree in parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies, making the major the 15th most popular in the United States. In 2019-2020, parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $31,423 and had an average of $24,388 in loans still to pay off.
Across the New England region, there were 2,777 parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $33,506 and $25,928 respectively.
For this year’s “Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in the New England Region” ranking, we looked at 32 colleges that offer 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.
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 in the New England Region”.
To further help you make the college decision, we’ve developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most 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 in the New England Region
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in the New England Region.
Top 25 Best Value Colleges for Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies in the New England Region
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Plymouth State University. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in the New England Region list. Plymouth, New Hampshire is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s parks and rec degrees to 81 students in 2020-2021.
Plymouth State also made our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools in the New England Region” list, coming in at #10. The estimated yearly cost for Plymouth State is $20,370 for New England Region Parks & Rec students.
Full Plymouth State Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Southern New Hampshire University. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in the New England Region. SNHU is located in Manchester, New Hampshire and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 212 ’s parks and rec degrees to qualified students.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at SNHU, the school also landed the #16 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools in the New England Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend SNHU is $42,645 for New England Region Parks & Rec students.
Read more about Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at SNHU
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Castleton University. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in the New England Region list. Castleton is a small public school situated in Castleton, Vermont. It awarded 58 ’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.
Castleton not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #5 on our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools in the New England Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Castleton is $17,740 for New England Region Parks & Rec students.
Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Castleton University
Out of the 32 schools in the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in the New England Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Gordon College landed the #4 spot on the list. Located in Wenham, Massachusetts, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 13 degrees to qualified ’s parks and rec students in 2020-2021.
Gordon College did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #8 on our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools in the New England Region” list. It costs about $25,748 for new england region parks & rec students per year to attend Gordon College.
The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The undergrad 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 full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Gordon College
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Salem State University. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in the New England Region list. Salem, Massachusetts is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s parks and rec degrees to 35 students in 2020-2021.
Salem State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #17 on our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools in the New England Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Salem State is $19,017 for new england region parks & rec students.
Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Salem State
Northern Vermont University landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in the New England Region ranking. Northern Vermont University is a small school located in Johnson, Vermont that handed out 42 ’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.
Northern Vermont University also took the #11 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools in the New England Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Northern Vermont University is $15,906 for new england region parks & rec students.
Full Northern Vermont University Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Report
With a ranking of #7, Westfield State University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in the New England Region list. Westfield, Massachusetts is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s parks and rec degrees to 56 students in 2020-2021.
Westfield not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #23 on our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools in the New England Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Westfield State University is $19,583 for New England Region Parks & Rec students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full Westfield Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Report
With a ranking of #8, Southern Connecticut State University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in the New England Region list. SCSU is a medium-sized school located in New Haven, Connecticut that handed out 100 ’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our new england region parks & rec students list, SCSU has also earned the #15 rank in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools in the New England Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Southern Connecticut State University is $20,830 for new england region parks & rec students.
Read more about Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at SCSU
University of New Hampshire - Main Campus ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in the New England Region list. University of New Hampshire - Main Campus is a fairly large school located in Durham, New Hampshire that handed out 160 ’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.
UNH also took the #1 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools in the New England Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UNH is $24,160 for new england region parks & rec students.
The low undergrad 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read more about Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at UNH
Central Connecticut State University landed the #10 spot on the 2023 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in the New England Region ranking. Central Connecticut State University is a public institution located in New Britain, Connecticut. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 60 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at CCSU, the school also landed the #20 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools in the New England Region” ranking. It costs about $16,723 for New England Region Parks & Rec students per year to attend CCSU.
Read more about Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at CCSU
University of Massachusetts Amherst ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in the New England Region list. University of Massachusetts Amherst is located in Amherst, Massachusetts and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 144 ’s parks and rec degrees to qualified students.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UMass Amherst, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools in the New England Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Massachusetts Amherst is $22,038 for new england region parks & rec students.
With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full University of Massachusetts Amherst Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Report
Endicott College ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in the New England Region list. Beverly, Massachusetts is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s parks and rec degrees to 102 students in 2020-2021.
Endicott did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #6 on our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools in the New England Region” list. It costs about $35,992 for New England Region Parks & Rec students per year to attend Endicott.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full Endicott Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Report
Post University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in the New England Region ranking, coming in at #13. Post University is a fairly large private for-profit school situated in Waterbury, Connecticut. It awarded 26 ’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.
The estimated yearly cost for Post University is $16,529 for New England Region Parks & Rec students.
Full Post University Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Report
Springfield College landed the #14 spot on the 2023 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in the New England Region ranking. Springfield College is a small school located in Springfield, Massachusetts that handed out 129 ’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.
Springfield College not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #4 on our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools in the New England Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Springfield College is $28,710 for New England Region Parks & Rec students.
With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read more about Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Springfield College
Lasell University landed the #15 spot on the 2023 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in the New England Region ranking. Lasell University is a small school located in Newton, Massachusetts that handed out 80 ’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.
Lasell also made our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools in the New England Region” list, coming in at #14. The yearly cost to attend Lasell is $26,666 for New England Region Parks & Rec students.
Full Lasell University Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Report
University of Connecticut ranked #16 on this year’s Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in the New England Region list. This large school is located in Storrs, Connecticut, and it awarded 51 ’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our new england region parks & rec students list, UCONN has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools in the New England Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UCONN is $22,974 for New England Region Parks & Rec students.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at UCONN
With a ranking of #17, Eastern Connecticut State University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in the New England Region list. ECSU is a small school located in Willimantic, Connecticut that handed out 26 ’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.
ECSU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #25 on our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools in the New England Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for ECSU is $19,290 for new england region parks & rec students.
Full Eastern Connecticut State University Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Report
University of Massachusetts - Boston landed the #18 spot on the 2023 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in the New England Region ranking. University of Massachusetts - Boston is located in Boston, Massachusetts and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 143 ’s parks and rec degrees to qualified students.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UMass Boston, the school also landed the #12 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools in the New England Region” ranking. It costs about $17,752 for New England Region Parks & Rec students per year to attend University of Massachusetts - Boston.
Full University of Massachusetts - Boston Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Report
Western New England University landed the #19 spot on the 2023 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in the New England Region ranking. Western New England is a small school located in Springfield, Massachusetts that handed out 39 ’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.
Western New England did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #22 on our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools in the New England Region” list. It costs about $30,594 for New England Region Parks & Rec students per year to attend Western New England.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Western New England
University of Vermont did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in the New England Region ranking, coming in at #20. UVM is a fairly large school located in Burlington, Vermont that handed out 43 ’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UVM, the school also landed the #7 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools in the New England Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Vermont is $19,509 for New England Region Parks & Rec students.
The low undergrad 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at UVM
University of New England landed the #21 spot on the 2023 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in the New England Region ranking. UNE is a medium-sized school located in Biddeford, Maine that handed out 57 ’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.
UNE not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #13 on our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools in the New England Region” list. The yearly cost to attend UNE is $35,871 for new england region parks & rec students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at University of New England
Thomas College landed the #22 spot on the 2023 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in the New England Region ranking. This small school is located in Waterville, Maine, and it awarded 13 ’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.
The yearly cost to attend Thomas College is $21,844 for new england region parks & rec students.
Full Thomas College Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Report
With a ranking of #23, Franklin Pierce University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in the New England Region list. Located in Rindge, New Hampshire, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 27 degrees to qualified ’s parks and rec students in 2020-2021.
Franklin Pierce also made our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools in the New England Region” list, coming in at #18. It costs about $26,722 for New England Region Parks & Rec students per year to attend Franklin Pierce.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.5% 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 Franklin Pierce University
Norwich University landed the #24 spot on the 2023 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in the New England Region ranking. This small school is located in Northfield, Vermont, and it awarded 19 ’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.
Norwich also took the #9 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools in the New England Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Norwich University is $23,985 for new england region parks & rec students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Norwich
Saint Joseph’s College of Maine landed the #25 spot on the 2023 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in the New England Region ranking. Standish, Maine is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s parks and rec degrees to 21 students in 2020-2021.
Saint Joseph’s Maine not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #21 on our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools in the New England Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Saint Joseph’s College of Maine is $27,595 for new england region parks & rec students.
The low undergrad 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%.
Full Saint Joseph’s Maine Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Report
