by our College Data Analytics Team
It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. College Factual has developed its “Schools Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major in the Far Western US Region” 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 72,741 degrees awarded in 2021-2022. In , parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies graduates who were awarded their degree in , earned an average of $31,466 and had an average of $24,117 in loans still to pay off.
Across the Far Western US region, there were 13,000 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $31,446 and $21,331 respectively.
This year’s “Schools Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major in the Far Western US Region” ranking looked at 206 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. This a ranking of the schools where the largest percentage of students has enrolled in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies.
See our ranking methodology to learn more.
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 “Schools Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major in the Far Western US Region”.
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.
The colleges and universities below are the best for far western us region parks & rec students.
Out of the 206 schools in the Schools Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major in the Far Western US Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Professional Golfers Career College landed the #1 spot on the list. PGCC is a private for-profit institution located in Temecula, California. The school has a small population, and it awarded 32 ’s degrees in 2021-2022.
Read more about Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at PGCC
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend International Sports Sciences Association. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major in the Far Western US Region list. ISSA is located in Carpinteria, California and, has a small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 101 ’s parks & rec degrees to qualified students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 100%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Concordia University, Irvine. The school came in at #3 for the Schools Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major in the Far Western US Region. Concordia University, Irvine is a private not-for-profit institution located in Irvine, California. The school has a small population, and it awarded 370 ’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full Concordia University, Irvine Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Whittier College. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major in the Far Western US Region list. Whittier College is a small school located in Whittier, California that handed out 46 ’s parks & rec degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full Whittier Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Saint Katherine. The school came in at #5 for the Schools Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major in the Far Western US Region. This small school is located in San Marcos, California, and it awarded 15 ’s parks & rec degrees in 2021-2022.
Full University of Saint Katherine Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Report
With a ranking of #6, Westmont College did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major in the Far Western US Region list. Located in Santa Barbara, California, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 36 degrees to qualified ’s parks & rec students in 2021-2022.
With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The undergraduate 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.
Read more about Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Westmont College
Mt. San Antonio College came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major in the Far Western US Region ranking. Located in Walnut, California, this large public school awarded 489 diplomas to qualified ’s parks & rec students in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.2% 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 Mt. SAC
Warner Pacific University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major in the Far Western US Region ranking. Portland, Oregon is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s parks & rec degrees to 13 students in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.0% 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%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 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 Warner Pacific
Alaska Pacific University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major in the Far Western US Region ranking. Alaska Pacific University is located in Anchorage, Alaska and, has a small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 18 ’s parks & rec degrees to qualified students.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.9% 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%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Read more about Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Alaska Pacific
University of Western States ranked #10 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major in the Far Western US Region list. Western States Chiropractic College is located in Portland, Oregon and, has a small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 0 ’s parks & rec degrees to qualified students.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Full Western States Chiropractic College Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Report
California Baptist University landed the #11 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major in the Far Western US Region ranking. Located in Riverside, California, this fairly large private not-for-profit school awarded 236 degrees to qualified ’s parks & rec students in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.1% 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%.
Full Cal Baptist Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Report
Eastern Oregon University came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major in the Far Western US Region ranking. EOU is a public institution located in La Grande, Oregon. The school has a small population, and it awarded 56 ’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Eastern Oregon University
Holy Names University came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major in the Far Western US Region ranking. Oakland, California is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s parks & rec degrees to 19 students in 2021-2022.
The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The low undergrad 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%.
Read more about Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at HNU
Linfield University - McMinnville Campus landed the #14 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major in the Far Western US Region ranking. Linfield University - McMinnville Campus is a small private not-for-profit school situated in McMinnville, Oregon. It awarded 42 ’s parks & rec degrees in 2021-2022.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.6% 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%.
California State University - Monterey Bay came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major in the Far Western US Region ranking. CSUMB is a medium-sized school located in Seaside, California that handed out 172 ’s parks & rec degrees in 2021-2022.
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%.
College of the Canyons did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major in the Far Western US Region ranking, coming in at #16. Santa Clarita, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s parks & rec degrees to 479 students in 2021-2022.
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%.
Read more about Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at College of the Canyons
With a ranking of #17, California State University - Chico did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major in the Far Western US Region list. Chico State is a public institution located in Chico, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 305 ’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.2% 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%.
Cabrillo College did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major in the Far Western US Region ranking, coming in at #18. Located in Aptos, California, this medium-sized public school handed out 174 diplomas to qualified ’s parks & rec students in 2021-2022.
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%.
Read more about Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Cabrillo College
University of Antelope Valley came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major in the Far Western US Region ranking. Located in Lancaster, California, this small private for-profit school handed out 22 degrees to qualified ’s parks & rec students in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.7% 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 full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at UAV
Humboldt State University ranked #20 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major in the Far Western US Region list. Humboldt State University is a medium-sized school located in Arcata, California that handed out 105 ’s parks & rec degrees in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad 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 Humboldt State University Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Report
San Diego Christian College came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major in the Far Western US Region ranking. San Diego Christian is located in Spring Valley, California and, has a small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 13 ’s parks & rec degrees to qualified students.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.3% 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%.
Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at San Diego Christian
Feather River Community College District came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major in the Far Western US Region ranking. Located in Quincy, California, this small public school handed out 24 degrees to qualified ’s parks & rec students in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Feather River College
Vanguard University of Southern California ranked #23 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major in the Far Western US Region list. Vanguard is a private not-for-profit institution located in Costa Mesa, California. The school has a small population, and it awarded 43 ’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.1% 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%.
Full Vanguard Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Report
La Sierra University ranked #24 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major in the Far Western US Region list. La Sierra University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Riverside, California. The school has a small population, and it awarded 10 ’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full La Sierra University Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Report
With a ranking of #25, William Jessup University did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major in the Far Western US Region list. William Jessup University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Rocklin, California. The school has a small population, and it awarded 33 ’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at William Jessup University
Not only did these schools make the top 31 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:
Read more about our data sources and methodologies