2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Parks & Rec for a Doctorate
6
Ranked Colleges
59
Degrees Awarded
$30,800
Avg Cost*
Veterans have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Parks & Rec for a Doctorate” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.
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 Southwest region, there were 10,228 parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $32,393 and $22,734 respectively.
This year’s “Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Parks & Rec for a Doctorate” ranking analyzed 6 colleges that offered 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 a strong support system for veterans and active service members.
When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies program at the school, veteran affordability, and veteran satisfaction. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Parks & Rec for a Doctorate
The colleges and universities below are the best for southwest region doctor’s degree vets studying parks & rec.
Top 6 Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Veterans in the Southwest Region
Out of the 6 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Parks & Rec for a Doctorate that were part of this year’s ranking, Texas A&M University - College Station landed the #1 spot on the list. Texas A&M University - College Station is a large school located in College Station, Texas that handed out 7 doctorate’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.
Texas A&M College Station not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list.Our most recent data shows that 5 of the 70,418 students enrolled at Texas A&M University - College Station were GI Bill® students, of which 4 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $4,925. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
[Read full report on veteran student life at Texas A&M College Station]](/colleges/texas-a-and-m-university-college-station/student-life/veterans/)
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Houston. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Parks & Rec for a Doctorate list. Located in Houston, Texas, this large public school handed out 13 degrees to qualified doctorate’s parks and rec students in 2020-2021.
UH also made our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list, coming in at #4.Our most recent data shows that 1,382 of the 47,090 students enrolled at University of Houston were GI Bill® students, of which 730 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $8,264. During this same period, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. University of Houston does offer credit for military training for eligible students.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%.
[Read full report on veteran student life at University of Houston]](/colleges/university-of-houston/student-life/veterans/)
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend The University of Texas at Austin. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Parks & Rec for a Doctorate list. This large school is located in Austin, Texas, and it awarded 10 doctorate’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.
UT Austin also took the #1 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 7 of the 50,476 students enrolled at UT Austin were GI Bill® students, of which 1 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $2,893. To help with additional expenses, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
[Read full report on veteran student life at UT Austin]](/colleges/the-university-of-texas-at-austin/student-life/veterans/)
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Oklahoma State University - Main Campus. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Parks & Rec for a Doctorate list. OSU is a public institution located in Stillwater, Oklahoma. The school has a large population, and it awarded 11 doctorate’s degrees in 2020-2021.
OSU also made our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list, coming in at #3.Among the 24,535 students enrolled at OSU, 1,038 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 439 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $7,226. On top of their other funding sources, 39 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. OSU does offer credit for military training for eligible students.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full OSU Veteran Student Life Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend The University of Texas at Arlington. The school came in at #5 for the Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Parks & Rec for a Doctorate. This large school is located in Arlington, Texas, and it awarded 4 doctorate’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.
UT Arlington also took the #6 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking.Among the 48,072 students enrolled at UT Arlington, 2,109 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 1,211 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $5,630. During this same period, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% 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 veteran student life at The University of Texas at Arlington]](/colleges/the-university-of-texas-at-arlington/student-life/veterans/)
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