2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Kentucky for Parks & Rec
8
Ranked Colleges
1,141
Degrees Awarded
$25,300
Avg Cost*
With all of the options veterans have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. College Factual has developed its “Most Veteran Friendly in Kentucky for Parks & Rec” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.
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 Kentucky, there were 1,141 parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $30,581 and $25,871 respectively.
For this year’s “Most Veteran Friendly in Kentucky for Parks & Rec” ranking, we looked at 8 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 a strong support system for veterans and active service members.
To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as veteran satisfaction, veteran affordability, and overall quality of the parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies program at the school. See our ranking methodology to learn more.
More Ways to Rank Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Most Veteran Friendly in Kentucky for Parks & Rec” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to you. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.
Most Veteran Friendly in Kentucky for Parks & Rec
The following schools top our list of the Best “Most Veteran Friendly in Kentucky for Parks & Rec”.
Top 8 Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Colleges for Veterans in Kentucky
Out of the 8 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in Kentucky for Parks & Rec that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Kentucky landed the #1 spot on the list. This large school is located in Lexington, Kentucky, and it awarded 42 ’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UK, the school also landed the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Among the 29,986 students enrolled at University of Kentucky, 1 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 0 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $0. During this same period, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. University of Kentucky offers 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Full UK Veteran Student Life Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Louisville. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Kentucky for Parks & Rec list. This large school is located in Louisville, Kentucky, and it awarded 271 ’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.
UofL also made our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list, coming in at #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS].Our most recent data shows that 17 of the 22,211 students enrolled at University of Louisville were GI Bill® students, of which 9 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $25,972. During this same period, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. University of Louisville 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%.
Full University of Louisville Veteran Student Life Report
Out of the 8 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in Kentucky for Parks & Rec that were part of this year’s ranking, Bellarmine University landed the #3 spot on the list. Louisville, Kentucky is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s parks and rec degrees to 52 students in 2020-2021.
Bellarmine U not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.Our most recent data shows that 103 of the 3,293 students enrolled at Bellarmine U were GI Bill® students, of which 56 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $9,409. In addition to receiving other benefits, 5 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full Bellarmine U Veteran Student Life Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Western Kentucky University. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Kentucky for Parks & Rec list. Located in Bowling Green, Kentucky, this fairly large public school handed out 258 diplomas to qualified ’s parks and rec students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at WKU, the school also landed the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.According to our most recent data, WKU supports 17,517 students, and 847 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 345 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $6,743. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. WKU does offer credit for military training for eligible students.
[Read full report on veteran student life at Western Kentucky University]](/colleges/western-kentucky-university/student-life/veterans/)
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Morehead State University. The school came in at #5 for the Most Veteran Friendly in Kentucky for Parks & Rec. Morehead State University is a medium-sized school located in Morehead, Kentucky that handed out 73 ’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.
Morehead State University also took the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 191 of the 9,304 students enrolled at Morehead State University were GI Bill® students, of which 60 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $7,170. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
[Read full report on veteran student life at Morehead State University]](/colleges/morehead-state-university/student-life/veterans/)
Eastern Kentucky University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in Kentucky for Parks & Rec ranking. Richmond, Kentucky is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s parks and rec degrees to 141 students in 2020-2021.
Eastern also made our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list, coming in at #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS].According to our most recent data, Eastern supports 14,465 students, and 869 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 469 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $7,031. During this same period, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eastern offers credit for military training for eligible students.
Full Eastern Kentucky University Veteran Student Life Report
University of the Cumberlands did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Kentucky for Parks & Rec ranking, coming in at #7. University of the Cumberlands is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Williamsburg, Kentucky. It awarded 49 ’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.
Cumberlands not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.Among the 19,110 students enrolled at Cumberlands, 196 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 120 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $4,681. 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.
[Read full report on veteran student life at University of the Cumberlands]](/colleges/university-of-the-cumberlands/student-life/veterans/)
Murray State University landed the #8 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Kentucky for Parks & Rec ranking. Murray State is located in Murray, Kentucky and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 29 ’s parks and rec degrees to qualified students.
Murray State also made our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list, coming in at #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS].Our most recent data shows that 401 of the 9,449 students enrolled at Murray State were GI Bill® students, of which 133 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $6,362. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
Full Murray State Veteran Student Life Report
Focus on a Specific Degree Level
North Carolina
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Alabama
Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Colleges for Veterans in Alabama
Georgia
Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Colleges for Veterans in Georgia
Louisiana
Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Colleges for Veterans in Louisiana
South Carolina
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Virginia
Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Colleges for Veterans in Virginia
West Virginia
Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Colleges for Veterans in West Virginia
Kentucky
Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Colleges for Veterans in Kentucky
Tennessee
Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Colleges for Veterans in Tennessee
Mississippi
Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Colleges for Veterans in Mississippi
Florida
Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Colleges for Veterans in Florida
Arkansas
Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Colleges for Veterans in Arkansas
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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).
- Veteran-specific data can be found at the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs.
- 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
- *Avg Salary and Avg 4-Year Grad Rate are for the top schools only.
- **GI Bill® student total includes all chapters of the GI Bill® program (e.g., Post-9/11, Montgomery GI Bill, Reserve Education Assistance Program, and Veteran Readiness and Employment)
- 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.
Credits
college factual
