2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Iowa for Parks & Rec
12
Ranked Colleges
1,493
Degrees Awarded
$28,400
Avg Cost*
It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for veterans. 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 Iowa for Parks & Rec” 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 Iowa, there were 1,493 parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $31,634 and $25,812 respectively.
This year’s “Most Veteran Friendly in Iowa for Parks & Rec” ranking analyzed 12 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.
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, veteran affordability, and veteran population. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
One Size Does Not Fit All
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Most Veteran Friendly in Iowa for Parks & Rec” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.
Most Veteran Friendly in Iowa for Parks & Rec
The colleges and universities below are the best for iowa vets studying parks & rec.
Top 12 Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Colleges for Veterans in Iowa
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Iowa. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Iowa for Parks & Rec list. Iowa City, Iowa is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s parks and rec degrees to 675 students in 2020-2021.
Iowa not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.According to our most recent data, University of Iowa supports 30,318 students, and 1 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 0 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $0. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. University of Iowa offers credit for military training for eligible 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 88%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Full University of Iowa Veteran Student Life Report
Out of the 12 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in Iowa for Parks & Rec that were part of this year’s ranking, Iowa State University landed the #2 spot on the list. Iowa State is a large public school situated in Ames, Iowa. It awarded 251 ’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.
Iowa State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.Among the 31,822 students enrolled at Iowa State University, 814 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 388 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $7,933. On top of their other funding sources, 9 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate 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%.
Read More…
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Saint Ambrose University. The school came in at #3 for the Most Veteran Friendly in Iowa for Parks & Rec. Saint Ambrose University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Davenport, Iowa. The school has a small population, and it awarded 69 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
St. Ambrose University 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 88 of the 3,003 students enrolled at Saint Ambrose University were GI Bill® students, of which 42 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $7,054. To help with additional expenses, 17 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Saint Ambrose University 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 Saint Ambrose University Veteran Student Life Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Northern Iowa. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Iowa for Parks & Rec list. Cedar Falls, Iowa is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s parks and rec degrees to 131 students in 2020-2021.
UNI not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.According to our most recent data, University of Northern Iowa supports 9,507 students, and 251 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 99 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $6,033. To help with additional expenses, 1 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. University of Northern Iowa offers credit for military training for eligible students.
With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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 University of Northern Iowa Veteran Student Life Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Loras College. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Iowa for Parks & Rec list. Located in Dubuque, Iowa, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 32 diplomas to qualified ’s parks and rec students in 2020-2021.
Loras did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.Of the 1,404 students enrolled at Loras, 34 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 15 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $6,495. During this same period, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
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 Loras Veteran Student Life Report
University of Dubuque landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Iowa for Parks & Rec ranking. Located in Dubuque, Iowa, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 28 degrees to qualified ’s parks and rec students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UD, 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, University of Dubuque supports 2,180 students, and 115 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 74 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $13,817. During this same period, 30 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. University of Dubuque does offer credit for military training for eligible students.
Read More…
With a ranking of #7, Grand View University did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Iowa for Parks & Rec list. Grand View University is located in Des Moines, Iowa and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 54 ’s parks and rec degrees to qualified students.
Grand View University also took the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.According to our most recent data, Grand View University supports 1,874 students, and 86 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 38 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $8,256. To help with additional expenses, 2 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Grand View University does offer credit for military training for eligible students.
Read More…
Simpson College did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Iowa for Parks & Rec ranking, coming in at #8. Indianola, Iowa is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s parks and rec degrees to 13 students in 2020-2021.
Simpson College also took the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.According to our most recent data, Simpson College supports 1,267 students, and 35 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 18 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $10,481. On top of their other funding sources, 7 students qualified for 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%.
[Read full report on veteran student life at Simpson College]](/colleges/simpson-college/student-life/veterans/)
William Penn University landed the #9 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Iowa for Parks & Rec ranking. This small school is located in Oskaloosa, Iowa, and it awarded 58 ’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.
William Penn University did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.Of the 1,350 students enrolled at William Penn University, 1 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 0 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $0. 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 William Penn University]](/colleges/william-penn-university/student-life/veterans/)
Buena Vista University ranked #10 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in Iowa for Parks & Rec list. This small school is located in Storm Lake, Iowa, and it awarded 12 ’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.
BVU also made our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list, coming in at #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS].According to our most recent data, Buena Vista University supports 1,863 students, and 1 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 1 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $10,992. 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.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. 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 Buena Vista University]](/colleges/buena-vista-university/student-life/veterans/)
Graceland University - Lamoni ranked #11 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in Iowa for Parks & Rec list. Graceland Lamoni is a private not-for-profit institution located in Lamoni, Iowa. The school has a small population, and it awarded 17 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Graceland Lamoni did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.Our most recent data shows that 17 of the 1,517 students enrolled at Graceland Lamoni were GI Bill® students, of which 8 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $7,416. During this same period, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Graceland Lamoni offers credit for military training for eligible students.
Read More…
With a ranking of #12, Cornell College did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Iowa for Parks & Rec list. This small school is located in Mount Vernon, Iowa, and it awarded 26 ’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.
Cornell College also took the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 10 of the 1,002 students enrolled at Cornell College were GI Bill® students, of which 3 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $3,961. During this same period, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
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%.
Read More…
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Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Colleges for Veterans in Kansas
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Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Colleges for Veterans in Iowa
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Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Colleges for Veterans in North Dakota
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Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Colleges for Veterans in Nebraska
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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
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