2025 Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools in Iowa
11
Colleges in Iowa
1,555
Parks & Rec Degrees Awarded
$34,494
Avg Early-Career Salary
Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies is above average in terms of popularity with it being the #15 most popular degree program in the country. So, you have a fair amount of options to choose from when looking for a school.
In 2025, College Factual analyzed 11 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools in Iowa ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 1,555 degrees in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies to qualified students.
Jump to one of the following sections: * Degree-Level Rankings
Choosing a Great Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies School
Your choice of parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. In order to come up with a best overall ranking for parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies schools, we combine our degree-level rankings, weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each level.
You may want to choose one of the degree levels below to find the schools of most interest to you.
Pick Your Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Degree Level
When choosing the right school for you, it's important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we've created a number of major-specific rankings, including this Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools in Iowa list to help you make the college decision.
More interested in schools in a specific area of the country? Filter this list by region or state.
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.
Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.
Read more about College Factual's methodology.
Best Schools for Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies in Iowa
If you aren't interested in a particular degree level and want to know which schools are the overall best at delivering an education for the parks & rec degrees they offer, see the list below.
10 Top Iowa Schools in Parks & Rec
University of Iowa is one of the best schools in the country for getting a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. Iowa is a very large public university located in the small city of Iowa City. A Best Colleges rank of #80 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Iowa is a great university overall.
There were roughly 624 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Iowa in the most recent year we have data available. Soon after graduating, parks & rec degree recipients usually make about $32,533 in their early careers.
More information about a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from University of Iowa
Any student who is interested in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies has to check out Iowa State University. Located in the city of Ames, Iowa State is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #88 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Iowa State is a great university overall.
There were approximately 222 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Iowa State in the most recent year we have data available. Soon after graduation, parks & rec degree recipients typically earn around $36,492 in their early careers.
More information about a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Iowa State University
Every student pursuing a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies has to take a look at Saint Ambrose University. Located in the medium-sized city of Davenport, St. Ambrose University is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population. A Best Colleges rank of #756 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means St. Ambrose University is a great university overall.
There were about 75 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at St. Ambrose University in the most recent year we have data available. After graduating, parks & rec degree recipients usually earn an average of $26,608 in their early careers.
More information about a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Saint Ambrose University
University of Northern Iowa is a great option for students pursuing a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. Located in the city of Cedar Falls, UNI is a public university with a moderately-sized student population. A Best Colleges rank of #270 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means UNI is a great university overall.
There were about 117 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at UNI in the most recent year we have data available. After graduating, parks & rec degree recipients generally earn around $35,868 in their early careers.
More information about a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from University of Northern Iowa
Grand View University is a small private not-for-profit university located in the city of Des Moines. This university ranks 33rd out of 37 colleges for overall quality in the state of Iowa.
There were about 72 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Grand View University in the most recent data year. Those parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who get their degree from Grand View University earn $2,001 more than the average parks & rec graduate.
More information about a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Grand View University
Located in the small city of Dubuque, Loras is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population. This college ranks 29th out of 37 colleges for overall quality in the state of Iowa.
There were approximately 60 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Loras in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the parks & rec program report average early career wages of $31,493.
More information about a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Loras College
Located in the small city of Dubuque, UD is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population. This university ranks 31st out of 37 colleges for overall quality in the state of Iowa.
There were about 19 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at UD in the most recent year we have data available. Those parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who get their degree from University of Dubuque make $3,034 more than the average parks & rec grad.
More information about a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from University of Dubuque
Cornell College is a small private not-for-profit college located in the town of Mount Vernon.
There were roughly 22 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at Cornell College in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the parks & rec program report average early career wages of $35,439.
More information about a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Cornell College
William Penn University is a small private not-for-profit university located in the town of Oskaloosa. This university ranks 36th out of 37 colleges for overall quality in the state of Iowa.
There were approximately 50 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at William Penn University in the most recent year we have data available. Graduates who receive their degree from the parks & rec program earn an average of $30,314 in their early career salary.
More information about a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from William Penn University
Located in the remote area of Fayette, UIU is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population. This university ranks 28th out of 37 schools for overall quality in the state of Iowa.
There were about 40 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students who graduated with this degree at UIU in the most recent year we have data available. After graduating, parks & rec degree recipients typically make about $35,361 in the first five years of their career.
More information about a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Upper Iowa University
