College Factual  by our College Data Analytics Team
       Unbiased Factual Guarantee

2025 Best Recreation Administration Schools

51 Colleges in the United States
2,826 Recreation Admin Degrees Awarded
$34,812 Avg Early-Career Salary
Recreation Administration is about average in terms of popularity for degree programs. That is, it ranks #163 out of the 395 majors across the country that we analyze each year. So, it might take a little more work to find colleges and universities that offer the degree program.

In 2025, College Factual analyzed 51 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Recreation Administration Schools ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 2,826 degrees in recreation administration annually.

What's on this page: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Recreation Administration School

Best Recreation Administration Schools Your choice of recreation administration school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. We derive our Best Overall Recreation Administration School rankings by rolling up our degree-level rankings after weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each school.

In order to find the schools that are the best fit for you, you may want to filter to one of the degree levels below.

Pick Your Recreation Administration Degree Level

Associate Degrees in Recreation Admin
Bachelor's Degrees in Recreation Admin
Master's Degrees in Recreation Admin
Doctor's Degrees in Recreation Admin

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Best Recreation Administration Schools ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision. If you'd like to restrict your choices to just one part of the country, you can filter this list by location.

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. 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.

If you want to learn more about how we derive our rankings, see College Factual's Methodology.

Best Schools for Recreation Administration in the United States

The schools below may not offer all types of recreation admin degrees so you may want to filter by degree level first. However, they are great for the degree levels they do offer. Only those schools that rank in the top 20% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.

10 Top Schools in Recreation Admin

1
Clemson crest
Clemson University
Clemson, SC
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
154 Recreation Admin Degrees Awarded
$35,186 Median Starting Salary

Clemson University is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a degree in recreation administration. Located in the midsize suburb of Clemson, Clemson is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #149 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Clemson is a great university overall.

There were about 154 recreation administration students who graduated with this degree at Clemson in the most recent data year. Graduates who receive their degree from the recreation admin program make around $35,186 in the first couple years of working.

More information about a degree in recreation administration from Clemson University

2
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
97 Recreation Admin Degrees Awarded
21.6% Growth in Graduates

University of New Hampshire - Main Campus is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a degree in recreation administration. Located in the town of Durham, UNH is a public university with a large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #151 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means UNH is a great university overall.

There were approximately 97 recreation administration students who graduated with this degree at UNH in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the recreation administration major at University of New Hampshire - Main Campus make $3,389 above the average graduate with the same degree when they enter the workforce.

More information about a degree in recreation administration from University of New Hampshire - Main Campus

3
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
84 Recreation Admin Degrees Awarded
$33,161 Median Starting Salary

Colorado State University - Fort Collins is one of the best schools in the country for getting a degree in recreation administration. Located in the midsize city of Fort Collins, Colorado State is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #178 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Colorado State is a great university overall.

There were roughly 84 recreation administration students who graduated with this degree at Colorado State in the most recent year we have data available. Students who receive their degree from the recreation admin program make an average of $33,161 in the first couple years of working.

More information about a degree in recreation administration from Colorado State University - Fort Collins

4
UF crest
University of Florida
Gainesville, FL
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
98 Recreation Admin Degrees Awarded
39.8% Growth in Graduates

University of Florida is a great decision for students interested in a degree in recreation administration. UF is a very large public university located in the midsize city of Gainesville. A Best Colleges rank of #56 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UF is a great university overall.

There were roughly 98 recreation administration students who graduated with this degree at UF in the most recent data year. Those recreation administration students who get their degree from University of Florida receive $6,234 more than the average recreation admin grad.

More information about a degree in recreation administration from University of Florida

5
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
113 Recreation Admin Degrees Awarded
30.1% Growth in Graduates

Located in the city of Raleigh, NC State is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #122 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means NC State is a great university overall.

There were approximately 113 recreation administration students who graduated with this degree at NC State in the most recent data year. Recreation Administration degree recipients from North Carolina State University get an earnings boost of about $6,142 above the average earnings of recreation administration graduates.

More information about a degree in recreation administration from North Carolina State University

6
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
44 Recreation Admin Degrees Awarded
$29,471 Median Starting Salary

Located in the midsize city of Fort Lauderdale, Keiser University - Ft Lauderdale is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #123 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Keiser University - Ft Lauderdale is a great university overall.

There were about 44 recreation administration students who graduated with this degree at Keiser University - Ft Lauderdale in the most recent data year. Students who receive their degree from the recreation admin program make about $29,471 for their early career.

More information about a degree in recreation administration from Keiser University - Ft Lauderdale

7
WKU crest
Western Kentucky University
Bowling Green, KY
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
64 Recreation Admin Degrees Awarded
$43,118 Median Starting Salary

WKU is a fairly large public university located in the small city of Bowling Green. This university ranks 6th out of 39 schools for overall quality in the state of Kentucky.

There were about 64 recreation administration students who graduated with this degree at WKU in the most recent year we have data available. Recreation Administration degree recipients from Western Kentucky University earn a boost of around $8,306 over the typical earnings of recreation administration graduates.

More information about a degree in recreation administration from Western Kentucky University

8
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
81 Recreation Admin Degrees Awarded
$39,104 Median Starting Salary

Illinois State is a very large public university located in the midsize suburb of Normal. A Best Colleges rank of #210 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Illinois State is a great university overall.

There were approximately 81 recreation administration students who graduated with this degree at Illinois State in the most recent year we have data available. Those recreation administration students who get their degree from Illinois State University make $4,292 more than the average recreation admin grad.

More information about a degree in recreation administration from Illinois State University

9
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
73 Recreation Admin Degrees Awarded
2.7% Growth in Graduates

Located in the midsize city of Providence, JWU Providence is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population. A Best Colleges rank of #236 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means JWU Providence is a great university overall.

There were approximately 73 recreation administration students who graduated with this degree at JWU Providence in the most recent data year. Graduates who receive their degree from the recreation admin program earn around $30,963 for their early career.

More information about a degree in recreation administration from Johnson & Wales University - Providence

10
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
67 Recreation Admin Degrees Awarded
$38,554 Median Starting Salary

UNT is a very large public university located in the midsize city of Denton. This university ranks 13th out of 115 colleges for overall quality in the state of Texas.

There were about 67 recreation administration students who graduated with this degree at UNT in the most recent year we have data available. Those recreation administration students who get their degree from University of North Texas receive $3,742 more than the average recreation admin student.

More information about a degree in recreation administration from University of North Texas

Honorable Mentions

Here are some additional great schools for Recreation Administration students that almost earned our Best Recreation Administration Schools award.

Rank College Location
11 Minnesota State University - Mankato Mankato, MN
12 University of Arkansas Fayetteville, AR
13 Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania Slippery Rock, PA
14 Michigan State University East Lansing, MI
15 Florida State University Tallahassee, FL
16 The College at Brockport Brockport, NY
17 Texas State University San Marcos, TX

Recreation Administration by Region

View the Best Recreation Administration Schools for a specific region near you.

Region
Southeast
New England
Rocky Mountains
Plains States
Middle Atlantic
Far Western US
Southwest
Other U.S. Territories
Great Lakes

View All Rankings >

One of 4 majors within the Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies area of study, Recreation Administration has other similar majors worth exploring.

Recreation Admin Concentrations

Major Annual Graduates
Parks, Recreation & Leisure Facilities Management 2,673
Golf Course Operation & Grounds Management 146
Other Parks, Recreation & Leisure Facilities Management 7

View All Recreation Admin Focus Areas >

Related Major Annual Graduates
Health & Physical Education 66,552
Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies 2,818
Outdoor Education 313
Other Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies 232

View All Recreation Admin Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

Popular Reports

College Rankings
Best by Location
Degree Guides by Major
Graduate Programs

Compare Your School Options