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2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k

77 Ranked Colleges
2,732 Degrees Awarded
$8,400 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor's For Those Making $0-$30k

Students 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 “Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies is the 191st most popular major in the country with 3,224 degrees awarded in 2019-2020.

At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 2,732 parks, recreation and leisure studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,303 and $24,501 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, we looked at 77 colleges that offer a degree in parks, recreation and leisure studies. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great parks, recreation and leisure studies programs and cost less that schools of similar quality.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the parks, recreation and leisure studies program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

One Size Does Not Fit All

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 Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k” list to help you make the college decision.

We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most 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.

Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k.

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies (Income $0-$30k)

#1 in overall quality

Out of the 77 schools in the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign landed the #1 spot on the list. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is located in Champaign, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 99 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our bachelor’s degree parks & rec students whose families make $0-$30k list, UIUC has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UIUC is $5,477 for Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students whose families make $0-$30k.

With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at UIUC

#2

Indiana University - Bloomington

Bloomington, Indiana
#2 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Indiana University - Bloomington. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k. Indiana University - Bloomington is a public institution located in Bloomington, Indiana. The school has a large population, and it awarded 181 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

IU Bloomington also took the #2 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Indiana University - Bloomington is $4,969 for bachelor’s degree parks & rec students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%.

Full IU Bloomington Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Report

#20 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State University - Fresno. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k. Fresno State is a large public school situated in Fresno, California. It awarded 37 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

Fresno State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #20 on our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It costs about $3,264 for bachelor’s degree parks & rec students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend California State University - Fresno.

With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low student loan default rate of 4.7% 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 Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at Fresno State

#4

Lehman College

Bronx, New York

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Lehman College. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. Lehman is a fairly large school located in Bronx, New York that handed out 14 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Lehman College is $234 for Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full Lehman Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Report

#5

University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Minneapolis, Minnesota
#5 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Minnesota - Twin Cities. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Minneapolis, Minnesota, this large public school awarded 26 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s parks and rec students in 2019-2020.

UMN Twin Cities did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of Minnesota - Twin Cities is $7,266 for bachelor’s degree parks & rec students whose families make $0-$30k.

With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low student loan default rate of 2.2% 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 Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

#13 in overall quality

With a ranking of #6, California State University - Long Beach did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. CSULB is a large public school situated in Long Beach, California. It awarded 87 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

CSULB also took the #13 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It costs about $6,364 for bachelor’s degree parks & rec students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend CSULB.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Full California State University - Long Beach Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Report

#12 in overall quality

California State University - Sacramento landed the #7 spot on the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Sacramento, California, this large public school awarded 121 degrees to qualified bachelors’s parks and rec students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Sac State, the school also landed the #12 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Sac State is $6,819 for Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students whose families make $0-$30k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at Sac State

#8

San Diego State University

San Diego, California
#18 in overall quality

San Diego State University landed the #8 spot on the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. San Diego State University is a large school located in San Diego, California that handed out 41 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

SDSU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #18 on our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend SDSU is $8,870 for Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students whose families make $0-$30k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Full SDSU Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Report

#6 in overall quality

Brigham Young University - Provo did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #9. BYU is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Provo, Utah. It awarded 78 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our bachelor’s degree parks & rec students whose families make $0-$30k list, BYU has also earned the #6 rank in our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It costs about $8,834 for bachelor’s degree parks & rec students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend BYU.

The student loan default rate at the school is 1.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 92%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Full BYU Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Report

Southeastern Oklahoma State University came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Southeastern Oklahoma State University is a medium-sized school located in Durant, Oklahoma that handed out 11 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Southeastern Oklahoma State University is $6,102 for Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at Southeastern Oklahoma State University

#3 in overall quality

University of Missouri - Columbia came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This large school is located in Columbia, Missouri, and it awarded 126 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

Mizzou not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It costs about $10,940 for bachelor’s degree parks & rec students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of Missouri - Columbia.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at Mizzou

#12

University of Northern Iowa

Cedar Falls, Iowa
#7 in overall quality

University of Northern Iowa did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #12. University of Northern Iowa is a public institution located in Cedar Falls, Iowa. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 48 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UNI, the school also landed the #7 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UNI is $10,757 for Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students whose families make $0-$30k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. The student loan default rate at the school is 3.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at University of Northern Iowa

#23 in overall quality

University of Minnesota - Duluth did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #13. This fairly large school is located in Duluth, Minnesota, and it awarded 10 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UMN Duluth, the school also landed the #23 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Minnesota - Duluth is $7,443 for Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students whose families make $0-$30k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 3.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full UMN Duluth Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Report

#14

University of North Carolina at Greensboro

Greensboro, North Carolina

University of North Carolina at Greensboro did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #14. This fairly large school is located in Greensboro, North Carolina, and it awarded 69 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend University of North Carolina at Greensboro is $8,853 for Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read more about Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at University of North Carolina at Greensboro

#15

Shepherd University

Shepherdstown, West Virginia

Shepherd University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #15. Shepherd University is located in Shepherdstown, West Virginia and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 40 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees to qualified students.

The yearly cost to attend Shepherd University is $8,068 for bachelor’s degree parks & rec students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at Shepherd University

#16

Winona State University

Winona, Minnesota
#9 in overall quality

Winona State University landed the #16 spot on the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Winona, Minnesota is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s parks and rec degrees to 38 students in 2019-2020.

Winona State also made our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #9. The estimated yearly cost for Winona State is $12,381 for bachelor’s degree parks & rec students whose families make $0-$30k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 3.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at Winona State

Oklahoma State University - Main Campus did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #17. Oklahoma State University - Main Campus is a large public school situated in Stillwater, Oklahoma. It awarded 40 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Oklahoma State University - Main Campus is $8,669 for Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students whose families make $0-$30k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%.

Read full report on Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at Oklahoma State University - Main Campus

#18

San Jose State University

San Jose, California
#8 in overall quality

With a ranking of #18, San Jose State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. San Jose State University is a large school located in San Jose, California that handed out 31 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at San Jose State, the school also landed the #8 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It costs about $10,940 for Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend San Jose State.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low student loan default rate of 3.7% 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 Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at San Jose State

#19

University of Arkansas

Fayetteville, Arkansas
#10 in overall quality

University of Arkansas came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. UARK is located in Fayetteville, Arkansas and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 101 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees to qualified students.

UARK not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #10 on our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for UARK is $12,094 for bachelor’s degree parks & rec students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full UARK Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Report

#20

Eastern Washington University

Cheney, Washington

Eastern Washington University ranked #20 on this year’s Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Cheney, Washington, this fairly large public school awarded 7 degrees to qualified bachelors’s parks and rec students in 2019-2020.

It costs about $8,473 for Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Eastern Washington University.

Full EWU Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Report

#21

University of Iowa

Iowa City, Iowa
#4 in overall quality

University of Iowa landed the #21 spot on the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Iowa is a public institution located in Iowa City, Iowa. The school has a large population, and it awarded 67 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Iowa did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It costs about $12,975 for bachelor’s degree parks & rec students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Iowa.

The student loan default rate at the school is 3.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 88%.

Full University of Iowa Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Report

#14 in overall quality

California State University - Chico ranked #22 on this year’s Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. California State University - Chico is a public institution located in Chico, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 87 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Chico State, the school also landed the #14 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Chico is $10,260 for Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low student loan default rate of 3.3% 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 Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at Chico State

#23

Western Washington University

Bellingham, Washington
#24 in overall quality

Western Washington University ranked #23 on this year’s Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. WWU is a fairly large school located in Bellingham, Washington that handed out 40 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

WWU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #24 on our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It costs about $9,743 for bachelor’s degree parks & rec students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend WWU.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at Western Washington University

#25 in overall quality

California State University - East Bay came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Hayward, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s parks and rec degrees to 32 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our bachelor’s degree parks & rec students whose families make $0-$30k list, Cal State East Bay has also earned the #25 rank in our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend California State University - East Bay is $8,036 for bachelor’s degree parks & rec students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read more about Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at California State University - East Bay

#25

University of Utah

Salt Lake City, Utah
#22 in overall quality

University of Utah ranked #25 on this year’s Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Salt Lake City, Utah, this large public school handed out 38 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s parks and rec students in 2019-2020.

U of U also made our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #22. It costs about $11,511 for Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of Utah.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. The student loan default rate at the school is 2.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full University of Utah Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Report

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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).
  • 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

Footnotes

  • *Average salary, average net price, and average tuition and fees are for the top schools only.
  • 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.

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