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2023 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k

10 Ranked Colleges
678 Degrees Awarded
$9,400 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking - to help you make that decision.

Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies is the 218th most popular major in the country with 3,106 degrees awarded in 2020-2021.

Across California, there were 678 parks, recreation and leisure studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking looked at 10 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s 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. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

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Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k” 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. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.

Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k

The colleges and universities below are the best for california parks & rec students whose families make $0-$30k.

Top 10 Best Value Colleges for Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies (Income $0-$30k) in California

1

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Long Beach. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. California State University - Long Beach is located in Long Beach, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 91 ’s parks and rec degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at CSULB, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Long Beach is $6,663 for california 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 89%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at CSULB

2

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Sacramento. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. This large school is located in Sacramento, California, and it awarded 100 ’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.

Sac State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #5 on our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in California” list. It costs about $8,163 for california parks & rec students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend California State University - Sacramento.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.9% 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 Sac State Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Report

3

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 in California For Those Making $0-$30k. California State University - Fresno is a large public school situated in Fresno, California. It awarded 37 ’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.

Fresno State also made our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in California” list, coming in at #8. The estimated yearly cost for Fresno State is $3,859 for California Parks & Rec students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.2% 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at California State University - Fresno

4

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k. This large school is located in San Luis Obispo, California, and it awarded 119 ’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.

Cal Poly San Luis Obispo also took the #1 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo is $12,173 for california parks & rec students whose families make $0-$30k.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.7%, 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 94%.

Read full report on Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo

5

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Chico. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Chico, California, this fairly large public school awarded 99 diplomas to qualified ’s parks and rec students in 2020-2021.

Chico State also took the #2 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend California State University - Chico is $11,754 for California Parks & Rec students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.0% 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 about Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at Chico State

6
San Jose State crest
San Jose State University
San Jose, California

San Jose State University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #6. Located in San Jose, California, this large public school awarded 40 degrees to qualified ’s parks and rec students in 2020-2021.

San Jose State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #4 on our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in California” list. It costs about $12,158 for california parks & rec students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend San Jose State University.

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 school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at San Jose State

7
SDSU crest
San Diego State University
San Diego, California

San Diego State University ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. This large school is located in San Diego, California, and it awarded 32 ’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our california parks & rec students whose families make $0-$30k list, SDSU has also earned the #7 rank in our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for San Diego State University is $7,169 for California Parks & Rec students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at San Diego State University

8
SFSU crest
San Francisco State University
San Francisco, California

With a ranking of #8, San Francisco State University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. SFSU is a large public school situated in San Francisco, California. It awarded 46 ’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.

SFSU also took the #6 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for San Francisco State University is $10,705 for california parks & rec students whose families make $0-$30k.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at SFSU

9

California State University - East Bay did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #9. Hayward, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s parks and rec degrees to 31 students in 2020-2021.

Cal State East Bay also made our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in California” list, coming in at #9. The yearly cost to attend California State University - East Bay is $9,975 for California Parks & Rec students whose families make $0-$30k.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at California State University - East Bay

10
Humboldt State University crest
Humboldt State University
Arcata, California

With a ranking of #10, Humboldt State University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. Humboldt State University is a public institution located in Arcata, California. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 31 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Humboldt State University, the school also landed the #10 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $11,473 for California Parks & Rec students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Humboldt State University.

Read more about Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at Humboldt State University

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