2023 Best Value Colleges for Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies (Income $30-$48k) in the Great Lakes Region
8
Ranked Colleges
475
Degrees Awarded
$12,700
Avg Net Price*
When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. 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 in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.
Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies is the 218th most popular major in the country with 3,106 degrees awarded in 2020-2021.
Across the Great Lakes region, there were 475 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 the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking looked at 8 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in parks, recreation and leisure studies. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent parks, recreation and leisure studies programs, but they also cost less that schools of similar quality.
To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as the cost to attend the school after aid is awarded and overall quality of the parks, recreation and leisure studies program at the school. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
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 “Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k” 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. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.
Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k
The colleges and universities below are the best for great lakes region parks & rec students whose families make $30-$48k.
Top 8 Best Value Colleges for Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies (Income $30-$48k) in the Great Lakes Region
Out of the 8 schools in the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, Indiana University - Bloomington landed the #1 spot on the list. This large school is located in Bloomington, Indiana, and it awarded 160 ’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at IU Bloomington, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $7,061 for Great Lakes Region Parks & Rec students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Indiana University - Bloomington.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.4% 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 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read full report on Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at Indiana University - Bloomington
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is a public institution located in Champaign, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 142 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
UIUC not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The yearly cost to attend UIUC is $8,036 for Great Lakes Region Parks & Rec students whose families make $30-$48k.
With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.3% 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 UIUC
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Southern Illinois University Carbondale. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. This fairly large school is located in Carbondale, Illinois, and it awarded 44 ’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.
SIUC did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for SIUC is $12,226 for Great Lakes Region Parks & Rec students whose families make $30-$48k.
Read more about Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at SIUC
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Northern Michigan University. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k. Northern Michigan University is a medium-sized school located in Marquette, Michigan that handed out 16 ’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.
Northern Michigan University did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #7 on our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Northern Michigan University is $10,573 for Great Lakes Region Parks & Rec students whose families make $30-$48k.
Full Northern Michigan University Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Ohio University - Athens Campus. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k. Ohio University - Athens Campus is a large public school situated in Athens, Ohio. It awarded 35 ’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at OHIO Athens, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Ohio University - Athens Campus is $18,991 for Great Lakes Region Parks & Rec students whose families make $30-$48k.
Full OHIO Athens Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Report
University of Toledo landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. University of Toledo is a fairly large public school situated in Toledo, Ohio. It awarded 14 ’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.
University of Toledo not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #6 on our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The yearly cost to attend University of Toledo is $14,550 for great lakes region parks & rec students whose families make $30-$48k.
Full University of Toledo Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Report
Bowling Green State University - Main Campus came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. This fairly large school is located in Bowling Green, Ohio, and it awarded 45 ’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.
BGSU also took the #5 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Bowling Green State University - Main Campus is $14,822 for Great Lakes Region Parks & Rec students whose families make $30-$48k.
Read more about Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at BGSU
Olivet Nazarene University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #8. Olivet Nazarene University is located in Bourbonnais, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 6 ’s parks and rec degrees to qualified students.
Olivet Nazarene also took the #8 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Olivet Nazarene is $15,658 for Great Lakes Region Parks & Rec students whose families make $30-$48k.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at Olivet Nazarene University
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Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in the Great Lakes Region
Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies students in the Great Lakes Region
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Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies students in the Great Lakes Region
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Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies students in the Great Lakes Region
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Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies students with family income less than $30k in the Great Lakes Region
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Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies students with family income $48-$75k in the Great Lakes Region
Best Value Colleges for Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies (Income Over $110k) in the Great Lakes Region
Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies students with family income exceeding $110k in the Great Lakes Region
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Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies students in the Great Lakes Region
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Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies students in the Great Lakes Region
Best Value Colleges for Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies in the Great Lakes Region (With Aid)
Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies students getting aid in the Great Lakes Region
Best Value Colleges for Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies (Income $30-$48k) in the Great Lakes Region
Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies students with family income $30-$48k in the Great Lakes Region
Best Value Colleges for Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies (Income $75-$110k) in the Great Lakes Region
Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies students with family income $75-$110k in the Great Lakes Region
Best Value Colleges for Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies in the Great Lakes Region
Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies students in the Great Lakes Region
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
- *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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