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2023 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid

8 Ranked Colleges
475 Degrees Awarded
$17,500 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid” ranking is part of that endeavor.

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 Getting Aid” 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.

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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 the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

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. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.

Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid.

Top 8 Best Value Colleges for Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies in the Great Lakes Region (With Aid)

1

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 #1 for the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is a large public school situated in Champaign, Illinois. It awarded 142 ’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.

UIUC also took the #1 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UIUC is $14,321 for great lakes region parks & rec students with aid.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.3%, 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 94%.

Read more about Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at UIUC

2

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Indiana University - Bloomington. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid list. Indiana University - Bloomington is located in Bloomington, Indiana and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 160 ’s parks and rec degrees to qualified students.

IU Bloomington did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The yearly cost to attend IU Bloomington is $14,619 for Great Lakes Region Parks & Rec students with aid.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, 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 3.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full IU Bloomington Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Report

3

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 Getting Aid list. Southern Illinois University Carbondale is a public institution located in Carbondale, Illinois. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 44 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our great lakes region parks & rec students with aid list, SIUC has also earned the #4 rank in our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend SIUC is $16,285 for great lakes region parks & rec students with aid.

Read full report on Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at Southern Illinois University Carbondale

4
Northern Michigan University crest
Northern Michigan University
Marquette, Michigan

Out of the 8 schools in the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, Northern Michigan University landed the #4 spot on the list. Northern Michigan University is a public institution located in Marquette, Michigan. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 16 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Northern Michigan University, the school also landed the #7 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Northern Michigan University is $15,214 for Great Lakes Region Parks & Rec students with aid.

Full Northern Michigan University Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Report

5

Out of the 8 schools in the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, Ohio University - Athens Campus landed the #5 spot on the list. This large school is located in Athens, Ohio, and it awarded 35 ’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.

OHIO Athens also took the #3 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $23,831 for Great Lakes Region Parks & Rec students with aid per year to attend OHIO Athens.

Read more about Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at OHIO Athens

6

Bowling Green State University - Main Campus landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. Located in Bowling Green, Ohio, this fairly large public school awarded 45 degrees to qualified ’s parks and rec students in 2020-2021.

BGSU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #5 on our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for BGSU is $18,558 for Great Lakes Region Parks & Rec students with aid.

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

7

University of Toledo landed the #7 spot on the 2023 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. University of Toledo is a fairly large school located in Toledo, Ohio that handed out 14 ’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at University of Toledo, the school also landed the #6 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Toledo is $17,312 for great lakes region parks & rec students with aid.

Full University of Toledo Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Report

8
Olivet Nazarene crest
Olivet Nazarene University
Bourbonnais, Illinois

Olivet Nazarene University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. This small school is located in Bourbonnais, Illinois, and it awarded 6 ’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.

Olivet Nazarene not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #8 on our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Olivet Nazarene University is $19,470 for Great Lakes Region Parks & Rec students with aid.

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%.

Full Olivet Nazarene University Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Report

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Notes and References

References

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

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