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2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region

14 Ranked Colleges
654 Degrees Awarded
$13,500 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor's in the Far Western US Region

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. 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 for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region” ranking is part of that endeavor.

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

Across the Far Western US region, there were 733 parks, recreation and leisure studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 654 parks, recreation and leisure studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,083 and $22,209 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region” ranking analyzed 14 colleges that offered 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. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

One Size Does Not Fit All

The parks & rec school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we’ve developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of “Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region”.

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 for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region

The colleges and universities below are the best for far western us region bachelor’s degree parks & rec students.

Top 14 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies in the Far Western US Region

#3 in overall quality

Out of the 14 schools in the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Long Beach landed the #1 spot on the list. CSULB is a public institution located in Long Beach, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 87 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

CSULB also took the #3 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend CSULB is $9,622 for far western us region bachelor’s degree parks & rec students.

With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. 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%.

Read more about Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at California State University - Long Beach

#6 in overall quality

Out of the 14 schools in the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Fresno landed the #2 spot on the list. This large school is located in Fresno, California, and it awarded 37 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

Fresno State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #6 on our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. The yearly cost to attend California State University - Fresno is $5,464 for far western us region bachelor’s degree parks & rec students.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State University - Chico. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region. Chico State is a fairly large public school situated in Chico, California. It awarded 87 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our far western us region bachelor’s degree parks & rec students list, Chico State has also earned the #4 rank in our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Chico State is $15,017 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at Chico State

#2 in overall quality

Out of the 14 schools in the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Sacramento landed the #4 spot on the list. Sac State is a large public school situated in Sacramento, California. It awarded 121 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Sac State, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. It costs about $9,979 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students per year to attend California State University - Sacramento.

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 California State University - Sacramento

#5

San Jose State University

San Jose, California
#1 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend San Jose State University. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region. San Jose State is a large school located in San Jose, California that handed out 31 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

San Jose State also took the #1 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend San Jose State is $14,928 for far western us region bachelor’s degree parks & rec students.

The student loan default rate at the school is 3.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full San Jose State University Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Report

#8 in overall quality

With a ranking of #6, California State University - East Bay did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region list. Cal State East Bay is a fairly large public school situated in Hayward, California. It awarded 32 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

Cal State East Bay did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #8 on our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. It costs about $11,116 for far western us region bachelor’s degree parks & rec students per year to attend Cal State East Bay.

Full Cal State East Bay Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Report

#7

San Francisco State University

San Francisco, California
#9 in overall quality

San Francisco State University ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region list. SFSU is a public institution located in San Francisco, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 35 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

SFSU also made our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list, coming in at #9. The estimated yearly cost for SFSU is $15,113 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students.

Full San Francisco State University Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Report

#8

San Diego State University

San Diego, California
#5 in overall quality

With a ranking of #8, San Diego State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region list. SDSU is a public institution located in San Diego, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 41 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at SDSU, the school also landed the #5 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for San Diego State University is $14,788 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students.

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%. 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 SDSU

#9

Western Washington University

Bellingham, Washington
#7 in overall quality

Western Washington University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region ranking. This fairly large school is located in Bellingham, Washington, and it awarded 40 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at WWU, the school also landed the #7 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. It costs about $16,529 for far western us region bachelor’s degree parks & rec students per year to attend Western Washington University.

The low student loan default rate of 2.7% 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 more about Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at Western Washington University

#10

Alaska Pacific University

Anchorage, Alaska
#12 in overall quality

Alaska Pacific University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region ranking, coming in at #10. Anchorage, Alaska is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s parks and rec degrees to 6 students in 2019-2020.

Alaska Pacific also made our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list, coming in at #12. The estimated yearly cost for Alaska Pacific University is $18,602 for far western us region bachelor’s degree parks & rec students.

The student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Read more about Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at Alaska Pacific University

#11

Eastern Washington University

Cheney, Washington
#11 in overall quality

Eastern Washington University landed the #11 spot on the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region ranking. Cheney, Washington is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s parks and rec degrees to 7 students in 2019-2020.

EWU also took the #11 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Eastern Washington University is $12,607 for far western us region bachelor’s degree parks & rec students.

Full Eastern Washington University Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Report

#12

Oregon State University

Corvallis, Oregon
#10 in overall quality

With a ranking of #12, Oregon State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region list. Oregon State is a public institution located in Corvallis, Oregon. The school has a large population, and it awarded 20 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our far western us region bachelor’s degree parks & rec students list, Oregon State has also earned the #10 rank in our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Oregon State is $20,016 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students.

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%. With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at Oregon State

#13

Humboldt State University

Arcata, California
#14 in overall quality

With a ranking of #13, Humboldt State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region list. This medium-sized school is located in Arcata, California, and it awarded 13 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Humboldt State University, the school also landed the #14 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Humboldt State University is $14,692 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students.

Full Humboldt State University Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Report

#14

Southern Oregon University

Ashland, Oregon
#13 in overall quality

Southern Oregon University came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region ranking. Southern Oregon University is located in Ashland, Oregon and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 15 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees to qualified students.

Southern Oregon University did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #13 on our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Southern Oregon University is $10,386 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students.

Full Southern Oregon University 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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