by our College Data Analytics Team
It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major in the Plains States Region” ranking is part of that endeavor.
In 2020-2021, 3,106 people earned their degree in parks, recreation and leisure studies, making the major the 218th most popular in the United States.
Across the Plains States region, there were 444 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 430 parks, recreation and leisure studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $41,046 and $29,021 respectively.
This year’s “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major in the Plains States Region” ranking analyzed 18 colleges that offered a degree in parks, recreation and leisure studies. This a ranking of the schools where the largest percentage of students has enrolled in parks, recreation and leisure studies.
Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major in the Plains States Region” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that 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. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.
The following schools top our list of the Best “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major in the Plains States Region”.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Nebraska at Kearney. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major in the Plains States Region list. UNK is a medium-sized public school situated in Kearney, Nebraska. It awarded 60 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Winona State University. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major in the Plains States Region list. Located in Winona, Minnesota, this medium-sized public school handed out 32 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s parks and rec students in 2020-2021.
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 more about Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at Winona State University
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Northern Iowa. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major in the Plains States Region list. University of Northern Iowa is located in Cedar Falls, Iowa and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 51 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees to qualified students.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Northwest Missouri State University. The school came in at #4 for the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major in the Plains States Region. Located in Maryville, Missouri, this medium-sized public school handed out 28 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s parks and rec students in 2020-2021.
Full Northwest Missouri State University Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Missouri - Columbia. The school came in at #5 for the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major in the Plains States Region. Mizzou is a large school located in Columbia, Missouri that handed out 116 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.5%, 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 undergraduate students.
Read more about Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at University of Missouri - Columbia
Pittsburg State University landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major in the Plains States Region ranking. Pittsburg State University is located in Pittsburg, Kansas and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 15 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees to qualified students.
Full Pittsburg State University Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Report
University of Minnesota - Duluth did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major in the Plains States Region ranking, coming in at #7. Duluth, Minnesota is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s parks and rec degrees to 21 students in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full University of Minnesota - Duluth Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Report
University of Iowa ranked #8 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major in the Plains States Region list. This large school is located in Iowa City, Iowa, and it awarded 53 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.
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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 88%.
Southeast Missouri State University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major in the Plains States Region ranking. Southeast Missouri State University is a medium-sized school located in Cape Girardeau, Missouri that handed out 11 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.
Read full report on Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at Southeast Missouri State University
Emporia State University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major in the Plains States Region ranking, coming in at #10. ESU is a medium-sized school located in Emporia, Kansas that handed out 8 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.8% 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 Emporia State University
Lindenwood University ranked #11 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major in the Plains States Region list. This medium-sized school is located in Saint Charles, Missouri, and it awarded 6 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at Lindenwood University
With a ranking of #12, Baker University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major in the Plains States Region list. Baker University is a small school located in Baldwin City, Kansas that handed out 2 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Read more about Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at Baker
Missouri State University - Springfield did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major in the Plains States Region ranking, coming in at #13. Missouri State University - Springfield is a public institution located in Springfield, Missouri. The school has a large population, and it awarded 13 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at Missouri State
University of Nebraska at Omaha ranked #14 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major in the Plains States Region list. University of Nebraska at Omaha is a fairly large public school situated in Omaha, Nebraska. It awarded 3 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at UNOMAHA
University of Minnesota - Twin Cities landed the #15 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major in the Plains States Region ranking. Minneapolis, Minnesota is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s parks and rec degrees to 11 students in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read full report on Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at UMN Twin Cities
University of South Dakota ranked #16 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major in the Plains States Region list. Located in Vermillion, South Dakota, this medium-sized public school awarded 0 degrees to qualified bachelors’s parks and rec students in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Black Hills State University ranked #16 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major in the Plains States Region list. Black Hills State University is a small school located in Spearfish, South Dakota that handed out 0 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.
Read full report on Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at Black Hills State University
Tabor College landed the #16 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major in the Plains States Region ranking. Tabor is a small school located in Hillsboro, Kansas that handed out 0 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.
Read more about Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at Tabor College
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