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2023 Most Veteran Friendly in California for Parks & Rec for a Bachelor’s

10 Ranked Colleges
609 Degrees Awarded
$26,500 Avg Cost*
Most Veteran Friendly in California for Parks & Rec for a Bachelor's

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for veterans. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Most Veteran Friendly in California for Parks & Rec for a Bachelor’s” 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 California, there were 678 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 609 parks, recreation and leisure studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $39,566 and $21,995 respectively.

For this year’s “Most Veteran Friendly in California for Parks & Rec for a Bachelor’s” ranking, we looked at 10 colleges that offer 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 a strong support system for veterans and active service members.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the parks, recreation and leisure studies program at the school, veteran affordability, and veteran population. 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 “Most Veteran Friendly in California for Parks & Rec for a Bachelor’s” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. 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.

Most Veteran Friendly in California for Parks & Rec for a Bachelor’s

The following schools top our list of the Best “Most Veteran Friendly in California for Parks & Rec for a Bachelor’s”.

Top 10 Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Veterans in California

1

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State University - Long Beach. The school came in at #1 for the Most Veteran Friendly in California for Parks & Rec for a Bachelor’s. Long Beach, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s parks and rec degrees to 81 students in 2020-2021.

CSULB also took the #3 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 822 of the 40,069 students enrolled at California State University - Long Beach were GI Bill® students, of which 310 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $3,845. During this same period, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.

With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% 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…

2
San Jose State crest
San Jose State University
San Jose, California

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend San Jose State University. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in California for Parks & Rec for a Bachelor’s list. San Jose, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s parks and rec degrees to 40 students in 2020-2021.

San Jose State also took the #4 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking.According to our most recent data, San Jose State supports 36,208 students, and 660 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 384 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $4,909. To help with additional expenses, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%.

[Read full report on veteran student life at San Jose State University]](/colleges/san-jose-state-university/student-life/veterans/)

3

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 Most Veteran Friendly in California for Parks & Rec for a Bachelor’s. Chico, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s parks and rec degrees to 95 students in 2020-2021.

Chico State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list.Among the 16,746 students enrolled at Chico State, 354 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 166 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $5,098. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% 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…

4

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Sacramento. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in California for Parks & Rec for a Bachelor’s list. Sacramento, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s parks and rec degrees to 96 students in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree vets studying parks & rec list, Sac State has also earned the #5 rank in our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking.Among the 32,293 students enrolled at Sac State, 34 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 23 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $4,555. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.

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

Read More…

5
SDSU crest
San Diego State University
San Diego, California

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend San Diego State University. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in California for Parks & Rec for a Bachelor’s list. SDSU is a large school located in San Diego, California that handed out 32 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree vets studying parks & rec list, SDSU has also earned the #7 rank in our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking.Of the 36,334 students enrolled at SDSU, 1,433 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 853 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $4,806. During this same period, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. SDSU offers credit for military training for eligible students.

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 [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read More…

6
SFSU crest
San Francisco State University
San Francisco, California

San Francisco State University landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in California for Parks & Rec for a Bachelor’s ranking. San Francisco State University is a public institution located in San Francisco, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 46 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.

SFSU also took the #6 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking.According to our most recent data, SFSU supports 27,349 students, and 950 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 536 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $5,581. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. SFSU does offer credit for military training for eligible students.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% 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 veteran student life at SFSU]](/colleges/san-francisco-state-university/student-life/veterans/)

7

California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo landed the #7 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in California for Parks & Rec for a Bachelor’s ranking. Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is a large public school situated in San Luis Obispo, California. It awarded 119 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.

Cal Poly San Luis Obispo not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list.According to our most recent data, California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo supports 22,440 students, and 268 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 128 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $6,027. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read More…

8

California State University - Fresno did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in California for Parks & Rec for a Bachelor’s ranking, coming in at #8. Fresno State is a large public school situated in Fresno, California. It awarded 37 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.

Fresno State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #8 on our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list.Of the 25,497 students enrolled at California State University - Fresno, 471 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 211 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $3,324. To help with additional expenses, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.

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

Read More…

9
Humboldt State University crest
Humboldt State University
Arcata, California

Humboldt State University landed the #9 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in California for Parks & Rec for a Bachelor’s ranking. Humboldt State University is a medium-sized school located in Arcata, California that handed out 31 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree vets studying parks & rec list, Humboldt State University has also earned the #10 rank in our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking.Of the 6,612 students enrolled at Humboldt State University, 177 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 68 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $3,772. To help with additional expenses, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Humboldt State University does offer credit for military training for eligible students.

Full Humboldt State University Veteran Student Life Report

10

California State University - East Bay ranked #10 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in California for Parks & Rec for a Bachelor’s list. Cal State East Bay is a public institution located in Hayward, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 31 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree vets studying parks & rec list, Cal State East Bay has also earned the #9 rank in our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 32 of the 16,253 students enrolled at California State University - East Bay were GI Bill® students, of which 16 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $7,956. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.

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

[Read full report on veteran student life at Cal State East Bay]](/colleges/california-state-university-east-bay/student-life/veterans/)

Notes and References

References

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

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