2023 Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Colleges for Veterans in the Far Western US Region
14
Ranked Colleges
787
Degrees Awarded
$28,300
Avg Cost*
It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for veterans. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Most Veteran Friendly in the Far Western US Region for Parks & Rec” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.
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 Far Western US region, there were 787 parks, recreation and leisure studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively.
For this year’s “Most Veteran Friendly in the Far Western US Region for Parks & Rec” ranking, we looked at 14 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.
When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the parks, recreation and leisure studies program at the school, veteran affordability, and veteran satisfaction. 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 “Most Veteran Friendly in the Far Western US Region for Parks & Rec” 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. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.
Most Veteran Friendly in the Far Western US Region for Parks & Rec
The colleges and universities below are the best for far western us region vets studying parks & rec.
Top 14 Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Colleges for Veterans in the Far Western US Region
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 the Far Western US Region for Parks & Rec. California State University - Long Beach is a large school located in Long Beach, California that handed out 91 ’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our far western us region vets studying parks & rec list, CSULB has also earned the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] rank in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” 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. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students received scholarships 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%.
Read More…
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 the Far Western US Region for Parks & Rec list. Located in San Jose, California, this large public school handed out 40 diplomas to qualified ’s parks and rec students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at San Jose State, the school also landed the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Among the 36,208 students enrolled at San Jose State, 660 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 384 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $4,909. To help with additional expenses, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. San Jose State offers credit for military training for eligible students.
With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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%.
Full San Jose State University Veteran Student Life Report
Out of the 14 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in the Far Western US Region for Parks & Rec that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Chico landed the #3 spot on the list. Chico State is located in Chico, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 99 ’s parks and rec degrees to qualified students.
In addition to being on our far western us region vets studying parks & rec list, Chico State has also earned the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] rank in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.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 Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $5,098. During this same period, 0 students received funds through 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…
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State University - Sacramento. The school came in at #4 for the Most Veteran Friendly in the Far Western US Region for Parks & Rec. Sac State is a large school located in Sacramento, California that handed out 100 ’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Sac State, the school also landed the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.According to our most recent data, California State University - Sacramento supports 32,293 students, and 34 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 23 are 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. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
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%.
Full Sac State Veteran Student Life Report
Out of the 14 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in the Far Western US Region for Parks & Rec that were part of this year’s ranking, San Diego State University landed the #5 spot on the list. SDSU is located in San Diego, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 32 ’s parks and rec degrees to qualified students.
SDSU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.Among the 36,334 students enrolled at SDSU, 1,433 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 853 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $4,806. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
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%. 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 full report on veteran student life at SDSU]](/colleges/san-diego-state-university/student-life/veterans/)
Western Washington University did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Far Western US Region for Parks & Rec ranking, coming in at #6. Located in Bellingham, Washington, this fairly large public school handed out 48 diplomas to qualified ’s parks and rec students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our far western us region vets studying parks & rec list, WWU has also earned the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] rank in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Among the 15,197 students enrolled at WWU, 622 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 324 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $5,933. On top of their other funding sources, 7 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
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 WWU]](/colleges/western-washington-university/student-life/veterans/)
San Francisco State University landed the #7 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Far Western US Region for Parks & Rec ranking. San Francisco, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s parks and rec degrees to 46 students in 2020-2021.
SFSU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.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. To help with additional expenses, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
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 More…
California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo landed the #8 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Far Western US Region for Parks & Rec ranking. California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo is a large public school situated in San Luis Obispo, California. It awarded 119 ’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our far western us region vets studying parks & rec list, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo has also earned the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] rank in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 268 of the 22,440 students enrolled at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo were GI Bill® students, of which 128 were 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 received funds 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 94%.
[Read full report on veteran student life at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo]](/colleges/california-polytechnic-state-university-san-luis-obispo/student-life/veterans/)
Eastern Washington University did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Far Western US Region for Parks & Rec ranking, coming in at #9. EWU is a public institution located in Cheney, Washington. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 10 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our far western us region vets studying parks & rec list, EWU has also earned the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] rank in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 647 of the 12,349 students enrolled at EWU were GI Bill® students, of which 296 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $4,760. 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 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 full report on veteran student life at Eastern Washington University]](/colleges/eastern-washington-university/student-life/veterans/)
Oregon State University came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in the Far Western US Region for Parks & Rec ranking. Oregon State is a large public school situated in Corvallis, Oregon. It awarded 14 ’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our far western us region vets studying parks & rec list, Oregon State has also earned the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] rank in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Among the 32,312 students enrolled at Oregon State, 1,559 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 1,000 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $8,385. In addition to receiving other benefits, 17 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
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 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read More…
With a ranking of #11, California State University - Fresno did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Far Western US Region for Parks & Rec list. California State University - Fresno is a large school located in Fresno, California that handed out 37 ’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our far western us region vets studying parks & rec list, Fresno State has also earned the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] rank in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 471 of the 25,497 students enrolled at Fresno State were GI Bill® students, of which 211 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $3,324. To help with additional expenses, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Fresno State 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
[Read full report on veteran student life at Fresno State]](/colleges/california-state-university-fresno/student-life/veterans/)
Southern Oregon University did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Far Western US Region for Parks & Rec ranking, coming in at #12. Southern Oregon University is located in Ashland, Oregon and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 27 ’s parks and rec degrees to qualified students.
Southern Oregon University also made our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list, coming in at #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS].Of the 5,140 students enrolled at Southern Oregon University, 250 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 116 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $7,435. To help with additional expenses, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program.
Full Southern Oregon University Veteran Student Life Report
Humboldt State University came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in the Far Western US Region for Parks & Rec ranking. Humboldt State University is a medium-sized school located in Arcata, California that handed out 31 ’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.
Humboldt State University also took the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” 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. 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.
[Read full report on veteran student life at Humboldt State University]](/colleges/humboldt-state-university/student-life/veterans/)
With a ranking of #14, California State University - East Bay did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Far Western US Region for Parks & Rec list. Cal State East Bay is a public institution located in Hayward, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 31 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our far western us region vets studying parks & rec list, Cal State East Bay has also earned the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] rank in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.According to our most recent data, Cal State East Bay supports 16,253 students, and 32 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 16 are 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 scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
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/)
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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).
- Veteran-specific data can be found at the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs.
- 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
- *Avg Salary and Avg 4-Year Grad Rate are for the top schools only.
- **GI Bill® student total includes all chapters of the GI Bill® program (e.g., Post-9/11, Montgomery GI Bill, Reserve Education Assistance Program, and Veteran Readiness and Employment)
- 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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