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2023 Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Colleges for Veterans in the Southeast Region

15 Ranked Colleges
568 Degrees Awarded
$24,100 Avg Cost*
Most Veteran Friendly in the Southeast Region for Parks & Rec

When it comes to choosing a college, veterans have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Most Veteran Friendly in the Southeast Region for Parks & Rec” ranking - to help you make that decision.

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 Southeast region, there were 568 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 Southeast Region for Parks & Rec” ranking, we looked at 15 colleges that offer a degree 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 offer a lot of support to 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. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

One Size Does Not Fit All

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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 “Most Veteran Friendly in the Southeast Region for Parks & Rec”.

In addition to College Factual’s rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Most Veteran Friendly in the Southeast Region for Parks & Rec

The following schools top our list of the Best “Most Veteran Friendly in the Southeast Region for Parks & Rec”.

Top 15 Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Colleges for Veterans in the Southeast Region

1
UARK crest
University of Arkansas
Fayetteville, Arkansas

Out of the 15 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in the Southeast Region for Parks & Rec that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Arkansas landed the #1 spot on the list. University of Arkansas is a large public school situated in Fayetteville, Arkansas. It awarded 77 ’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.

UARK also made our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list, coming in at #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS].According to our most recent data, UARK supports 27,562 students, and 11 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 11 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $4,975. During this same period, 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 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

[Read full report on veteran student life at UARK]](/colleges/university-of-arkansas/student-life/veterans/)

2
ECU crest
East Carolina University
Greenville, North Carolina

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend East Carolina University. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southeast Region for Parks & Rec list. East Carolina University is a large school located in Greenville, North Carolina that handed out 37 ’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at ECU, the school also landed the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 8 of the 28,798 students enrolled at East Carolina University were GI Bill® students, of which 4 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $11,409. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.

Full East Carolina University Veteran Student Life Report

3

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of North Carolina at Greensboro. The school came in at #3 for the Most Veteran Friendly in the Southeast Region for Parks & Rec. University of North Carolina at Greensboro is located in Greensboro, North Carolina and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 64 ’s parks and rec degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our southeast region vets studying parks & rec list, UNC Greensboro has also earned the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] rank in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Of the 19,764 students enrolled at University of North Carolina at Greensboro, 885 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 329 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $5,723. In addition to receiving other benefits, 14 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.

Full University of North Carolina at Greensboro Veteran Student Life Report

4
Southern Miss crest
University of Southern Mississippi
Hattiesburg, Mississippi

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Southern Mississippi. The school came in at #4 for the Most Veteran Friendly in the Southeast Region for Parks & Rec. Located in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, this fairly large public school handed out 14 degrees to qualified ’s parks and rec students in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Southern Miss, the school also landed the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 351 of the 14,606 students enrolled at University of Southern Mississippi were GI Bill® students, of which 226 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $3,605. 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.

Read More…

5
GaSou crest
Georgia Southern University
Statesboro, Georgia

Out of the 15 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in the Southeast Region for Parks & Rec that were part of this year’s ranking, Georgia Southern University landed the #5 spot on the list. This large school is located in Statesboro, Georgia, and it awarded 51 ’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.

GaSou also took the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.According to our most recent data, GaSou supports 26,949 students, and 1,102 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 406 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $3,665. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.

Full GaSou Veteran Student Life Report

6
Radford crest
Radford University
Radford, Virginia

Radford University landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southeast Region for Parks & Rec ranking. This medium-sized school is located in Radford, Virginia, and it awarded 41 ’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.

Radford also took the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Of the 10,695 students enrolled at Radford University, 460 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 225 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $8,142. During this same period, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Radford University offers credit for military training for eligible students.

Full Radford University Veteran Student Life Report

7

University of South Alabama came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in the Southeast Region for Parks & Rec ranking. University of South Alabama is a fairly large public school situated in Mobile, Alabama. It awarded 31 ’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our southeast region vets studying parks & rec list, USA has also earned the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] rank in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Of the 14,224 students enrolled at USA, 868 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 411 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $7,549. To help with additional expenses, 11 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. USA does offer credit for military training for eligible students.

Full University of South Alabama Veteran Student Life Report

8
Jacksonville State University crest
Jacksonville State University
Jacksonville, Alabama

Jacksonville State University ranked #8 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in the Southeast Region for Parks & Rec list. Jacksonville State University is located in Jacksonville, Alabama and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 34 ’s parks and rec degrees to qualified students.

Jacksonville State University 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, Jacksonville State University supports 9,238 students, and 371 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 125 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $4,159. 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.

Read More…

9
Shepherd University crest
Shepherd University
Shepherdstown, West Virginia

With a ranking of #9, Shepherd University did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southeast Region for Parks & Rec list. Shepherdstown, West Virginia is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s parks and rec degrees to 27 students in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Shepherd University, the school also landed the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 152 of the 3,159 students enrolled at Shepherd University were GI Bill® students, of which 78 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $6,177. To help with additional expenses, 20 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.

Read More…

10
Newberry College crest
Newberry College
Newberry, South Carolina

Newberry College landed the #10 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southeast Region for Parks & Rec ranking. Newberry College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Newberry, South Carolina. It awarded 6 ’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Newberry College, the school also landed the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Of the 1,256 students enrolled at Newberry College, 49 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 23 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $18,610. During this same period, 9 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.

[Read full report on veteran student life at Newberry College]](/colleges/newberry-college/student-life/veterans/)

11

With a ranking of #11, Georgia College & State University did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southeast Region for Parks & Rec list. Georgia College & State University is located in Milledgeville, Georgia and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 7 ’s parks and rec degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our southeast region vets studying parks & rec list, Georgia College has also earned the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] rank in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 125 of the 6,873 students enrolled at Georgia College were GI Bill® students, of which 57 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $4,100. On top of their other funding sources, 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%.

Read More…

12
GSU crest
Grambling State University
Grambling, Louisiana

Grambling State University ranked #12 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in the Southeast Region for Parks & Rec list. Grambling, Louisiana is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s parks and rec degrees to 25 students in 2020-2021.

GSU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.Our most recent data shows that 189 of the 5,438 students enrolled at GSU were GI Bill® students, of which 31 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $4,974. 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.

Read More…

13
North Greenville crest
North Greenville University
Tigerville, South Carolina

North Greenville University landed the #13 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southeast Region for Parks & Rec ranking. North Greenville University is a small school located in Tigerville, South Carolina that handed out 7 ’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.

North Greenville also took the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Of the 2,280 students enrolled at North Greenville University, 70 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 40 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $11,696. To help with additional expenses, 1 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%.

[Read full report on veteran student life at North Greenville]](/colleges/north-greenville-university/student-life/veterans/)

14
Shaw University crest
Shaw University
Raleigh, North Carolina

Shaw University did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southeast Region for Parks & Rec ranking, coming in at #14. This small school is located in Raleigh, North Carolina, and it awarded 6 ’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Shaw University, the school also landed the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Among the 1,283 students enrolled at Shaw University, 71 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 22 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $10,999. To help with additional expenses, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Shaw University does offer credit for military training for eligible students.

Read More…

15
UMO crest
University of Mount Olive
Mount Olive, North Carolina

With a ranking of #15, University of Mount Olive did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southeast Region for Parks & Rec list. University of Mount Olive is a private not-for-profit institution located in Mount Olive, North Carolina. The school has a small population, and it awarded 9 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

UMO 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, UMO supports 2,536 students, and 267 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 180 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $7,106. To help with additional expenses, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. UMO offers credit for military training for eligible students.

Full UMO Veteran Student Life Report

Notes and References

References

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

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