2026 Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in the Great Lakes Region
Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies programs are offered at a focused set of schools across the country. The schools below stand out for the quality of their parks, recreation & leisure studies programs.
To produce this 2026 ranking, College Factual evaluated 20 schools to find the best for parks, recreation & leisure studies students.
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Best Schools for Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies in the Great Lakes Region
Below are the schools that deliver the strongest overall parks, recreation & leisure studies education in the Great Lakes Region.
Top Schools in Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies
University Of Illinois At Urbana Champaign is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a degree in parks, recreation & leisure studies. This very large public university is located in the city of Champaign. About 85% of students finish within six years. University Of Illinois At Urbana Champaign awarded about 108 parks, recreation & leisure studies degrees in the most recent data year. Graduates of the parks, recreation & leisure studies program make about $41,234 in their early career. University Of Illinois At Urbana Champaign graduates carry a median of $23,447 in student loans.
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Students looking for a strong parks, recreation & leisure studies program will find one at Indiana University Bloomington, which ranked #2. Indiana University Bloomington is a very large public school located in the city of Bloomington. Roughly 80% of students complete a degree within six years here. About 101 parks, recreation & leisure studies degrees were awarded at Indiana University Bloomington in the most recent year. Graduates of the parks, recreation & leisure studies program make about $39,038 in their early career. Indiana University Bloomington graduates carry a median of $19,750 in student loans.
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Ohio University Main Campus is a great choice for students pursuing a degree in parks, recreation & leisure studies, landing the #3 spot this year. Ohio University Main Campus is a very large public school located in the town of Athens. Roughly 65% of students complete a degree within six years here. There were roughly 25 parks, recreation & leisure studies students who graduated with this degree at Ohio University Main Campus in the most recent data year. Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies graduates of Ohio University Main Campus earn a median of $36,850 early in their careers. Ohio University Main Campus graduates carry a median of $24,546 in student loans.
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Students looking for a strong parks, recreation & leisure studies program will find one at Bowling Green State University Main Campus, which ranked #4. Bowling Green State University Main Campus is a large public school located in the town of Bowling Green. Roughly 61% of students complete a degree within six years here. There were roughly 34 parks, recreation & leisure studies students who graduated with this degree at Bowling Green State University Main Campus in the most recent data year. Students who receive their parks, recreation & leisure studies degree from Bowling Green State University Main Campus earn around $32,709 in the first couple years of their career. Bowling Green State University Main Campus graduates carry a median of $26,000 in student loans.
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Northern Michigan University is one of the finest schools in the country for a degree in parks, recreation & leisure studies, ranking #5. Northern Michigan University is a moderately-sized public school located in the town of Marquette. Northern Michigan University graduates 53% of students within six years. About 20 parks, recreation & leisure studies degrees were awarded at Northern Michigan University in the most recent year. Graduates of the parks, recreation & leisure studies program make about $28,890 in their early career. Northern Michigan University graduates carry a median of $23,855 in student loans.
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Notes and References
The ranking above is published by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 edition. The methodology weighs graduation rate, post-graduation earnings, cost, and program quality, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Ranking method: College Major Top Ranked · 20 schools evaluated.
- 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).
More about our data sources and methodologies.
