2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k
Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.
In 2019-2020, 3,224 people earned their degree in parks, recreation and leisure studies, making the major the 152nd most popular in the United States. In 2017-2018, parks, recreation and leisure studies graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $29,957 and had an average of $22,487 in loans still to pay off.
At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 2,732 parks, recreation and leisure studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,303 and $24,501 respectively.
For this year’s “Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, we looked at 77 colleges that offer a degree in parks, recreation and leisure studies. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality parks, recreation and leisure studies programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.
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 and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
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When choosing the right school for you, it’s important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we’ve created a number of major-specific rankings, including this “Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k” list to help you make the college decision.
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Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k.
Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies (Income $0-$30k)
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Champaign, Illinois, this large public school awarded 99 degrees to qualified bachelors’s parks and rec students in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UIUC, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It costs about $5,477 for bachelor’s degree parks & rec students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
The student loan default rate at the school is 2.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%.
Read more about Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Indiana University - Bloomington. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k. IU Bloomington is a large school located in Bloomington, Indiana that handed out 181 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our bachelor’s degree parks & rec students whose families make $0-$30k list, IU Bloomington has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Indiana University - Bloomington is $4,969 for Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students whose families make $0-$30k.
With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The student loan default rate at the school is 4.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at Indiana University - Bloomington
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Fresno. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. Fresno, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s parks and rec degrees to 37 students in 2019-2020.
Fresno State also made our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #20. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Fresno is $3,264 for bachelor’s degree parks & rec students whose families make $0-$30k.
The low student loan default rate of 4.7% 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 87%.
Read more about Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at Fresno State
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Lehman College. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. Lehman College is located in Bronx, New York and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 14 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees to qualified students.
It costs about $234 for bachelor’s degree parks & rec students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Lehman.
Read more about Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at Lehman College
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Minnesota - Twin Cities. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. This large school is located in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and it awarded 26 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UMN Twin Cities, the school also landed the #5 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UMN Twin Cities is $7,266 for Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The student loan default rate at the school is 2.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full University of Minnesota - Twin Cities Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Report
California State University - Long Beach did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #6. This large school is located in Long Beach, California, and it awarded 87 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.
CSULB also made our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #13. The yearly cost to attend California State University - Long Beach is $6,364 for bachelor’s degree parks & rec students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.6%, which is much lower than the national 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 Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at CSULB
With a ranking of #7, California State University - Sacramento did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. California State University - Sacramento is a public institution located in Sacramento, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 121 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
Sac State also made our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #12. The estimated yearly cost for Sac State is $6,819 for Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at California State University - Sacramento
San Diego State University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. San Diego State University is a public institution located in San Diego, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 41 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
SDSU also took the #18 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for San Diego State University is $8,870 for Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students whose families make $0-$30k.
With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low student loan default rate of 2.8% 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%.
Brigham Young University - Provo came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This large school is located in Provo, Utah, and it awarded 78 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.
BYU also took the #6 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for BYU is $8,834 for bachelor’s degree parks & rec students whose families make $0-$30k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 92%. The low student loan default rate of 1.7% 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 about Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at Brigham Young University - Provo
Southeastern Oklahoma State University landed the #10 spot on the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Southeastern Oklahoma State University is a public institution located in Durant, Oklahoma. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 11 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend Southeastern Oklahoma State University is $6,102 for bachelor’s degree parks & rec students whose families make $0-$30k.
Read full report on Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at Southeastern Oklahoma State University
University of Missouri - Columbia came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Mizzou is a public institution located in Columbia, Missouri. The school has a large population, and it awarded 126 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
Mizzou not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It costs about $10,940 for Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Mizzou.
The student loan default rate at the school is 3.6%, 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.
University of Northern Iowa landed the #12 spot on the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Cedar Falls, Iowa, this medium-sized public school handed out 48 degrees to qualified bachelors’s parks and rec students in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our bachelor’s degree parks & rec students whose families make $0-$30k list, UNI has also earned the #7 rank in our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UNI is $10,757 for bachelor’s degree parks & rec students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read more about Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at University of Northern Iowa
With a ranking of #13, University of Minnesota - Duluth did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. UMN Duluth is a fairly large school located in Duluth, Minnesota that handed out 10 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.
UMN Duluth also took the #23 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Minnesota - Duluth is $7,443 for bachelor’s degree parks & rec students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at UMN Duluth
University of North Carolina at Greensboro landed the #14 spot on the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. University of North Carolina at Greensboro is a fairly large school located in Greensboro, North Carolina that handed out 69 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for UNC Greensboro is $8,853 for Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students whose families make $0-$30k.
Read more about Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at UNC Greensboro
Shepherd University ranked #15 on this year’s Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. Shepherd University is a public institution located in Shepherdstown, West Virginia. The school has a small population, and it awarded 40 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend Shepherd University is $8,068 for Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students whose families make $0-$30k.
Read full report on Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at Shepherd University
With a ranking of #16, Winona State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. This medium-sized school is located in Winona, Minnesota, and it awarded 38 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Winona State, the school also landed the #9 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Winona State is $12,381 for Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students whose families make $0-$30k.
The student loan default rate at the school is 3.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at Winona State University
Oklahoma State University - Main Campus came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. OSU is located in Stillwater, Oklahoma and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 40 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees to qualified students.
The estimated yearly cost for Oklahoma State University - Main Campus is $8,669 for bachelor’s degree parks & rec students whose families make $0-$30k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%.
Read full report on Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at Oklahoma State University - Main Campus
San Jose State University ranked #18 on this year’s Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in San Jose, California, this large public school handed out 31 degrees to qualified bachelors’s parks and rec students in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at San Jose State, the school also landed the #8 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It costs about $10,940 for Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend San Jose State.
With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full San Jose State Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Report
University of Arkansas came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. University of Arkansas is located in Fayetteville, Arkansas and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 101 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees to qualified students.
UARK also made our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #10. The yearly cost to attend UARK is $12,094 for Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students whose families make $0-$30k.
With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
Eastern Washington University came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This fairly large school is located in Cheney, Washington, and it awarded 7 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend Eastern Washington University is $8,473 for bachelor’s degree parks & rec students whose families make $0-$30k.
University of Iowa came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. University of Iowa is a large school located in Iowa City, Iowa that handed out 67 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.
Iowa not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #4 on our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for Iowa is $12,975 for Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students whose families make $0-$30k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 88%. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at Iowa
California State University - Chico came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. California State University - Chico is a public institution located in Chico, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 87 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Chico State, the school also landed the #14 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend California State University - Chico is $10,260 for bachelor’s degree parks & rec students whose families make $0-$30k.
The student loan default rate at the school is 3.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at California State University - Chico
Western Washington University came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. WWU is a fairly large school located in Bellingham, Washington that handed out 40 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our bachelor’s degree parks & rec students whose families make $0-$30k list, WWU has also earned the #24 rank in our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It costs about $9,743 for Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend WWU.
The student loan default rate at the school is 2.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full Western Washington University Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Report
California State University - East Bay came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. California State University - East Bay is a fairly large school located in Hayward, California that handed out 32 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.
Cal State East Bay did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #25 on our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - East Bay is $8,036 for bachelor’s degree parks & rec students whose families make $0-$30k.
Read more about Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at Cal State East Bay
University of Utah did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #25. This large school is located in Salt Lake City, Utah, and it awarded 38 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.
U of U also made our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #22. It costs about $11,511 for Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend U of U.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at University of Utah
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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).
- 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
Footnotes
- *Average salary, average net price, and average tuition and fees are for the top schools only.
- 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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