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2023 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k

10 Ranked Colleges
678 Degrees Awarded
$9,400 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k

When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking.

Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies is the 166th most popular major in the country with 3,106 degrees awarded in 2020-2021. In 2019-2020, parks, recreation and leisure studies graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $31,801 and had an average of $23,333 in loans still to pay off.

Across California, there were 678 parks, recreation and leisure studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $37,222 and $17,096 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking analyzed 10 colleges that offered 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.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the parks, recreation and leisure studies program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

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Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k” 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. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.

Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k.

Top 10 Best Value Colleges for Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies (Income $0-$30k) in California

1

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Long Beach. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. CSULB is located in Long Beach, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 91 ’s parks and rec degrees to qualified students.

CSULB also took the #3 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend California State University - Long Beach is $6,663 for California Parks & Rec students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.4% 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 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read full report on Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at CSULB

2

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State University - Sacramento. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k. Sacramento, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s parks and rec degrees to 100 students in 2020-2021.

Sac State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for Sac State is $8,163 for California Parks & Rec students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.9% 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 California State University - Sacramento

3

Out of the 10 schools in the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Fresno landed the #3 spot on the list. Fresno State is a large school located in Fresno, California that handed out 37 ’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Fresno State, the school also landed the #8 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Fresno State is $3,859 for california parks & rec students whose families make $0-$30k.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at Fresno State

4

Out of the 10 schools in the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo landed the #4 spot on the list. San Luis Obispo, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s parks and rec degrees to 119 students in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our california parks & rec students whose families make $0-$30k list, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo is $12,173 for California Parks & Rec students whose families make $0-$30k.

With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.7% 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 California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo

5

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State University - Chico. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k. Located in Chico, California, this fairly large public school handed out 99 diplomas to qualified ’s parks and rec students in 2020-2021.

Chico State also made our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in California” list, coming in at #2. The estimated yearly cost for Chico State is $11,754 for california parks & rec students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.0% 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%.

Full California State University - Chico Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Report

6
San Jose State crest
San Jose State University
San Jose, California

With a ranking of #6, San Jose State University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. This large school is located in San Jose, California, and it awarded 40 ’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.

San Jose State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #4 on our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in California” list. It costs about $12,158 for california parks & rec students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend San Jose State.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.9% 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%.

Full San Jose State Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Report

7
SDSU crest
San Diego State University
San Diego, California

San Diego State University landed the #7 spot on the 2023 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. 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 #7 on our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in California” list. It costs about $7,169 for california parks & rec students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend SDSU.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.2% 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 Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at San Diego State University

8
SFSU crest
San Francisco State University
San Francisco, California

San Francisco State University ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in San Francisco, California, this large public school handed out 46 degrees to qualified ’s parks and rec students in 2020-2021.

SFSU also made our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in California” list, coming in at #6. The yearly cost to attend SFSU is $10,705 for california parks & rec students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full SFSU Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Report

9

California State University - East Bay landed the #9 spot on the 2023 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This fairly large school is located in Hayward, California, and it awarded 31 ’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our california parks & rec students whose families make $0-$30k list, Cal State East Bay has also earned the #9 rank in our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Cal State East Bay is $9,975 for California Parks & Rec students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.4% 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 California State University - East Bay

10
Humboldt State University crest
Humboldt State University
Arcata, California

Humboldt State University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #10. Arcata, California is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s parks and rec degrees to 31 students in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our california parks & rec students whose families make $0-$30k list, Humboldt State University has also earned the #10 rank in our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Humboldt State University is $11,473 for california parks & rec students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full Humboldt State University Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Report

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