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2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies (Income $30-$48k) in the Great Lakes Region

8 Ranked Colleges
425 Degrees Awarded
$13,000 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor's in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. 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 for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking.

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.

Across the Great Lakes region, there were 517 parks, recreation and leisure studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $31,400 and $24,739 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 425 parks, recreation and leisure studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $39,075 and $25,381 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking, we looked at 8 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.

To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as the cost to attend the school after aid is awarded and overall quality of the parks, recreation and leisure studies program at the school. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

More Ways to Rank Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools

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 in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k” list to help you make the college decision.

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. 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 for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k

The colleges and universities below are the best for great lakes region bachelor’s degree parks & rec students whose families make $30-$48k.

Top 8 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies (Income $30-$48k) in the Great Lakes Region

Out of the 8 schools in the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign landed the #1 spot on the 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 in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UIUC is $8,464 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree parks & rec students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

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

#2

Indiana University - Bloomington

Bloomington, Indiana

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Indiana University - Bloomington. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. This large school is located in Bloomington, Indiana, and it awarded 181 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at IU Bloomington, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend IU Bloomington is $6,192 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree parks & rec students whose families make $30-$48k.

The low student loan default rate of 4.3% 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full Indiana University - Bloomington Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Report

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Southern Illinois University Carbondale. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k. Southern Illinois University Carbondale is located in Carbondale, Illinois and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 21 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees to qualified students.

SIUC not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #5 on our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Southern Illinois University Carbondale is $14,306 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree parks & rec students whose families make $30-$48k.

Read more about Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at Southern Illinois University Carbondale

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Bowling Green State University - Main Campus. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k. BGSU is a fairly large public school situated in Bowling Green, Ohio. It awarded 55 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at BGSU, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Bowling Green State University - Main Campus is $15,533 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students whose families make $30-$48k.

Full BGSU Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Report

#5

Northern Michigan University

Marquette, Michigan

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Northern Michigan University. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. This medium-sized school is located in Marquette, Michigan, and it awarded 29 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Northern Michigan University, the school also landed the #8 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Northern Michigan University is $11,723 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree parks & rec students whose families make $30-$48k.

Read more about Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at Northern Michigan University

#6

Aurora University

Aurora, Illinois
#7 in overall quality

Aurora University landed the #6 spot on the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Aurora University is a medium-sized school located in Aurora, Illinois that handed out 4 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

Aurora not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #7 on our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. It costs about $13,845 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Aurora University.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Aurora Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Report

Ohio University - Athens Campus came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. OHIO Athens is a large school located in Athens, Ohio that handed out 21 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

OHIO Athens also took the #3 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Ohio University - Athens Campus is $18,863 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree parks & rec students whose families make $30-$48k.

Read full report on Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at Ohio University - Athens Campus

#8

Olivet Nazarene University

Bourbonnais, Illinois
#6 in overall quality

Olivet Nazarene University landed the #8 spot on the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Olivet Nazarene is located in Bourbonnais, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 4 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees to qualified students.

Olivet Nazarene did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #6 on our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. It costs about $15,390 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Olivet Nazarene University.

The low student loan default rate of 3.4% 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%.

Full Olivet Nazarene University Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Report

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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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