2022 Best Value Colleges for Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies (Income $30-$48k) in Iowa

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in Iowa For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

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 Iowa, there were 127 parks, recreation and leisure studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $32,350 and $23,000 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in Iowa For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking analyzed 2 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. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in Iowa For Those Making $30-$48k” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.

Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in Iowa For Those Making $30-$48k

The colleges and universities below are the best for iowa parks & rec students whose families make $30-$48k.

Top 2 Best Value Colleges for Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies (Income $30-$48k) in Iowa

#1

University of Northern Iowa

Cedar Falls, Iowa

#2 in overall quality

$12,495 Average Net Price

$39,900 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Northern Iowa. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in Iowa For Those Making $30-$48k list. Cedar Falls, Iowa is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s parks and rec degrees to 60 students in 2019-2020.

UNI also made our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in Iowa” list, coming in at #2. The estimated yearly cost for University of Northern Iowa is $12,495 for Iowa Parks & Rec students whose families make $30-$48k.

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 student loan default rate of 3.6% 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 UNI Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Report

#2

University of Iowa

Iowa City, Iowa

#1 in overall quality

$15,073 Average Net Price

$44,594 Average Early-Career Earnings

Out of the 2 schools in the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in Iowa For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Iowa landed the #2 spot on the list. University of Iowa is a public institution located in Iowa City, Iowa. The school has a large population, and it awarded 67 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Iowa not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in Iowa” list. The yearly cost to attend Iowa is $15,073 for iowa parks & rec students whose families make $30-$48k.

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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 88%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

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

• Best Value Colleges for Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies (Income $30-$48k) in the Plains States Region
• Best Value Colleges for Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies (Income $30-$48k)

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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