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2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k

77 Ranked Colleges
2,732 Degrees Awarded
$29,751 Avg Salary
Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor's For Those Making $48-$75k

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. 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 For Those Making $48-$75k” 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.

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.

This year’s “Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking looked at 77 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in parks, recreation and leisure studies. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great parks, recreation and leisure studies programs and cost less that 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

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 for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that 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. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k

The colleges and universities below are the best for bachelor’s degree parks & rec students whose families make $48-$75k.

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies (Income $48-$75k)

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k. UIUC is a public institution located in Champaign, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 99 bachelors’s degrees 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 $13,351 for bachelor’s degree parks & rec students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend UIUC.

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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%.

Full UIUC Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Report

#2

Indiana University - Bloomington

Bloomington, Indiana

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 $48-$75k. Bloomington, Indiana is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s parks and rec degrees to 181 students in 2019-2020.

IU Bloomington also made our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #2. It costs about $12,060 for Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Indiana University - Bloomington.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, 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 4.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at IU Bloomington

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State University - Fresno. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k. This large school is located in Fresno, California, and it awarded 37 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

Fresno State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #20 on our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It costs about $7,549 for Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Fresno State.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The student loan default rate at the school is 4.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

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

Out of the 77 schools in the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Long Beach landed the #4 spot on the list. CSULB is a large school located in Long Beach, California that handed out 87 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

CSULB also took the #13 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend California State University - Long Beach is $10,807 for bachelor’s degree parks & rec students whose families make $48-$75k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 1.6%, 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.

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

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Brigham Young University - Provo. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k list. Provo, Utah is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s parks and rec degrees to 78 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at BYU, the school also landed the #6 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend BYU is $12,466 for bachelor’s degree parks & rec students whose families make $48-$75k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 92%, 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 1.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full BYU Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Report

#6

University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Minneapolis, Minnesota

University of Minnesota - Twin Cities did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #6. Located in Minneapolis, Minnesota, this large public school handed out 26 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s parks and rec students 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 yearly cost to attend University of Minnesota - Twin Cities is $12,556 for Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students whose families make $48-$75k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

University of Missouri - Columbia ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k list. University of Missouri - Columbia is a large public school situated in Columbia, Missouri. It awarded 126 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our bachelor’s degree parks & rec students whose families make $48-$75k list, Mizzou has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It costs about $13,145 for bachelor’s degree parks & rec students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend University of Missouri - Columbia.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. 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%.

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

With a ranking of #8, California State University - Sacramento did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k list. This large school is located in Sacramento, California, and it awarded 121 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

Sac State also took the #12 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Sac State is $11,413 for Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students whose families make $48-$75k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Sac State Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Report

Southeastern Oklahoma State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #9. Durant, Oklahoma is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s parks and rec degrees to 11 students in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Southeastern Oklahoma State University is $9,796 for bachelor’s degree parks & rec students whose families make $48-$75k.

Read full report on Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at Southeastern Oklahoma State University

#10

Shepherd University

Shepherdstown, West Virginia

Shepherd University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #10. 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 estimated yearly cost for Shepherd University is $11,719 for Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students whose families make $48-$75k.

Read full report on Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at Shepherd University

#11

University of Northern Iowa

Cedar Falls, Iowa

With a ranking of #11, University of Northern Iowa did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k list. This medium-sized school is located in Cedar Falls, Iowa, and it awarded 48 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our bachelor’s degree parks & rec students whose families make $48-$75k list, UNI has also earned the #7 rank in our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UNI is $15,729 for bachelor’s degree parks & rec students whose families make $48-$75k.

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

#12

Lehman College

Bronx, New York

Lehman College came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. This fairly large school is located in Bronx, New York, and it awarded 14 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Lehman is $6,993 for bachelor’s degree parks & rec students whose families make $48-$75k.

Full Lehman Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Report

#13

Winona State University

Winona, Minnesota

Winona State University came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. This medium-sized school is located in Winona, Minnesota, and it awarded 38 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

Winona State also made our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #9. It costs about $15,140 for Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Winona State.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at Winona State

Northwest Missouri State University landed the #14 spot on the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Located in Maryville, Missouri, this medium-sized public school handed out 43 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s parks and rec students in 2019-2020.

It costs about $11,988 for Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Northwest Missouri State University.

Read more about Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at Northwest Missouri State University

University of Minnesota - Duluth did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #15. UMN Duluth is a fairly large public school situated in Duluth, Minnesota. It awarded 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 $12,438 for bachelor’s degree parks & rec students whose families make $48-$75k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 3.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full University of Minnesota - Duluth Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Report

#16

University of Arkansas

Fayetteville, Arkansas

University of Arkansas came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. University of Arkansas is a large school located in Fayetteville, Arkansas that handed out 101 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

UARK also made our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #10. It costs about $16,336 for bachelor’s degree parks & rec students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend UARK.

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 University of Arkansas

#17

San Diego State University

San Diego, California

San Diego State University landed the #17 spot on the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. This large school is located in San Diego, California, and it awarded 41 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our bachelor’s degree parks & rec students whose families make $48-$75k list, SDSU has also earned the #18 rank in our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for SDSU is $14,730 for bachelor’s degree parks & rec students whose families make $48-$75k.

With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full San Diego State University Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Report

#18

MSU Texas

Wichita Falls, Texas

MSU Texas ranked #18 on this year’s Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k list. Located in Wichita Falls, Texas, this medium-sized public school awarded 16 degrees to qualified bachelors’s parks and rec students in 2019-2020.

It costs about $10,068 for bachelor’s degree parks & rec students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend MSU Texas.

Full MSU Texas Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Report

University of Nebraska at Kearney landed the #18 spot on the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Kearney, Nebraska is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s parks and rec degrees to 57 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our bachelor’s degree parks & rec students whose families make $48-$75k list, UNK has also earned the #11 rank in our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It costs about $15,343 for Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend University of Nebraska at Kearney.

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%.

Full UNK Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Report

#20

University of Utah

Salt Lake City, Utah

University of Utah did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #20. 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. The yearly cost to attend University of Utah is $14,501 for bachelor’s degree parks & rec students whose families make $48-$75k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. The low student loan default rate of 2.6% 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%.

Read full report on Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at University of Utah

#21

University of Iowa

Iowa City, Iowa

University of Iowa ranked #21 on this year’s Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k list. Iowa is located in Iowa City, Iowa and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 67 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees to qualified students.

Iowa did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It costs about $18,272 for bachelor’s degree parks & rec students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Iowa.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 88%, 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 3.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

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

#22

San Jose State University

San Jose, California

San Jose State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #22. San Jose State is a public institution located in San Jose, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 31 bachelors’s degrees 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 $16,397 for bachelor’s degree parks & rec students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend San Jose State University.

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 student loan default rate at the school is 3.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full San Jose State Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Report

#23

University of North Carolina at Greensboro

Greensboro, North Carolina

University of North Carolina at Greensboro ranked #23 on this year’s Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k list. UNC 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 $14,166 for bachelor’s degree parks & rec students whose families make $48-$75k.

Read full report on Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at University of North Carolina at Greensboro

University of Nebraska at Omaha landed the #24 spot on the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. This fairly large school is located in Omaha, Nebraska, and it awarded 8 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $13,833 for Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend UNOMAHA.

Read more about Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at UNOMAHA

California State University - Chico ranked #25 on this year’s Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $48-$75k list. California State University - Chico is located in Chico, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 87 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees to qualified students.

Chico State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #14 on our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It costs about $16,116 for bachelor’s degree parks & rec students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend California State University - Chico.

The low student loan default rate of 3.3% 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%.

Read full report on Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at California State University - Chico

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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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