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2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies (Income $48-$75k) in the Great Lakes Region

8 Ranked Colleges
425 Degrees Awarded
$28,800 Avg Salary
Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor's in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k

When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking - to help you make that 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 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.

This year’s “Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking analyzed 8 colleges that offered a degree 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.

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.

One Size Does Not Fit All

The parks & rec school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we’ve developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of “Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k”.

To further help you make the college decision, we’ve developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. 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 for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k.

Top 8 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies (Income $48-$75k) in the Great Lakes Region

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 in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. 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.

UIUC also took 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 $13,351 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree parks & rec students whose families make $48-$75k.

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

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

#2

Indiana University - Bloomington

Bloomington, Indiana

Out of the 8 schools in the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, Indiana University - Bloomington landed the #2 spot on the 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 Indiana University - Bloomington is $12,060 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students whose families make $48-$75k.

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 $48-$75k. SIUC is a fairly large public school situated in Carbondale, Illinois. It awarded 21 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at SIUC, the school also landed the #5 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Southern Illinois University Carbondale is $14,985 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree parks & rec students whose families make $48-$75k.

Read full report on Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at Southern Illinois University Carbondale

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Bowling Green State University - Main Campus. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. BGSU is a public institution located in Bowling Green, Ohio. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 55 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

BGSU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #4 on our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. It costs about $18,127 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend BGSU.

Full BGSU Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Report

#5

Aurora University

Aurora, Illinois
#7 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Aurora University. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k. Aurora is a private not-for-profit institution located in Aurora, Illinois. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 4 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Aurora did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #7 on our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. It costs about $15,881 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Aurora.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at Aurora University

#6

Olivet Nazarene University

Bourbonnais, Illinois
#6 in overall quality

Olivet Nazarene University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #6. Olivet Nazarene University 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 also took the #6 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Olivet Nazarene University is $17,841 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree parks & rec students whose families make $48-$75k.

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%.

Read more about Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at Olivet Nazarene

#7

Northern Michigan University

Marquette, Michigan

Northern Michigan University 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 $48-$75k ranking. Northern Michigan University is a medium-sized school located in Marquette, Michigan that handed out 29 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

Northern Michigan University not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #8 on our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Northern Michigan University is $15,753 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students whose families make $48-$75k.

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

Ohio University - Athens Campus ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. 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 not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Ohio University - Athens Campus is $22,337 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students whose families make $48-$75k.

Full Ohio University - Athens Campus 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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