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2023 Best Value Colleges for Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies (Income $75-$110k) in California

10 Ranked Colleges
678 Degrees Awarded
$18,800 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in California For Those Making $75-$110k

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in California For Those Making $75-$110k” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

In 2020-2021, 3,106 people earned their degree in parks, recreation and leisure studies, making the major the 166th most popular in the United States. 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 $75-$110k” 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.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the parks, recreation and leisure studies program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

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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 California For Those Making $75-$110k” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to you. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.

Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in California For Those Making $75-$110k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in California For Those Making $75-$110k.

Top 10 Best Value Colleges for Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies (Income $75-$110k) in California

1

Out of the 10 schools in the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in California For Those Making $75-$110k that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Long Beach landed the #1 spot on the list. This large school is located in Long Beach, California, and it awarded 91 ’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.

CSULB did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend California State University - Long Beach is $15,101 for california parks & rec students whose families make $75-$110k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

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

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 $75-$110k. California State University - Sacramento is a large school located in Sacramento, California that handed out 100 ’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.

Sac State also made our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in California” list, coming in at #5. The yearly cost to attend California State University - Sacramento is $16,925 for california parks & rec students whose families make $75-$110k.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at California State University - Sacramento

3

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Fresno. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in California For Those Making $75-$110k list. Fresno State is a large school located in Fresno, California that handed out 37 ’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.

Fresno State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #8 on our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for Fresno State is $12,789 for california parks & rec students whose families make $75-$110k.

With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

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

4

Out of the 10 schools in the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in California For Those Making $75-$110k that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Chico landed the #4 spot on the list. Chico State is a public institution located in Chico, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 99 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Chico State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in California” list. It costs about $20,708 for California Parks & Rec students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend Chico State.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

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

5
San Jose State crest
San Jose State University
San Jose, California

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend San Jose State University. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in California For Those Making $75-$110k list. San Jose State is a large public school situated in San Jose, California. It awarded 40 ’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at San Jose State, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $21,035 for california parks & rec students whose families make $75-$110k 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 undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

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

6

California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in California For Those Making $75-$110k ranking, coming in at #6. Located in San Luis Obispo, California, this large public school awarded 119 degrees to qualified ’s parks and rec students in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our california parks & rec students whose families make $75-$110k list, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo is $22,744 for California Parks & Rec students whose families make $75-$110k.

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 undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo

7
SDSU crest
San Diego State University
San Diego, California

San Diego State University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in California For Those Making $75-$110k ranking, coming in at #7. San Diego, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s parks and rec degrees to 32 students in 2020-2021.

SDSU also made our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in California” list, coming in at #7. The yearly cost to attend San Diego State University is $18,957 for california parks & rec students whose families make $75-$110k.

With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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 more about Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at SDSU

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 $75-$110k list. This large school is located in San Francisco, California, and it awarded 46 ’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at SFSU, the school also landed the #6 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for San Francisco State University is $20,159 for California Parks & Rec students whose families make $75-$110k.

The low undergrad 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%.

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

9

California State University - East Bay landed the #9 spot on the 2023 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in California For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. California State University - East Bay is a fairly large school located in Hayward, California that handed out 31 ’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our california parks & rec students whose families make $75-$110k list, Cal State East Bay has also earned the #9 rank in our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $18,874 for california parks & rec students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend Cal State East Bay.

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%.

Full Cal State East Bay Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Report

10
Humboldt State University crest
Humboldt State University
Arcata, California

With a ranking of #10, Humboldt State University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in California For Those Making $75-$110k list. Humboldt State University is a medium-sized school located in Arcata, California that handed out 31 ’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.

Humboldt State University also made our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in California” list, coming in at #10. The estimated yearly cost for Humboldt State University is $20,326 for California Parks & Rec students whose families make $75-$110k.

Full Humboldt State University Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Report

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