2022 Best Value Colleges for Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies (Income $75-$110k) in Illinois

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 Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k” 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 Illinois, there were 167 parks, recreation and leisure studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $34,733 and $24,414 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k” ranking looked at 4 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.

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 in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k”.

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. 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 Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k

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

Top 4 Best Value Colleges for Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies (Income $75-$110k) in Illinois

#1

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Champaign, Illinois

#1 in overall quality

$21,998 Average Net Price

$49,122 Average Early-Career Earnings

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 in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k. This large school is located in Champaign, Illinois, and it awarded 130 ’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

UIUC also made our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #1. The yearly cost to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is $21,998 for illinois 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 94%. 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 more about Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

#2

Southern Illinois University Carbondale

Carbondale, Illinois

#2 in overall quality

$20,698 Average Net Price

$38,710 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Southern Illinois University Carbondale. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k. Southern Illinois University Carbondale is a fairly large school located in Carbondale, Illinois that handed out 29 ’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

SIUC not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in Illinois” list. The yearly cost to attend Southern Illinois University Carbondale is $20,698 for illinois parks & rec students whose families make $75-$110k.

Full Southern Illinois University Carbondale Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Report

#3

Aurora University

Aurora, Illinois

#4 in overall quality

$19,609 Average Net Price

$43,032 Average Early-Career Earnings

Out of the 4 schools in the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k that were part of this year’s ranking, Aurora University landed the #3 spot on the list. This medium-sized school is located in Aurora, Illinois, and it awarded 4 ’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Aurora, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Aurora University is $19,609 for illinois parks & rec students whose families make $75-$110k.

The low 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%.

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

#4

Olivet Nazarene University

Bourbonnais, Illinois

#3 in overall quality

$21,306 Average Net Price

$46,385 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Olivet Nazarene University. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k list. Bourbonnais, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s parks and rec degrees to 4 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois parks & rec students whose families make $75-$110k list, Olivet Nazarene has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Olivet Nazarene is $21,306 for illinois parks & rec students whose families make $75-$110k.

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 University

• Best Value Colleges for Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies (Income $75-$110k) in the Great Lakes Region
• Best Value Colleges for Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies (Income $75-$110k)

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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