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2023 Best Value Colleges for Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies in the Rocky Mountains Region (With Aid)

5 Ranked Colleges
273 Degrees Awarded
$14,300 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region For Those Getting Aid

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region For Those Getting Aid” 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 the Rocky Mountains region, there were 273 parks, recreation and leisure studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $32,800 and $18,161 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region For Those Getting Aid” ranking analyzed 5 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.

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. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

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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 in the Rocky Mountains Region For Those Getting Aid” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most to you. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region For Those Getting Aid

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region For Those Getting Aid.

Top 5 Best Value Colleges for Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies in the Rocky Mountains Region (With Aid)

1

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Brigham Young University - Provo. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region For Those Getting Aid list. Brigham Young University - Provo is located in Provo, Utah and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 110 ’s parks and rec degrees to qualified students.

BYU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Brigham Young University - Provo is $13,474 for Rocky Mountains Region Parks & Rec students with aid.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 92%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at Brigham Young University - Provo

2
U of U crest
University of Utah
Salt Lake City, Utah

Out of the 5 schools in the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Utah landed the #2 spot on the list. U of U is located in Salt Lake City, Utah and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 76 ’s parks and rec degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our rocky mountains region parks & rec students with aid list, U of U has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Utah is $13,572 for rocky mountains region parks & rec students with aid.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.7% 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

3

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Metropolitan State University of Denver. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region For Those Getting Aid list. Located in Denver, Colorado, this fairly large public school handed out 14 degrees to qualified ’s parks and rec students in 2020-2021.

MSU Denver not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #4 on our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for MSU Denver is $14,313 for rocky mountains region parks & rec students with aid.

Full Metropolitan State University of Denver Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Report

4
Southern Utah University crest
Southern Utah University
Cedar City, Utah

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Southern Utah University. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region For Those Getting Aid. Southern Utah University is located in Cedar City, Utah and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 14 ’s parks and rec degrees to qualified students.

Southern Utah University also took the #5 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” ranking. It costs about $13,578 for rocky mountains region parks & rec students with aid per year to attend Southern Utah University.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at Southern Utah University

5
Western crest
Western Colorado University
Gunnison, Colorado

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Western Colorado University. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region For Those Getting Aid. Western Colorado University is a small school located in Gunnison, Colorado that handed out 31 ’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.

Western also made our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” list, coming in at #3. The yearly cost to attend Western is $16,690 for Rocky Mountains Region Parks & Rec students with aid.

Read more about Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at Western

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Notes and References

References

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

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