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2023 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in the Southeast Region For Those Getting Aid

15 Ranked Colleges
568 Degrees Awarded
$16,900 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in the Southeast Region For Those Getting Aid

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 the Southeast 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 Southeast region, there were 568 parks, recreation and leisure studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $28,183 and $28,553 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in the Southeast Region For Those Getting Aid” ranking, we looked at 15 colleges that offer 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.

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. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

One Size Does Not Fit All

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When choosing the right school for you, it’s important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we’ve created a number of major-specific rankings, including this “Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in the Southeast Region For Those Getting Aid” list to help you make the college decision.

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. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.

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

The colleges and universities below are the best for southeast region parks & rec students with aid.

Top 15 Best Value Colleges for Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies in the Southeast Region (With Aid)

1
ECU crest
East Carolina University
Greenville, North Carolina

Out of the 15 schools in the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in the Southeast Region For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, East Carolina University landed the #1 spot on the list. This large school is located in Greenville, North Carolina, and it awarded 37 ’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.

ECU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in the Southeast Region” list. The yearly cost to attend East Carolina University is $16,550 for southeast region parks & rec students with aid.

Read more about Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at East Carolina University

2

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of North Carolina at Greensboro. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in the Southeast Region For Those Getting Aid list. UNC Greensboro is a public institution located in Greensboro, North Carolina. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 64 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

UNC Greensboro also made our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in the Southeast Region” list, coming in at #4. It costs about $11,629 for southeast region parks & rec students with aid per year to attend UNC Greensboro.

Full UNC Greensboro Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Report

3
UARK crest
University of Arkansas
Fayetteville, Arkansas

Out of the 15 schools in the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in the Southeast Region For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Arkansas landed the #3 spot on the list. UARK is a public institution located in Fayetteville, Arkansas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 77 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

UARK not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in the Southeast Region” list. The yearly cost to attend University of Arkansas is $16,507 for southeast region parks & rec students with aid.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.1% 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 University of Arkansas Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Report

4
Shepherd University crest
Shepherd University
Shepherdstown, West Virginia

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Shepherd University. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in the Southeast Region For Those Getting Aid list. Shepherd University is a small public school situated in Shepherdstown, West Virginia. It awarded 27 ’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.

Shepherd University did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in the Southeast Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Shepherd University is $10,983 for Southeast Region Parks & Rec students with aid.

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

5
GaSou crest
Georgia Southern University
Statesboro, Georgia

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Georgia Southern University. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in the Southeast Region For Those Getting Aid list. GaSou is a large public school situated in Statesboro, Georgia. It awarded 51 ’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.

GaSou not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in the Southeast Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Georgia Southern University is $15,571 for Southeast Region Parks & Rec students with aid.

Read more about Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at GaSou

6
Jacksonville State University crest
Jacksonville State University
Jacksonville, Alabama

Jacksonville State University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in the Southeast Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. This medium-sized school is located in Jacksonville, Alabama, and it awarded 34 ’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our southeast region parks & rec students with aid list, Jacksonville State University has also earned the #12 rank in our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in the Southeast Region” ranking. It costs about $17,523 for Southeast Region Parks & Rec students with aid per year to attend Jacksonville State University.

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

7
Radford crest
Radford University
Radford, Virginia

Radford University landed the #7 spot on the 2023 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in the Southeast Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. Radford is a public institution located in Radford, Virginia. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 41 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Radford also took the #6 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in the Southeast Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Radford is $16,505 for Southeast Region Parks & Rec students with aid.

Read more about Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at Radford

8
Southern Miss crest
University of Southern Mississippi
Hattiesburg, Mississippi

University of Southern Mississippi ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in the Southeast Region For Those Getting Aid list. This fairly large school is located in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, and it awarded 14 ’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Southern Miss, the school also landed the #8 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in the Southeast Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Southern Miss is $14,032 for southeast region parks & rec students with aid.

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

9

University of South Alabama ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in the Southeast Region For Those Getting Aid list. University of South Alabama is a fairly large public school situated in Mobile, Alabama. It awarded 31 ’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.

USA not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #11 on our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in the Southeast Region” list. The yearly cost to attend USA is $16,826 for southeast region parks & rec students with aid.

Full University of South Alabama Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Report

10
UMO crest
University of Mount Olive
Mount Olive, North Carolina

University of Mount Olive landed the #10 spot on the 2023 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in the Southeast Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. UMO is located in Mount Olive, North Carolina and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 9 ’s parks and rec degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UMO, the school also landed the #13 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in the Southeast Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Mount Olive is $15,883 for southeast region parks & rec students with aid.

Full UMO Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Report

11
North Greenville crest
North Greenville University
Tigerville, South Carolina

With a ranking of #11, North Greenville University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in the Southeast Region For Those Getting Aid list. North Greenville University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Tigerville, South Carolina. The school has a small population, and it awarded 7 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

North Greenville also made our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in the Southeast Region” list, coming in at #10. It costs about $20,058 for southeast region parks & rec students with aid per year to attend North Greenville.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 5.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at North Greenville

12
Newberry College crest
Newberry College
Newberry, South Carolina

Newberry College ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in the Southeast Region For Those Getting Aid list. Newberry College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Newberry, South Carolina. It awarded 6 ’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Newberry College, the school also landed the #9 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in the Southeast Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Newberry College is $20,220 for southeast region parks & rec students with aid.

Full Newberry College Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Report

13
Georgia College crest
Georgia College & State University
Milledgeville, Georgia

Georgia College & State University ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in the Southeast Region For Those Getting Aid list. Georgia College is a medium-sized school located in Milledgeville, Georgia that handed out 7 ’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our southeast region parks & rec students with aid list, Georgia College has also earned the #7 rank in our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in the Southeast Region” ranking. It costs about $20,139 for southeast region parks & rec students with aid per year to attend Georgia College & State University.

The low undergrad 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 full report on Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at Georgia College

14
GSU crest
Grambling State University
Grambling, Louisiana

Grambling State University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in the Southeast Region For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #14. GSU is a public institution located in Grambling, Louisiana. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 25 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at GSU, the school also landed the #14 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in the Southeast Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Grambling State University is $16,964 for Southeast Region Parks & Rec students with aid.

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

15
Shaw University crest
Shaw University
Raleigh, North Carolina

Shaw University landed the #15 spot on the 2023 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in the Southeast Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. Located in Raleigh, North Carolina, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 6 diplomas to qualified ’s parks and rec students in 2020-2021.

Shaw University also made our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in the Southeast Region” list, coming in at #15. The yearly cost to attend Shaw University is $23,809 for Southeast Region Parks & Rec students with aid.

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

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Notes and References

References

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Footnotes

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