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2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region

14 Ranked Colleges
654 Degrees Awarded
$13,500 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor's in the Far Western US Region

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies is the 152nd most popular major in the country with 3,224 degrees awarded in 2019-2020. 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 Far Western US region, there were 733 parks, recreation and leisure studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $32,378 and $18,768 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 654 parks, recreation and leisure studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,083 and $22,209 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region” ranking analyzed 14 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.

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.

More Ways to Rank Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools

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 for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.

Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region.

Top 14 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies in the Far Western US Region

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Long Beach. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region list. CSULB is a large school located in Long Beach, California that handed out 87 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at CSULB, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend CSULB is $9,622 for far western us region bachelor’s degree parks & rec students.

With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

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

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Fresno. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region list. Located in Fresno, California, this large public school awarded 37 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s parks and rec students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Fresno State, the school also landed the #6 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Fresno is $5,464 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students.

The low student loan default rate of 4.7% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%.

Full Fresno State Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Report

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Chico. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region list. California State University - Chico is a fairly large public school situated in Chico, California. It awarded 87 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

Chico State also took the #4 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Chico State is $15,017 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students.

The low student loan default rate of 3.3% 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 more about Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at California State University - Chico

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State University - Sacramento. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region. Sac State is located in Sacramento, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 121 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Sac State, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend California State University - Sacramento is $9,979 for far western us region bachelor’s degree parks & rec students.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

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

#5

San Jose State University

San Jose, California

Out of the 14 schools in the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region that were part of this year’s ranking, San Jose State University landed the #5 spot on the list. San Jose State University is located in San Jose, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 31 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at San Jose State, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend San Jose State is $14,928 for far western us region bachelor’s degree parks & rec students.

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 low student loan default rate of 3.7% 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 San Jose State

California State University - East Bay landed the #6 spot on the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region ranking. California State University - East Bay is a fairly large school located in Hayward, California that handed out 32 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

Cal State East Bay not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #8 on our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - East Bay is $11,116 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students.

Full California State University - East Bay Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Report

#7

San Francisco State University

San Francisco, California

San Francisco State University ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region list. SFSU is a large public school situated in San Francisco, California. It awarded 35 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our far western us region bachelor’s degree parks & rec students list, SFSU has also earned the #9 rank in our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for SFSU is $15,113 for far western us region bachelor’s degree parks & rec students.

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

#8

San Diego State University

San Diego, California

San Diego State University ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region list. San Diego, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s parks and rec degrees to 41 students in 2019-2020.

SDSU also made our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list, coming in at #5. The yearly cost to attend San Diego State University is $14,788 for far western us region bachelor’s degree parks & rec students.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%.

Full SDSU Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Report

#9

Western Washington University

Bellingham, Washington

Western Washington University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region ranking, coming in at #9. WWU is located in Bellingham, Washington and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 40 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees to qualified students.

WWU also took the #7 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. It costs about $16,529 for far western us region bachelor’s degree parks & rec students per year to attend Western Washington University.

The low student loan default rate of 2.7% 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%.

Full WWU Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Report

#10

Alaska Pacific University

Anchorage, Alaska

Alaska Pacific University landed the #10 spot on the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region ranking. Anchorage, Alaska is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s parks and rec degrees to 6 students in 2019-2020.

Alaska Pacific did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #12 on our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Alaska Pacific is $18,602 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students.

The student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Read more about Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at Alaska Pacific University

#11

Eastern Washington University

Cheney, Washington
#11 in overall quality

With a ranking of #11, Eastern Washington University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region list. Eastern Washington University is a fairly large public school situated in Cheney, Washington. It awarded 7 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

EWU also made our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list, coming in at #11. It costs about $12,607 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students per year to attend EWU.

Full Eastern Washington University Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Report

#12

Oregon State University

Corvallis, Oregon

Oregon State University came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region ranking. This large school is located in Corvallis, Oregon, and it awarded 20 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Oregon State, the school also landed the #10 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. It costs about $20,016 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students per year to attend Oregon State University.

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 school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

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

#13

Humboldt State University

Arcata, California
#14 in overall quality

Humboldt State University came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region ranking. Arcata, California is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s parks and rec degrees to 13 students in 2019-2020.

Humboldt State University also made our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list, coming in at #14. The yearly cost to attend Humboldt State University is $14,692 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students.

Full Humboldt State University Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Report

#14

Southern Oregon University

Ashland, Oregon

Southern Oregon University ranked #14 on this year’s Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region list. Ashland, Oregon is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s parks and rec degrees to 15 students in 2019-2020.

Southern Oregon University also made our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list, coming in at #13. The estimated yearly cost for Southern Oregon University is $10,386 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students.

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

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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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