2023 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in the Great Lakes Region
8
Ranked Colleges
475
Degrees Awarded
$17,500
Avg Net Price*
When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking - to help you make that 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 Great Lakes region, there were 475 parks, recreation and leisure studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $33,140 and $23,596 respectively.
This year’s “Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking looked at 8 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.
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. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
More Ways to Rank Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools
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 the Great Lakes Region”.
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 when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.
Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in the Great Lakes Region
The colleges and universities below are the best for great lakes region parks & rec students.
Top 8 Best Value Colleges for Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies in the Great Lakes Region
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Ohio University - Athens Campus. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Ohio University - Athens Campus is located in Athens, Ohio and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 35 ’s parks and rec degrees to qualified students.
OHIO Athens also took the #3 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $23,831 for great lakes region parks & rec students per year to attend OHIO Athens.
Read full report on Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at OHIO Athens
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 #2 for the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in the Great Lakes Region. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is located in Champaign, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 142 ’s parks and rec degrees to qualified students.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UIUC, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UIUC is $14,321 for Great Lakes Region Parks & Rec students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%.
Full University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Northern Michigan University. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Northern Michigan University is located in Marquette, Michigan and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 16 ’s parks and rec degrees to qualified students.
Northern Michigan University also made our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #7. It costs about $15,214 for Great Lakes Region Parks & Rec students per year to attend Northern Michigan University.
Read more about Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at Northern Michigan University
Out of the 8 schools in the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Southern Illinois University Carbondale landed the #4 spot on the list. Southern Illinois University Carbondale is a fairly large public school situated in Carbondale, Illinois. It awarded 44 ’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our great lakes region parks & rec students list, SIUC has also earned the #4 rank in our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Southern Illinois University Carbondale is $16,285 for Great Lakes Region Parks & Rec students.
Read more about Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at SIUC
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Bowling Green State University - Main Campus. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in the Great Lakes Region. Bowling Green State University - Main Campus is a fairly large school located in Bowling Green, Ohio that handed out 45 ’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our great lakes region parks & rec students list, BGSU has also earned the #5 rank in our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Bowling Green State University - Main Campus is $18,558 for Great Lakes Region Parks & Rec students.
Read full report on Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at BGSU
Indiana University - Bloomington did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #6. Indiana University - Bloomington is a large school located in Bloomington, Indiana that handed out 160 ’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at IU Bloomington, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Indiana University - Bloomington is $14,619 for great lakes region parks & rec students.
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%. With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read full report on Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at IU Bloomington
University of Toledo ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. University of Toledo is a fairly large school located in Toledo, Ohio that handed out 14 ’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our great lakes region parks & rec students list, University of Toledo has also earned the #6 rank in our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Toledo is $17,312 for Great Lakes Region Parks & Rec students.
Read full report on Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at University of Toledo
Olivet Nazarene University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #8. Olivet Nazarene is a small school located in Bourbonnais, Illinois that handed out 6 ’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our great lakes region parks & rec students list, Olivet Nazarene has also earned the #8 rank in our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Olivet Nazarene University is $19,470 for Great Lakes Region Parks & Rec students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at Olivet Nazarene University
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Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in the Great Lakes Region
Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies students in the Great Lakes Region
Most Focused Colleges for Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies in the Great Lakes Region
Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies students in the Great Lakes Region
Most Popular Online Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools
Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies students in the Great Lakes Region
Best Value Colleges for Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies (Income $0-$30k) in the Great Lakes Region
Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies students with family income less than $30k in the Great Lakes Region
Best Value Colleges for Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies (Income $48-$75k) in the Great Lakes Region
Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies students with family income $48-$75k in the Great Lakes Region
Best Value Colleges for Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies (Income Over $110k) in the Great Lakes Region
Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies students with family income exceeding $110k in the Great Lakes Region
Highest Paid Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Graduates in the Great Lakes Region
Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies students in the Great Lakes Region
Most Popular Colleges for Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies in the Great Lakes Region
Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies students in the Great Lakes Region
Best Value Colleges for Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies in the Great Lakes Region (With Aid)
Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies students getting aid in the Great Lakes Region
Best Value Colleges for Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies (Income $30-$48k) in the Great Lakes Region
Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies students with family income $30-$48k in the Great Lakes Region
Best Value Colleges for Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies (Income $75-$110k) in the Great Lakes Region
Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies students with family income $75-$110k in the Great Lakes Region
Best Value Colleges for Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies in the Great Lakes Region
Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies students in the Great Lakes Region
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
- *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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