2023 Best Value Colleges for Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies in the Middle Atlantic Region
7
Ranked Colleges
284
Degrees Awarded
$20,200
Avg Net Price*
Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.
Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies is the 166th most popular major in the country with 3,106 degrees awarded in 2020-2021. 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 Middle Atlantic region, there were 284 parks, recreation and leisure studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $34,534 and $27,000 respectively.
This year’s “Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region” ranking analyzed 7 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. See our ranking methodology to learn more.
One Size Does Not Fit All
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 Middle Atlantic Region” 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. 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 in the Middle Atlantic Region
The colleges and universities below are the best for middle atlantic region parks & rec students.
Top 7 Best Value Colleges for Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies in the Middle Atlantic Region
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Kutztown University of Pennsylvania. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region list. Kutztown, Pennsylvania is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s parks and rec degrees to 95 students in 2020-2021.
Kutztown University also took the #2 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Kutztown University of Pennsylvania is $23,227 for Middle Atlantic Region Parks & Rec students.
Read more about Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at Kutztown University
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend SUNY Cortland. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region. Located in Cortland, New York, this medium-sized public school handed out 23 diplomas to qualified ’s parks and rec students in 2020-2021.
SUNY Cortland not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region” list. It costs about $19,273 for Middle Atlantic Region Parks & Rec students per year to attend SUNY Cortland.
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 undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at SUNY Cortland
Out of the 7 schools in the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region that were part of this year’s ranking, York College of Pennsylvania landed the #3 spot on the list. YCP is a small school located in York, Pennsylvania that handed out 13 ’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at YCP, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for York College of Pennsylvania is $22,233 for middle atlantic 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%.
Read more about Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at YCP
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Gallaudet University. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region list. Gallaudet is a private not-for-profit institution located in Washington, District of Columbia. The school has a small population, and it awarded 14 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Gallaudet also took the #5 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region” ranking. It costs about $16,833 for middle atlantic region parks & rec students per year to attend Gallaudet University.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Full Gallaudet University Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Lehman College. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region. Bronx, New York is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s parks and rec degrees to 26 students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Lehman, the school also landed the #6 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Lehman is $2,614 for Middle Atlantic Region Parks & Rec students.
Read full report on Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at Lehman College
Paul Smiths College of Arts and Science came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region ranking. Paul Smith’s College is located in Paul Smiths, New York 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 Paul Smith’s College, the school also landed the #7 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region” ranking. It costs about $22,515 for Middle Atlantic Region Parks & Rec students per year to attend Paul Smith’s College.
Full Paul Smiths College of Arts and Science Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Report
With a ranking of #7, Ithaca College did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region list. Ithaca is a private not-for-profit institution located in Ithaca, New York. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 3 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Ithaca also took the #3 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region” ranking. It costs about $34,554 for middle atlantic region parks & rec students per year to attend Ithaca College.
The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.0% 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 Ithaca College Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Report
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Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region
Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies students in the Middle Atlantic Region
Most Focused Colleges for Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies in the Middle Atlantic Region
Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies students in the Middle Atlantic Region
Best Value Colleges for Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies in the Middle Atlantic Region (With Aid)
Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies students getting aid in the Middle Atlantic Region
Best Value Colleges for Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies (Income $30-$48k) in the Middle Atlantic Region
Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies students with family income $30-$48k in the Middle Atlantic Region
Best Value Colleges for Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies (Income $75-$110k) in the Middle Atlantic Region
Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies students with family income $75-$110k in the Middle Atlantic Region
Best Value Colleges for Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies in the Middle Atlantic Region
Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies students in the Middle Atlantic Region
Highest Paid Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Graduates in the Middle Atlantic Region
Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies students in the Middle Atlantic Region
Most Popular Colleges for Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies in the Middle Atlantic Region
Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies students in the Middle Atlantic Region
Best Value Colleges for Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies (Income $0-$30k) in the Middle Atlantic Region
Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies students with family income less than $30k in the Middle Atlantic Region
Best Value Colleges for Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies (Income $48-$75k) in the Middle Atlantic Region
Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies students with family income $48-$75k in the Middle Atlantic Region
Best Value Colleges for Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies (Income Over $110k) in the Middle Atlantic Region
Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies students with family income exceeding $110k in the Middle Atlantic 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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