by our College Data Analytics Team
Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major in the Middle Atlantic Region” ranking is part of that endeavor.
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 Middle Atlantic region, there were 284 parks, recreation and leisure studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $34,534 and $27,000 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 194 parks, recreation and leisure studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $40,457 and $25,851 respectively.
For this year’s “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major in the Middle Atlantic Region” ranking, we looked at 14 colleges that offer a degree in parks, recreation and leisure studies. That schools that top this list have a program in parks, recreation and leisure studies in which the largest percentage of students at the school are enrolled.
See our ranking methodology to learn more.
Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major in the Middle Atlantic Region” list, to help you choose the best school for you.
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.
The colleges and universities below are the best for middle atlantic region bachelor’s degree parks & rec students.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Kutztown University of Pennsylvania. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major in the Middle Atlantic Region list. Kutztown University of Pennsylvania is a public institution located in Kutztown, Pennsylvania. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 95 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Full Kutztown University Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Paul Smiths College of Arts and Science. The school came in at #2 for the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major in the Middle Atlantic Region. Paul Smiths College of Arts and Science is a private not-for-profit institution located in Paul Smiths, New York. The school has a small population, and it awarded 9 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Read full report on Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at Paul Smith’s College
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Gallaudet University. The school came in at #3 for the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major in the Middle Atlantic Region. Gallaudet is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Washington, District of Columbia. It awarded 14 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.
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.
Read full report on Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at Gallaudet
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Houghton College. The school came in at #4 for the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major in the Middle Atlantic Region. Houghton College is a private not-for-profit institution located in Houghton, New York. The school has a small population, and it awarded 9 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.9%, 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 88%.
Full Houghton College Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Report
Out of the 14 schools in the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major in the Middle Atlantic Region that were part of this year’s ranking, York College of Pennsylvania landed the #5 spot on the list. York College of Pennsylvania is a small private not-for-profit school situated in York, Pennsylvania. It awarded 13 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Messiah University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major in the Middle Atlantic Region ranking. Messiah is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania. It awarded 8 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read full report on Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at Messiah University
Lehman College landed the #7 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major in the Middle Atlantic Region ranking. Lehman is a fairly large school located in Bronx, New York that handed out 26 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.
Read more about Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at Lehman College
SUNY Plattsburgh did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major in the Middle Atlantic Region ranking, coming in at #8. SUNY Plattsburgh is a small public school situated in Plattsburgh, New York. It awarded 10 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at SUNY Plattsburgh
SUNY Cortland did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major in the Middle Atlantic Region ranking, coming in at #9. This medium-sized school is located in Cortland, New York, and it awarded 5 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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%.
Full SUNY Cortland Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Report
Ithaca College landed the #10 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major in the Middle Atlantic Region ranking. Ithaca College is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Ithaca, New York. It awarded 3 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #11, Frostburg State University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major in the Middle Atlantic Region list. Located in Frostburg, Maryland, this small public school awarded 2 degrees to qualified bachelors’s parks and rec students in 2020-2021.
Full Frostburg State Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Report
With a ranking of #12, University of Maryland - College Park did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major in the Middle Atlantic Region list. Located in College Park, Maryland, this large public school handed out 0 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s parks and rec students in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.8% 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 95%.
University of Baltimore did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major in the Middle Atlantic Region ranking, coming in at #12. UB is located in Baltimore, Maryland and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 0 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees to qualified students.
Read more about Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at University of Baltimore
The Graduate Center, CUNY came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major in the Middle Atlantic Region ranking. The Graduate Center, CUNY is a medium-sized school located in New York, New York that handed out 0 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at The Graduate Center, CUNY
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
