by our College Data Analytics Team
It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Schools Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major in the Southeast Region” ranking is part of that endeavor.
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 Southeast region, there were 568 parks, recreation and leisure studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $28,183 and $28,553 respectively.
This year’s “Schools Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major in the Southeast Region” ranking looked at 34 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in parks, recreation and leisure studies. This a ranking of the schools where the largest percentage of students has enrolled in parks, recreation and leisure studies.
See our ranking methodology to learn more.
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 “Schools Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major in the Southeast Region” 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.
The colleges and universities below are the best for southeast region parks & rec students.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Virginia Wesleyan University. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major in the Southeast Region list. Virginia Beach, Virginia is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s parks and rec degrees to 23 students in 2020-2021.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Ferrum College. The school came in at #2 for the Schools Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major in the Southeast Region. Ferrum, Virginia is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s parks and rec degrees to 10 students in 2020-2021.
Read more about Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at Ferrum College
Out of the 34 schools in the Schools Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major in the Southeast Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Shepherd University landed the #3 spot on the list. Shepherd University is a small public school situated in Shepherdstown, West Virginia. It awarded 27 ’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.
Read full report on Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at Shepherd University
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Mars Hill University. The school came in at #4 for the Schools Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major in the Southeast Region. This small school is located in Mars Hill, North Carolina, and it awarded 9 ’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 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 Mars Hill University
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Grambling State University. The school came in at #5 for the Schools Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major in the Southeast Region. 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.
With a ranking of #6, Shaw University did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major in the Southeast Region list. Located in Raleigh, North Carolina, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 6 degrees to qualified ’s parks and rec students in 2020-2021.
Read full report on Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at Shaw University
With a ranking of #7, Newberry College did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major in the Southeast Region list. Newberry, South Carolina is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s parks and rec degrees to 6 students in 2020-2021.
Full Newberry College Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Report
Radford University ranked #8 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major in the Southeast Region list. Radford, Virginia is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s parks and rec degrees to 41 students in 2020-2021.
Read more about Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at Radford University
Jacksonville State University landed the #9 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major in the Southeast Region ranking. Located in Jacksonville, Alabama, this medium-sized public school awarded 34 diplomas to qualified ’s parks and rec students in 2020-2021.
Read full report on Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at Jacksonville State University
North Greenville University ranked #10 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major in the Southeast Region list. North Greenville is a small school located in Tigerville, South Carolina that handed out 7 ’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 5.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full North Greenville University Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Report
University of North Carolina at Greensboro came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major in the Southeast Region ranking. This fairly large school is located in Greensboro, North Carolina, and it awarded 64 ’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.
Read full report on Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at UNC Greensboro
With a ranking of #12, University of Mount Olive did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major in the Southeast Region list. This small school is located in Mount Olive, North Carolina, and it awarded 9 ’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.
With a ranking of #13, South Georgia Technical College did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major in the Southeast Region list. This small school is located in Americus, Georgia, and it awarded 36 ’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.
Full South Georgia Technical College Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Report
University of Arkansas ranked #14 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major in the Southeast Region list. UARK is a large school located in Fayetteville, Arkansas that handed out 77 ’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.1%, 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 85%.
Georgia Southern University came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major in the Southeast Region ranking. Statesboro, Georgia is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s parks and rec degrees to 51 students in 2020-2021.
Read more about Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at GaSou
Alcorn State University did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major in the Southeast Region ranking, coming in at #16. Alcorn State is located in Alcorn State, Mississippi and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 6 ’s parks and rec degrees to qualified students.
Read full report on Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at Alcorn State
University of South Alabama ranked #17 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major in the Southeast Region list. University of South Alabama is a public institution located in Mobile, Alabama. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 31 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Read full report on Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at University of South Alabama
With a ranking of #18, Asbury University did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major in the Southeast Region list. Located in Wilmore, Kentucky, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 3 diplomas to qualified ’s parks and rec students in 2020-2021.
Read more about Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at Asbury
Ouachita Baptist University ranked #19 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major in the Southeast Region list. This small school is located in Arkadelphia, Arkansas, and it awarded 3 ’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.
Read more about Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at Ouachita Baptist
Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College landed the #20 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major in the Southeast Region ranking. Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College is a medium-sized public school situated in Perkinston, Mississippi. It awarded 24 ’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.
Read more about Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College
East Carolina University landed the #21 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major in the Southeast Region ranking. ECU is a public institution located in Greenville, North Carolina. The school has a large population, and it awarded 37 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Carson - Newman University ranked #22 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major in the Southeast Region list. Carson - Newman is located in Jefferson City, Tennessee and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 3 ’s parks and rec degrees to qualified students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at Carson - Newman University
University of Southern Mississippi ranked #23 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major in the Southeast Region list. This fairly large school is located in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, and it awarded 14 ’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.
Read more about Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at Southern Miss
With a ranking of #24, Georgia College & State University did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major in the Southeast Region list. Milledgeville, Georgia is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s parks and rec degrees to 7 students in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at Georgia College
East Mississippi Community College came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Parks & Rec Major in the Southeast Region ranking. Scooba, Mississippi is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s parks and rec degrees to 1 students in 2020-2021.
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
