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2023 Most Popular Colleges for Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies in the Great Lakes Region

19 Ranked Colleges
475 Degrees Awarded
$25,800 Avg Cost*
Most Well Attended Parks & Rec Major in the Great Lakes Region

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Most Well Attended Parks & Rec Major in the Great Lakes 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 Great Lakes region, there were 475 parks, recreation and leisure studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $33,140 and $23,596 respectively.

For this year’s “Most Well Attended Parks & Rec Major in the Great Lakes Region” ranking, we looked at 19 colleges that offer a degree in parks, recreation and leisure studies. To top this list, a school must have a successful parks, recreation and leisure studies program that graduates more students in the field than other colleges that offer the same major.

See our ranking methodology to learn more.

One Size Does Not Fit All

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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 “Most Well Attended Parks & Rec Major in the Great Lakes Region” list to help you make the college 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. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Most Well Attended Parks & Rec Major in the Great Lakes Region

The following schools top our list of the Best “Most Well Attended Parks & Rec Major in the Great Lakes Region”.

1
IU Bloomington crest
Indiana University - Bloomington
Bloomington, Indiana

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Indiana University - Bloomington. The school came in at #1 for the Most Well Attended Parks & Rec Major in the Great Lakes Region. This large school is located in Bloomington, Indiana, and it awarded 160 ’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.

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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at Indiana University - Bloomington

2

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 Most Well Attended Parks & Rec Major in the Great Lakes Region. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is a large school located in Champaign, Illinois that handed out 142 ’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. 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%.

Full UIUC Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Report

3

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 #3 for the Most Well Attended Parks & Rec Major in the Great Lakes Region. BGSU is a fairly large public school situated in Bowling Green, Ohio. It awarded 45 ’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.

Full BGSU Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Report

4

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Southern Illinois University Carbondale. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Parks & Rec Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Southern Illinois University Carbondale is a fairly large school located in Carbondale, Illinois that handed out 44 ’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.

Read more about Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at Southern Illinois University Carbondale

5

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Ohio University - Athens Campus. The school came in at #5 for the Most Well Attended Parks & Rec Major in the Great Lakes Region. Ohio University - Athens Campus is a public institution located in Athens, Ohio. The school has a large population, and it awarded 35 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Read more about Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at OHIO Athens

6
Northern Michigan University crest
Northern Michigan University
Marquette, Michigan

Northern Michigan University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Parks & Rec Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #6. Marquette, Michigan is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s parks and rec degrees to 16 students in 2020-2021.

Read more about Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at Northern Michigan University

7
University of Toledo crest
University of Toledo
Toledo, Ohio

University of Toledo landed the #7 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Parks & Rec Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Toledo, Ohio is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s parks and rec degrees to 14 students in 2020-2021.

Full University of Toledo Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Report

8
Central State University crest
Central State University
Wilberforce, Ohio

Central State University landed the #8 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Parks & Rec Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Wilberforce, Ohio 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.

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

9
Olivet Nazarene crest
Olivet Nazarene University
Bourbonnais, Illinois

With a ranking of #9, Olivet Nazarene University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Parks & Rec Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Olivet Nazarene is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Bourbonnais, Illinois. It awarded 6 ’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad 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%.

Read more about Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at Olivet Nazarene

10
Aurora crest
Aurora University
Aurora, Illinois

With a ranking of #10, Aurora University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Parks & Rec Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Aurora, Illinois is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s parks and rec degrees to 4 students in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at Aurora

11

With a ranking of #11, Indiana Institute of Technology did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Parks & Rec Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Indiana Institute of Technology is located in Fort Wayne, Indiana and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 1 ’s parks and rec degrees to qualified students.

Read full report on Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at Indiana Institute of Technology

12

Ohio University - Lancaster Campus came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Parks & Rec Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Located in Lancaster, Ohio, this small public school handed out 0 degrees to qualified ’s parks and rec students in 2020-2021.

Read more about Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at OHIO Lancaster

12

Ohio University - Southern Campus ranked #12 on this year’s Most Well Attended Parks & Rec Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in Ironton, Ohio, this small public school awarded 0 diplomas to qualified ’s parks and rec students in 2020-2021.

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

12
Spring Arbor crest
Spring Arbor University
Spring Arbor, Michigan

Spring Arbor University came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Parks & Rec Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Spring Arbor University is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Spring Arbor, Michigan. It awarded 0 ’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.6% 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 Spring Arbor University

12
OHIO Eastern crest
Ohio University - Eastern Campus
Saint Clairsville, Ohio

Ohio University - Eastern Campus did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Parks & Rec Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #12. OHIO Eastern is located in Saint Clairsville, Ohio and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 0 ’s parks and rec degrees to qualified students.

Read more about Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at OHIO Eastern

12
WMU crest
Western Michigan University
Kalamazoo, Michigan

Western Michigan University came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Parks & Rec Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. WMU is a fairly large school located in Kalamazoo, Michigan that handed out 0 ’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.

Read full report on Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at Western Michigan University

12

Ohio University - Zanesville Campus ranked #12 on this year’s Most Well Attended Parks & Rec Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Ohio University - Zanesville Campus is a small school located in Zanesville, Ohio that handed out 0 ’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.

Full Ohio University - Zanesville Campus Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Report

12

Indiana Institute of Technology - College of Professional Studies ranked #12 on this year’s Most Well Attended Parks & Rec Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Indiana Institute of Technology - College of Professional Studies is a small school located in Fort-Wayne, Indiana that handed out 0 ’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.

Read full report on Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at Indiana Institute of Technology - College of Professional Studies

12

Ohio University - Chillicothe Campus did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Parks & Rec Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #12. This small school is located in Chillicothe, Ohio, and it awarded 0 ’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.

Read more about Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at OHIO Chillicothe

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Notes and References

References

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