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2023 Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Veterans in the Southeast Region

15 Ranked Colleges
489 Degrees Awarded
$28,183 Avg Salary
Most Veteran Friendly in the Southeast Region for Parks & Rec for a Bachelor's

Veterans have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. College Factual has developed its “Most Veteran Friendly in the Southeast Region for Parks & Rec for a Bachelor’s” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

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. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 489 parks, recreation and leisure studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $37,400 and $27,180 respectively.

For this year’s “Most Veteran Friendly in the Southeast Region for Parks & Rec for a Bachelor’s” ranking, we looked at 15 colleges that offer a degree in parks, recreation and leisure studies. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent parks, recreation and leisure studies programs, but they also offer a lot of support to veterans and active service members.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the parks, recreation and leisure studies program at the school, veteran affordability, and veteran population. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

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 Veteran Friendly in the Southeast Region for Parks & Rec for a Bachelor’s” list to help you make the college decision.

In addition to College Factual’s rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.

Most Veteran Friendly in the Southeast Region for Parks & Rec for a Bachelor’s

The colleges and universities below are the best for southeast region bachelor’s degree vets studying parks & rec.

Top 15 Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Veterans in the Southeast Region

1
UARK crest
University of Arkansas
Fayetteville, Arkansas

Out of the 15 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in the Southeast Region for Parks & Rec for a Bachelor’s that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Arkansas landed the #1 spot on the list. UARK is a large public school situated in Fayetteville, Arkansas. It awarded 77 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.

UARK also took the #1 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 11 of the 27,562 students enrolled at UARK were GI Bill® students, of which 11 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $4,975. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. UARK offers credit for military training for eligible students.

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 undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

[Read full report on veteran student life at University of Arkansas]](/colleges/university-of-arkansas/student-life/veterans/)

2
ECU crest
East Carolina University
Greenville, North Carolina

Out of the 15 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in the Southeast Region for Parks & Rec for a Bachelor’s that were part of this year’s ranking, East Carolina University landed the #2 spot on the list. Greenville, North Carolina is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s parks and rec degrees to 33 students in 2020-2021.

ECU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” list.Our most recent data shows that 8 of the 28,798 students enrolled at East Carolina University were GI Bill® students, of which 4 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $11,409. To help with additional expenses, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.

Full ECU Veteran Student Life Report

3

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of North Carolina at Greensboro. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southeast Region for Parks & Rec for a Bachelor’s list. UNC Greensboro is a fairly large school located in Greensboro, North Carolina that handed out 64 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UNC Greensboro, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” ranking.Among the 19,764 students enrolled at University of North Carolina at Greensboro, 885 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 329 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $5,723. On top of their other funding sources, 14 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.

Full University of North Carolina at Greensboro Veteran Student Life Report

4
Southern Miss crest
University of Southern Mississippi
Hattiesburg, Mississippi

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Southern Mississippi. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southeast Region for Parks & Rec for a Bachelor’s list. University of Southern Mississippi is a fairly large school located in Hattiesburg, Mississippi that handed out 14 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Southern Miss, the school also landed the #8 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” ranking.Among the 14,606 students enrolled at University of Southern Mississippi, 351 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 226 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $3,605. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.

Read More…

5
GaSou crest
Georgia Southern University
Statesboro, Georgia

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Georgia Southern University. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southeast Region for Parks & Rec for a Bachelor’s list. This large school is located in Statesboro, Georgia, and it awarded 51 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our southeast region bachelor’s degree vets studying parks & rec list, GaSou has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” ranking.According to our most recent data, Georgia Southern University supports 26,949 students, and 1,102 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 406 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $3,665. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Georgia Southern University does offer credit for military training for eligible students.

Full GaSou Veteran Student Life Report

6
Radford crest
Radford University
Radford, Virginia

Radford University landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southeast Region for Parks & Rec for a Bachelor’s ranking. This medium-sized school is located in Radford, Virginia, and it awarded 41 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.

Radford did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #6 on our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” list.Among the 10,695 students enrolled at Radford University, 460 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 225 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $8,142. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.

Full Radford University Veteran Student Life Report

7

University of South Alabama landed the #7 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southeast Region for Parks & Rec for a Bachelor’s ranking. Mobile, Alabama is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s parks and rec degrees to 31 students in 2020-2021.

USA not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #11 on our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” list.Among the 14,224 students enrolled at USA, 868 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 411 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $7,549. During this same period, 11 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. USA offers credit for military training for eligible students.

Full University of South Alabama Veteran Student Life Report

8
Jacksonville State University crest
Jacksonville State University
Jacksonville, Alabama

Jacksonville State University landed the #8 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southeast Region for Parks & Rec for a Bachelor’s ranking. Jacksonville State University is a public institution located in Jacksonville, Alabama. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 34 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Jacksonville State University also made our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” list, coming in at #12.Of the 9,238 students enrolled at Jacksonville State University, 371 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 125 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $4,159. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.

Read More…

9
Shepherd University crest
Shepherd University
Shepherdstown, West Virginia

Shepherd University ranked #9 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in the Southeast Region for Parks & Rec for a Bachelor’s list. Shepherd University is a public institution located in Shepherdstown, West Virginia. The school has a small population, and it awarded 27 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Shepherd University did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” list.According to our most recent data, Shepherd University supports 3,159 students, and 152 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 78 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $6,177. During this same period, 20 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.

[Read full report on veteran student life at Shepherd University]](/colleges/shepherd-university/student-life/veterans/)

10
Newberry College crest
Newberry College
Newberry, South Carolina

Newberry College landed the #10 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southeast Region for Parks & Rec for a Bachelor’s ranking. Newberry College is a small school located in Newberry, South Carolina that handed out 6 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.

Newberry College also made our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” list, coming in at #9.Of the 1,256 students enrolled at Newberry College, 49 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 23 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $18,610. In addition to receiving other benefits, 9 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.

Read More…

11

With a ranking of #11, Georgia College & State University did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southeast Region for Parks & Rec for a Bachelor’s list. Located in Milledgeville, Georgia, this medium-sized public school handed out 7 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s parks and rec students in 2020-2021.

Georgia College also took the #7 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” ranking.According to our most recent data, Georgia College & State University supports 6,873 students, and 125 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 57 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $4,100. During this same period, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read More…

12
GSU crest
Grambling State University
Grambling, Louisiana

Grambling State University ranked #12 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in the Southeast Region for Parks & Rec for a Bachelor’s list. This medium-sized school is located in Grambling, Louisiana, and it awarded 25 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.

GSU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #14 on our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” list.Our most recent data shows that 189 of the 5,438 students enrolled at Grambling State University were GI Bill® students, of which 31 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $4,974. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Grambling State University does offer credit for military training for eligible students.

[Read full report on veteran student life at GSU]](/colleges/grambling-state-university/student-life/veterans/)

13
North Greenville crest
North Greenville University
Tigerville, South Carolina

North Greenville University ranked #13 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in the Southeast Region for Parks & Rec for a Bachelor’s list. Located in Tigerville, South Carolina, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 7 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s parks and rec students in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at North Greenville, the school also landed the #10 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” ranking.According to our most recent data, North Greenville supports 2,280 students, and 70 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 40 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $11,696. During this same period, 1 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. North Greenville offers credit for military training for eligible students.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% 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 North Greenville Veteran Student Life Report

14
Shaw University crest
Shaw University
Raleigh, North Carolina

Shaw University came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in the Southeast Region for Parks & Rec for a Bachelor’s ranking. Located in Raleigh, North Carolina, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 6 degrees to qualified bachelors’s parks and rec students in 2020-2021.

Shaw University also took the #15 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 71 of the 1,283 students enrolled at Shaw University were GI Bill® students, of which 22 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $10,999. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.

[Read full report on veteran student life at Shaw University]](/colleges/shaw-university/student-life/veterans/)

15
UMO crest
University of Mount Olive
Mount Olive, North Carolina

University of Mount Olive ranked #15 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in the Southeast Region for Parks & Rec for a Bachelor’s list. Located in Mount Olive, North Carolina, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 9 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s parks and rec students in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UMO, the school also landed the #13 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” ranking.Of the 2,536 students enrolled at UMO, 267 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 180 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $7,106. During this same period, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.

Read More…

Notes and References

References

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

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