2023 Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Colleges for Veterans in the Middle Atlantic Region
7
Ranked Colleges
284
Degrees Awarded
$26,800
Avg Cost*
With all of the options veterans have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. College Factual has developed its “Most Veteran Friendly in the Middle Atlantic Region for Parks & Rec” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.
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.
For this year’s “Most Veteran Friendly in the Middle Atlantic Region for Parks & Rec” ranking, we looked at 7 colleges that offer a degree in parks, recreation and leisure studies. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great parks, recreation and leisure studies programs and a strong support system for veterans and active service members.
To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as veteran satisfaction, veteran affordability, and overall quality of the parks, recreation and leisure studies program at the school. See our ranking methodology to learn more.
More Ways to Rank Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools
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 Middle Atlantic Region for Parks & Rec” list to help you make the college decision.
One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important 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.
Most Veteran Friendly in the Middle Atlantic Region for Parks & Rec
The following schools top our list of the Best “Most Veteran Friendly in the Middle Atlantic Region for Parks & Rec”.
Top 7 Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Colleges for Veterans 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 Most Veteran Friendly in the Middle Atlantic Region for Parks & Rec list. Located in Kutztown, Pennsylvania, this medium-sized public school handed out 95 diplomas to qualified ’s parks and rec students in 2020-2021.
Kutztown University not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.Among the 7,890 students enrolled at Kutztown University of Pennsylvania, 168 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 61 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $7,498. 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.
[Read full report on veteran student life at Kutztown University]](/colleges/kutztown-university-of-pennsylvania/student-life/veterans/)
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend SUNY Cortland. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Middle Atlantic Region for Parks & Rec list. Cortland, New York is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s parks and rec degrees to 23 students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our middle atlantic region vets studying parks & rec list, SUNY Cortland has also earned the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] rank in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 78 of the 6,832 students enrolled at SUNY Cortland were GI Bill® students, of which 32 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $6,971. During this same period, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
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 [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
[Read full report on veteran student life at SUNY Cortland]](/colleges/suny-college-at-cortland/student-life/veterans/)
Out of the 7 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in the Middle Atlantic Region for Parks & Rec 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.
YCP also made our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list, coming in at #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS].According to our most recent data, YCP supports 4,039 students, and 135 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 91 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $14,343. On top of their other funding sources, 5 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read More…
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Ithaca College. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Middle Atlantic Region for Parks & Rec 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 not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.Of the 5,354 students enrolled at Ithaca College, 68 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 35 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $2,640. During this same period, 32 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. 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 Ithaca College]](/colleges/ithaca-college/student-life/veterans/)
Out of the 7 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in the Middle Atlantic Region for Parks & Rec that were part of this year’s ranking, Lehman College landed the #5 spot on the list. Located in Bronx, New York, this fairly large public school awarded 26 degrees to qualified ’s parks and rec students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Lehman, the school also landed the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.According to our most recent data, Lehman supports 15,091 students, and 184 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 131 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $5,409. 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…
With a ranking of #6, Paul Smiths College of Arts and Science did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Middle Atlantic Region for Parks & Rec list. This small school is located in Paul Smiths, New York, and it awarded 9 ’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.
Paul Smith’s College did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.Of the 681 students enrolled at Paul Smiths College of Arts and Science, 45 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 30 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $16,948. To help with additional expenses, 6 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
Full Paul Smith’s College Veteran Student Life Report
Gallaudet University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in the Middle Atlantic Region for Parks & Rec ranking. This small school is located in Washington, District of Columbia, and it awarded 14 ’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.
Gallaudet not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.Among the 1,451 students enrolled at Gallaudet, 22 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 9 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $8,773. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program.
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 Veteran Student Life Report
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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).
- Veteran-specific data can be found at the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs.
- 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
- *Avg Salary and Avg 4-Year Grad Rate are for the top schools only.
- **GI Bill® student total includes all chapters of the GI Bill® program (e.g., Post-9/11, Montgomery GI Bill, Reserve Education Assistance Program, and Veteran Readiness and Employment)
- 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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