2023 Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Colleges for Veterans in the Plains States Region
12
Ranked Colleges
444
Degrees Awarded
$24,900
Avg Cost*
Veterans 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 “Most Veteran Friendly in the Plains States Region for Parks & Rec” 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 Plains States region, there were 444 parks, recreation and leisure studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $31,508 and $23,752 respectively.
This year’s “Most Veteran Friendly in the Plains States Region for Parks & Rec” ranking looked at 12 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s 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.
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. See our ranking methodology to learn more.
One Size Does Not Fit All
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Most Veteran Friendly in the Plains States Region for Parks & Rec” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that 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 Plains States Region for Parks & Rec
The colleges and universities below are the best for plains states region vets studying parks & rec.
Top 12 Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Colleges for Veterans in the Plains States Region
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Iowa. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Plains States Region for Parks & Rec list. University of Iowa is a public institution located in Iowa City, Iowa. The school has a large population, and it awarded 53 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Iowa also took the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.According to our most recent data, Iowa supports 30,318 students, and 1 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 0 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $0. To help with additional expenses, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 88%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Full University of Iowa Veteran Student Life Report
Out of the 12 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in the Plains States Region for Parks & Rec that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Missouri - Columbia landed the #2 spot on the list. Located in Columbia, Missouri, this large public school awarded 116 degrees to qualified ’s parks and rec students in 2020-2021.
Mizzou also took the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.According to our most recent data, University of Missouri - Columbia supports 31,089 students, and 5 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 5 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $3,384. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. University of Missouri - Columbia does offer credit for military training for eligible students.
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%. With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
[Read full report on veteran student life at University of Missouri - Columbia]](/colleges/university-of-missouri-columbia/student-life/veterans/)
Out of the 12 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in the Plains States Region for Parks & Rec that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Northern Iowa landed the #3 spot on the list. University of Northern Iowa is located in Cedar Falls, Iowa and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 60 ’s parks and rec degrees to qualified students.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UNI, the school also landed the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Of the 9,507 students enrolled at UNI, 251 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 99 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $6,033. During this same period, 1 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. 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 UNI Veteran Student Life Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Minnesota - Twin Cities. The school came in at #4 for the Most Veteran Friendly in the Plains States Region for Parks & Rec. Minneapolis, Minnesota is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s parks and rec degrees to 11 students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our plains states region vets studying parks & rec list, UMN Twin Cities has also earned the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] rank in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Among the 52,017 students enrolled at University of Minnesota - Twin Cities, 752 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 436 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $13,020. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities does offer credit for military training for eligible students.
With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate 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%.
[Read full report on veteran student life at University of Minnesota - Twin Cities]](/colleges/university-of-minnesota-twin-cities/student-life/veterans/)
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Nebraska at Kearney. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Plains States Region for Parks & Rec list. This medium-sized school is located in Kearney, Nebraska, and it awarded 60 ’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.
UNK also took the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 183 of the 6,225 students enrolled at UNK were GI Bill® students, of which 71 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $3,539. On top of their other funding sources, 12 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
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%.
[Read full report on veteran student life at UNK]](/colleges/university-of-nebraska-at-kearney/student-life/veterans/)
Winona State University ranked #6 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in the Plains States Region for Parks & Rec list. Winona State University is a medium-sized public school situated in Winona, Minnesota. It awarded 32 ’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.
Winona State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.Our most recent data shows that 142 of the 7,106 students enrolled at Winona State University were GI Bill® students, of which 69 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $4,645. During this same period, 0 students qualified for 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%.
Full Winona State Veteran Student Life Report
Northwest Missouri State University ranked #7 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in the Plains States Region for Parks & Rec list. Located in Maryville, Missouri, this medium-sized public school awarded 29 diplomas to qualified ’s parks and rec students in 2020-2021.
Northwest also took the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 168 of the 7,267 students enrolled at Northwest Missouri State University were GI Bill® students, of which 68 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $6,773. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Northwest Missouri State University offers credit for military training for eligible students.
Read More…
Pittsburg State University did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Plains States Region for Parks & Rec ranking, coming in at #8. This medium-sized school is located in Pittsburg, Kansas, and it awarded 19 ’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our plains states region vets studying parks & rec list, Pitt State has also earned the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] rank in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Of the 6,398 students enrolled at Pitt State, 204 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 123 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $5,125. During this same period, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Pitt State does offer credit for military training for eligible students.
Full Pitt State Veteran Student Life Report
University of Minnesota - Duluth ranked #9 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in the Plains States Region for Parks & Rec list. This medium-sized school is located in Duluth, Minnesota, and it awarded 21 ’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UMN Duluth, the school also landed the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 249 of the 10,275 students enrolled at University of Minnesota - Duluth were GI Bill® students, of which 88 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $6,883. 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…
Missouri State University - Springfield did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Plains States Region for Parks & Rec ranking, coming in at #10. Missouri State University - Springfield is located in Springfield, Missouri and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 13 ’s parks and rec degrees to qualified students.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Missouri State, 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, Missouri State University - Springfield supports 23,505 students, and 5 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 4 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $2,830. In addition to receiving other benefits, 1 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
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%.
[Read full report on veteran student life at Missouri State]](/colleges/missouri-state-university-springfield/student-life/veterans/)
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