2022 Best Value Associate Degree Colleges for Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies (Income $0-$30k) in California

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for an Associate in California For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking.

Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies is the 15th most popular major in the country with 72,122 degrees awarded in 2019-2020. In 2017-2018, parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $29,823 and had an average of $24,576 in loans still to pay off.

Across California, there were 11,357 parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $30,588 and $23,018 respectively. At the associate degree level specifically, there were 3,542 parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $36,451 and $19,634 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for an Associate in California For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking looked at 5 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies programs and cost less that schools of similar quality.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for an Associate in California For Those Making $0-$30k” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.

Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for an Associate in California For Those Making $0-$30k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for an Associate in California For Those Making $0-$30k.

Top 5 Best Value Associate Degree Colleges for Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies (Income $0-$30k) in California

#1

Mt. San Antonio College

Walnut, California

#3 in overall quality

$898 Average Net Price

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Mt. San Antonio College. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for an Associate in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. Mt. SAC is a public institution located in Walnut, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 474 associates’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Mt. SAC did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Associate Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend Mt. San Antonio College is $898 for california associate degree parks & rec students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Mt. San Antonio College

#2

Riverside City College

Riverside, California

#2 in overall quality

$4,620 Average Net Price

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Riverside City College. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for an Associate in California For Those Making $0-$30k. This large school is located in Riverside, California, and it awarded 178 associates’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Riverside City College, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Associate Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $4,620 for california associate degree parks & rec students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Riverside City College.

Read more about Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Riverside City College

#3

Cabrillo College

Aptos, California

#1 in overall quality

$7,302 Average Net Price

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Cabrillo College. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for an Associate in California For Those Making $0-$30k. Cabrillo College is a public institution located in Aptos, California. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 120 associates’s degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california associate degree parks & rec students whose families make $0-$30k list, Cabrillo College has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Associate Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Cabrillo College is $7,302 for California Associate Degree Parks & Rec students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Cabrillo College

#4

Norco College

Norco, California

#5 in overall quality

$5,099 Average Net Price

Out of the 5 schools in the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for an Associate in California For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Norco College landed the #4 spot on the list. Norco College is a public institution located in Norco, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 39 associates’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Norco College did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Associate Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $5,099 for california associate degree parks & rec students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Norco College.

Read more about Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Norco College

#5

International Sports Sciences Association

Carpinteria, California

#4 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend International Sports Sciences Association. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for an Associate in California For Those Making $0-$30k. Carpinteria, California is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private for-profit school handed out associates’s parks and rec degrees to 121 students in 2019-2020.

ISSA also made our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Associate Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #4.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 100%.

Full International Sports Sciences Association Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Report

• Best Value Associate Degree Colleges for Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies (Income $0-$30k) in the Far Western US Region
• Best Value Associate Degree Colleges for Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies (Income $0-$30k)

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).
• 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

Footnotes

• *Average salary, average net price, and average tuition and fees are for the top schools only.
• 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.

Credits

• Credit for the banner image above goes to NPS Photo/Zurbuch.

Featured Athletic Training Schools

Request Info

Southern New Hampshire University You have goals. Southern New Hampshire University can help you get there. Whether you need a bachelor's degree to get into a career or want a master's degree to move up in your current career, SNHU has an online program for you. Find your degree from over 200 online programs ... Learn More >