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2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in Massachusetts For Those Making $0-$30k

12 Ranked Colleges
869 Degrees Awarded
$19,600 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor's in Massachusetts For Those Making $0-$30k

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in Massachusetts For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking - to help you make that decision.

In 2019-2020, 72,122 people earned their degree in parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies, making the major the 15th most popular in the United States. 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 Massachusetts, there were 1,102 parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $35,071 and $25,549 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 869 parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $42,887 and $24,387 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in Massachusetts For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking looked at 12 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.

To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as the cost to attend the school after aid is awarded and overall quality of the parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies program at the school. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

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 a Bachelor’s in Massachusetts For Those Making $0-$30k” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

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. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.

Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in Massachusetts For Those Making $0-$30k

The colleges and universities below are the best for massachusetts bachelor’s degree parks & rec students whose families make $0-$30k.

Top 12 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies (Income $0-$30k) in Massachusetts

#1

University of Massachusetts Amherst

Amherst, Massachusetts
#1 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Massachusetts Amherst. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in Massachusetts For Those Making $0-$30k. University of Massachusetts Amherst is located in Amherst, Massachusetts and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 132 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees to qualified students.

UMass Amherst not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Massachusetts” list. The estimated yearly cost for UMass Amherst is $13,137 for massachusetts bachelor’s degree parks & rec students whose families make $0-$30k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. The low student loan default rate of 2.8% 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, & Fitness Studies at University of Massachusetts Amherst

#2

Westfield State University

Westfield, Massachusetts
#5 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Westfield State University. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in Massachusetts For Those Making $0-$30k. Westfield State University is a medium-sized public school situated in Westfield, Massachusetts. It awarded 67 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

Westfield did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Massachusetts” list. The yearly cost to attend Westfield is $12,672 for massachusetts bachelor’s degree parks & rec students whose families make $0-$30k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Westfield

#3

Fitchburg State University

Fitchburg, Massachusetts
#8 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Fitchburg State University. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in Massachusetts For Those Making $0-$30k list. Fitchburg State is a medium-sized public school situated in Fitchburg, Massachusetts. It awarded 2 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

Fitchburg State also made our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Massachusetts” list, coming in at #8. It costs about $11,770 for Massachusetts Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Fitchburg State University.

Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Fitchburg State

#6 in overall quality

Out of the 12 schools in the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in Massachusetts For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Massachusetts - Boston landed the #3 spot on the list. This fairly large school is located in Boston, Massachusetts, and it awarded 145 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

UMass Boston not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #6 on our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Massachusetts” list. The yearly cost to attend University of Massachusetts - Boston is $13,859 for Massachusetts Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full UMass Boston Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Report

#5

Salem State University

Salem, Massachusetts
#7 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Salem State University. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in Massachusetts For Those Making $0-$30k. Salem State is a medium-sized school located in Salem, Massachusetts that handed out 58 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

Salem State also made our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Massachusetts” list, coming in at #7. The yearly cost to attend Salem State University is $14,593 for Massachusetts Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Salem State

#6

Springfield College

Springfield, Massachusetts
#3 in overall quality

Springfield College ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in Massachusetts For Those Making $0-$30k list. Springfield College is located in Springfield, Massachusetts and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 82 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Springfield College, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Massachusetts” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Springfield College is $19,586 for Massachusetts Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

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

#7

Lasell University

Newton, Massachusetts
#4 in overall quality

Lasell University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in Massachusetts For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #7. Lasell is a small school located in Newton, Massachusetts that handed out 42 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Lasell, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Massachusetts” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Lasell University is $23,873 for Massachusetts Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full Lasell Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Report

#7

Endicott College

Beverly, Massachusetts
#2 in overall quality

Endicott College ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in Massachusetts For Those Making $0-$30k list. Endicott is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Beverly, Massachusetts. It awarded 87 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

Endicott not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Massachusetts” list. The estimated yearly cost for Endicott College is $27,432 for massachusetts bachelor’s degree parks & rec students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low student loan default rate of 3.2% 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 Endicott Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Report

#9

Gordon College

Wenham, Massachusetts
#9 in overall quality

With a ranking of #9, Gordon College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in Massachusetts For Those Making $0-$30k list. This small school is located in Wenham, Massachusetts, and it awarded 15 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

Gordon College also took the #9 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Massachusetts” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Gordon College is $22,732 for Massachusetts Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students whose families make $0-$30k.

Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The student loan default rate at the school is 2.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

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

#10

Nichols College

Dudley, Massachusetts
#10 in overall quality

Nichols College landed the #10 spot on the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in Massachusetts For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Nichols is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Dudley, Massachusetts. It awarded 48 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

Nichols not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #10 on our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Massachusetts” list. It costs about $23,206 for massachusetts bachelor’s degree parks & rec students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Nichols College.

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

#11

Regis College

Weston, Massachusetts
#11 in overall quality

With a ranking of #11, Regis College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in Massachusetts For Those Making $0-$30k list. Weston, Massachusetts is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s parks and rec degrees to 11 students in 2019-2020.

Regis College not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #11 on our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Massachusetts” list. The yearly cost to attend Regis College is $23,281 for Massachusetts Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students whose families make $0-$30k.

With a student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

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

#12

Becker College

Worcester, Massachusetts
#12 in overall quality

Becker College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in Massachusetts For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #12. Located in Worcester, Massachusetts, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 14 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s parks and rec students in 2019-2020.

Becker College not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #12 on our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Massachusetts” list. The yearly cost to attend Becker College is $29,189 for massachusetts bachelor’s degree parks & rec students whose families make $0-$30k.

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

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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).
  • 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.

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