Find Schools

Study Area & Zipcode

Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies

Find Schools Near

2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies (Income $0-$30k) in Virginia

18 Ranked Colleges
1,261 Degrees Awarded
$17,600 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor's in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

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 Virginia, there were 1,667 parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 1,261 parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking analyzed 18 colleges that offered a degree 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.

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. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

More Ways to Rank Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools

The parks & rec school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we’ve developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of “Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k”.

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 Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k.

Top 18 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies (Income $0-$30k) in Virginia

#1

William & Mary

Williamsburg, Virginia
#3 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend William & Mary. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k. Located in Williamsburg, Virginia, this medium-sized public school handed out 129 degrees to qualified bachelors’s parks and rec students in 2019-2020.

William & Mary also made our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” list, coming in at #3. The yearly cost to attend William & Mary is $4,711 for Virginia Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

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

#2

University of Virginia - Main Campus

Charlottesville, Virginia
#2 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Virginia - Main Campus. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k. University of Virginia is a public institution located in Charlottesville, Virginia. The school has a large population, and it awarded 73 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

University of Virginia also made our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” list, coming in at #2. The yearly cost to attend University of Virginia is $8,882 for virginia bachelor’s degree parks & rec students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%.

Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at University of Virginia

#3

James Madison University

Harrisonburg, Virginia
#1 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend James Madison University. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k list. James Madison University is a public institution located in Harrisonburg, Virginia. The school has a large population, and it awarded 252 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

JMU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” list. It costs about $14,196 for virginia bachelor’s degree parks & rec students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend James Madison University.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The student loan default rate at the school is 2.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

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

#4

Emory and Henry College

Emory, Virginia
#8 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Emory and Henry College. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k list. Emory and Henry College is a small school located in Emory, Virginia that handed out 34 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our virginia bachelor’s degree parks & rec students whose families make $0-$30k list, Emory & Henry College has also earned the #8 rank in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Emory and Henry College is $13,366 for virginia 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.

Read more about Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Emory and Henry College

#5

Radford University

Radford, Virginia
#9 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Radford University. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k list. This fairly large school is located in Radford, Virginia, and it awarded 60 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

Radford did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #9 on our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” list. It costs about $12,071 for virginia bachelor’s degree parks & rec students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Radford.

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

#6

Longwood University

Farmville, Virginia
#5 in overall quality

Longwood University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #6. Located in Farmville, Virginia, this small public school handed out 45 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s parks and rec students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our virginia bachelor’s degree parks & rec students whose families make $0-$30k list, Longwood has also earned the #5 rank in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Longwood University is $14,704 for virginia bachelor’s degree parks & rec students whose families make $0-$30k.

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

#7

George Mason University

Fairfax, Virginia
#4 in overall quality

George Mason University ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k list. This large school is located in Fairfax, Virginia, and it awarded 67 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

GMU also made our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” list, coming in at #4. The yearly cost to attend GMU is $16,204 for Virginia Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students whose families make $0-$30k.

With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The student loan default rate at the school is 2.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

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

#8

Old Dominion University

Norfolk, Virginia
#13 in overall quality

Old Dominion University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #8. Norfolk, Virginia is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s parks and rec degrees to 109 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our virginia bachelor’s degree parks & rec students whose families make $0-$30k list, Old Dominion has also earned the #13 rank in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Old Dominion University is $12,017 for Virginia Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read more about Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Old Dominion University

#9

Bridgewater College

Bridgewater, Virginia
#7 in overall quality

With a ranking of #9, Bridgewater College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k list. Bridgewater, Virginia 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 50 students in 2019-2020.

Bridgewater also took the #7 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” ranking. It costs about $14,220 for virginia bachelor’s degree parks & rec students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Bridgewater.

Full Bridgewater College Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Report

#10

Randolph College

Lynchburg, Virginia
#14 in overall quality

Randolph College ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k list. Randolph College is located in Lynchburg, Virginia and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 10 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees to qualified students.

Randolph not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #14 on our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” list. The yearly cost to attend Randolph is $16,205 for virginia bachelor’s degree parks & rec students whose families make $0-$30k.

Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

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

#11

Roanoke College

Salem, Virginia
#10 in overall quality

Roanoke College ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Salem, Virginia, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 47 degrees to qualified bachelors’s parks and rec students in 2019-2020.

Roanoke not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #10 on our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” list. The estimated yearly cost for Roanoke College is $17,473 for virginia bachelor’s degree parks & rec students whose families make $0-$30k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 3.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

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

#12

Virginia Wesleyan University

Virginia Beach, Virginia
#11 in overall quality

Virginia Wesleyan University ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k list. VWU is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Virginia Beach, Virginia. It awarded 9 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

VWU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #11 on our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” list. It costs about $20,816 for virginia bachelor’s degree parks & rec students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend VWU.

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

#13

Shenandoah University

Winchester, Virginia
#6 in overall quality

Shenandoah University landed the #13 spot on the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Shenandoah is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Winchester, Virginia. It awarded 17 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Shenandoah, the school also landed the #6 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Shenandoah is $25,591 for Virginia Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. 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.

Read more about Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Shenandoah University

#14

Averett University

Danville, Virginia
#16 in overall quality

Averett University came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. AU is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Danville, Virginia. It awarded 31 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at AU, the school also landed the #16 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Averett University is $21,385 for virginia bachelor’s degree parks & rec students whose families make $0-$30k.

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

#15

Bluefield College

Bluefield, Virginia
#17 in overall quality

With a ranking of #15, Bluefield College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k list. Bluefield College is a private not-for-profit institution located in Bluefield, Virginia. The school has a small population, and it awarded 13 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our virginia bachelor’s degree parks & rec students whose families make $0-$30k list, Bluefield College has also earned the #17 rank in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” ranking. It costs about $23,112 for Virginia Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Bluefield College.

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

#16

Hampton University

Hampton, Virginia
#12 in overall quality

Hampton University came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Hampton, Virginia 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 66 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our virginia bachelor’s degree parks & rec students whose families make $0-$30k list, Hampton has also earned the #12 rank in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Hampton University is $29,650 for Virginia Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full Hampton University Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Report

#17

Liberty University

Lynchburg, Virginia
#15 in overall quality

Liberty University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #17. Liberty University is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Lynchburg, Virginia. It awarded 164 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

Liberty University also took the #15 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” ranking. It costs about $27,896 for virginia bachelor’s degree parks & rec students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Liberty University.

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

#18 in overall quality

Averett University - Graduate & Professional Studies came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Danville, Virginia 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 1 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Averett University - Graduate & Professional Studies, the school also landed the #18 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Averett University - Graduate & Professional Studies is $24,637 for virginia bachelor’s degree parks & rec students whose families make $0-$30k.

The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.

Read more about Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Averett University - Graduate & Professional Studies

Narrow Results by State

Switch to a Different Ranking Method

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

Featured Athletic Training Schools

Find Schools Near You