Find Schools

Study Area & Zipcode

Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies

Find Schools Near

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

8 Ranked Colleges
386 Degrees Awarded
$16,500 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in South Dakota For Those Making $0-$30k

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in South Dakota For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking as one item you can use to help make this 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 South Dakota, there were 386 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 in South Dakota For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking looked at 8 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

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 in South Dakota 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. 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.

Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in South Dakota For Those Making $0-$30k

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

Top 8 Best Value Colleges for Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies (Income $0-$30k) in South Dakota

#1

South Dakota State University

Brookings, South Dakota

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend South Dakota State University. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in South Dakota For Those Making $0-$30k list. South Dakota State University is a fairly large school located in Brookings, South Dakota that handed out 60 ’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

South Dakota State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools in South Dakota” list. It costs about $15,285 for South Dakota Parks & Rec students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend South Dakota State University.

The low student loan default rate of 3.8% 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 more about Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at South Dakota State University

#2

Northern State University

Aberdeen, South Dakota

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Northern State University. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in South Dakota For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Aberdeen, South Dakota, this small public school awarded 37 diplomas to qualified ’s parks and rec students in 2019-2020.

NSU also took the #5 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools in South Dakota” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Northern State University is $13,133 for south dakota parks & rec students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full Northern State University Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Report

#3

University of South Dakota

Vermillion, South Dakota

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of South Dakota. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in South Dakota For Those Making $0-$30k list. Vermillion, South Dakota is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s parks and rec degrees to 122 students in 2019-2020.

USD not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools in South Dakota” list. The yearly cost to attend University of South Dakota is $14,517 for south dakota parks & rec students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full University of South Dakota Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Report

#4

Augustana University

Sioux Falls, South Dakota

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Augustana University. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in South Dakota For Those Making $0-$30k list. Sioux Falls, South Dakota is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s parks and rec degrees to 48 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Augustana Sioux Falls, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools in South Dakota” ranking. It costs about $20,571 for South Dakota Parks & Rec students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Augustana Sioux Falls.

The low student loan default rate of 1.8% 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 Augustana University

#5

Dakota State University

Madison, South Dakota

Out of the 8 schools in the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in South Dakota For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Dakota State University landed the #5 spot on the list. Dakota State University is a public institution located in Madison, South Dakota. The school has a small population, and it awarded 11 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Dakota State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools in South Dakota” list. It costs about $14,791 for South Dakota Parks & Rec students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Dakota State.

Full Dakota State University Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Report

#6

Black Hills State University

Spearfish, South Dakota

Black Hills State University landed the #6 spot on the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in South Dakota For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Black Hills State University is a small public school situated in Spearfish, South Dakota. It awarded 44 ’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

BHSU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #7 on our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools in South Dakota” list. The yearly cost to attend Black Hills State University is $14,142 for south dakota parks & rec students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Black Hills State University

#7

University of Sioux Falls

Sioux Falls, South Dakota

University of Sioux Falls landed the #7 spot on the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in South Dakota For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. University of Sioux Falls is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. It awarded 28 ’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our south dakota parks & rec students whose families make $0-$30k list, University of Sioux Falls has also earned the #8 rank in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools in South Dakota” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Sioux Falls is $15,706 for south dakota parks & rec students whose families make $0-$30k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full University of Sioux Falls Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Report

#8

Dakota Wesleyan University

Mitchell, South Dakota

With a ranking of #8, Dakota Wesleyan University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in South Dakota For Those Making $0-$30k list. Dakota Wesleyan University is located in Mitchell, South Dakota and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 15 ’s parks and rec degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our south dakota parks & rec students whose families make $0-$30k list, Dakota Wesleyan University has also earned the #6 rank in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools in South Dakota” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Dakota Wesleyan University is $23,500 for South Dakota Parks & Rec students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full Dakota Wesleyan University Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Report

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