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2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies (Income $30-$48k) in the Rocky Mountains Region

22 Ranked Colleges
2,272 Degrees Awarded
$12,200 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor's in the Rocky Mountains Region For Those Making $30-$48k

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 for a Bachelor’s in the Rocky Mountains Region For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

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 the Rocky Mountains region, there were 2,643 parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $28,100 and $19,813 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 2,272 parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,111 and $23,874 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Rocky Mountains Region For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking, we looked at 22 colleges that offer a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies programs, but they also cost less that schools of similar quality.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

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

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Rocky Mountains Region For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.

Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Rocky Mountains Region For Those Making $30-$48k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Rocky Mountains Region For Those Making $30-$48k.

Top 22 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies (Income $30-$48k) in the Rocky Mountains Region

#18 in overall quality

Out of the 22 schools in the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Rocky Mountains Region For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, Brigham Young University - Idaho landed the #1 spot on the list. Rexburg, Idaho is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s parks and rec degrees to 91 students in 2019-2020.

BYU - I did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #18 on our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Brigham Young University - Idaho is $3,595 for Rocky Mountains Region Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students whose families make $30-$48k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 3.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Brigham Young University - Idaho Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Report

#2

University of Wyoming

Laramie, Wyoming
#6 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Wyoming. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Rocky Mountains Region For Those Making $30-$48k. UW is located in Laramie, Wyoming and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 78 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UW, the school also landed the #6 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Wyoming is $9,200 for Rocky Mountains Region Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

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

#2 in overall quality

Out of the 22 schools in the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Rocky Mountains Region For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, Brigham Young University - Provo landed the #3 spot on the list. BYU is located in Provo, Utah and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 258 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees to qualified students.

BYU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” list. The yearly cost to attend BYU is $10,425 for Rocky Mountains Region Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students whose families make $30-$48k.

The low student loan default rate of 1.7% 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 92%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Full Brigham Young University - Provo Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Report

#4

University of Utah

Salt Lake City, Utah
#3 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Utah. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Rocky Mountains Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. This large school is located in Salt Lake City, Utah, and it awarded 279 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

U of U did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” list. It costs about $13,192 for rocky mountains region bachelor’s degree parks & rec students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend University of Utah.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

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

#1 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Colorado State University - Fort Collins. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Rocky Mountains Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. Colorado State is a large school located in Fort Collins, Colorado that handed out 335 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

Colorado State also made our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” list, coming in at #1. The yearly cost to attend Colorado State University - Fort Collins is $11,890 for rocky mountains region bachelor’s degree parks & rec students whose families make $30-$48k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%. The student loan default rate at the school is 3.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Colorado State University - Fort Collins

#8 in overall quality

Utah Valley University ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Rocky Mountains Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. Utah Valley University is a large school located in Orem, Utah that handed out 114 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

UVU also took the #8 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Utah Valley University is $8,047 for rocky mountains region bachelor’s degree parks & rec students whose families make $30-$48k.

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

#14 in overall quality

Utah State University landed the #7 spot on the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Rocky Mountains Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. This large school is located in Logan, Utah, and it awarded 27 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

USU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #14 on our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” list. It costs about $12,034 for Rocky Mountains Region Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend USU.

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

#12 in overall quality

Weber State University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Rocky Mountains Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Weber State University is located in Ogden, Utah and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 42 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees to qualified students.

WSU also took the #12 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” ranking. It costs about $10,980 for rocky mountains region bachelor’s degree parks & rec students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend WSU.

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

#9

University of Idaho

Moscow, Idaho
#10 in overall quality

University of Idaho did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Rocky Mountains Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #9. U of I is a fairly large public school situated in Moscow, Idaho. It awarded 46 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our rocky mountains region bachelor’s degree parks & rec students whose families make $30-$48k list, U of I has also earned the #10 rank in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” ranking. It costs about $11,735 for Rocky Mountains Region Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend U of I.

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

#10

University of Northern Colorado

Greeley, Colorado
#5 in overall quality

University of Northern Colorado did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Rocky Mountains Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #10. University of Northern Colorado is located in Greeley, Colorado and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 162 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees to qualified students.

University of Northern Colorado not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #5 on our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” list. It costs about $12,736 for rocky mountains region bachelor’s degree parks & rec students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend University of Northern Colorado.

Full University of Northern Colorado Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Report

#11

Lewis - Clark State College

Lewiston, Idaho
#21 in overall quality

Lewis - Clark State College landed the #11 spot on the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Rocky Mountains Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Lewis - Clark State College is a public institution located in Lewiston, Idaho. The school has a small population, and it awarded 14 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Lewis - Clark State College also took the #21 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Lewis - Clark State College is $10,025 for rocky mountains region bachelor’s degree parks & rec students whose families make $30-$48k.

Read more about Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Lewis - Clark State College

#16 in overall quality

The University of Montana - Western ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Rocky Mountains Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. This small school is located in Dillon, Montana, and it awarded 14 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

Montana Western did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #16 on our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” list. It costs about $11,133 for Rocky Mountains Region Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Montana Western.

Read more about Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Montana Western

#9 in overall quality

Metropolitan State University of Denver did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Rocky Mountains Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #13. Located in Denver, Colorado, this fairly large public school awarded 122 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s parks and rec students in 2019-2020.

MSU Denver did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #9 on our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Metropolitan State University of Denver is $12,219 for Rocky Mountains Region Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students whose families make $30-$48k.

Full Metropolitan State University of Denver Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Report

#14

Adams State University

Alamosa, Colorado
#19 in overall quality

Adams State University landed the #14 spot on the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Rocky Mountains Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Adams State is a small school located in Alamosa, Colorado that handed out 50 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

Adams State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #19 on our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” list. It costs about $12,991 for rocky mountains region bachelor’s degree parks & rec students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Adams State.

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

#13 in overall quality

Colorado State University - Pueblo ranked #15 on this year’s Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Rocky Mountains Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. Pueblo, Colorado is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s parks and rec degrees to 40 students in 2019-2020.

Colorado State University - Pueblo did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #13 on our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” list. It costs about $11,831 for rocky mountains region bachelor’s degree parks & rec students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Colorado State University - Pueblo.

Full Colorado State University - Pueblo Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Report

#16

Western Colorado University

Gunnison, Colorado
#7 in overall quality

With a ranking of #16, Western Colorado University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Rocky Mountains Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. This small school is located in Gunnison, Colorado, and it awarded 54 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our rocky mountains region bachelor’s degree parks & rec students whose families make $30-$48k list, Western has also earned the #7 rank in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” ranking. It costs about $14,744 for Rocky Mountains Region Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Western.

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

#17

Fort Lewis College

Durango, Colorado
#20 in overall quality

Fort Lewis College ranked #17 on this year’s Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Rocky Mountains Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. Fort Lewis College is a public institution located in Durango, Colorado. The school has a small population, and it awarded 72 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our rocky mountains region bachelor’s degree parks & rec students whose families make $30-$48k list, FLC has also earned the #20 rank in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” ranking. It costs about $12,909 for rocky mountains region bachelor’s degree parks & rec students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend FLC.

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

#18

Boise State University

Boise, Idaho
#11 in overall quality

Boise State University landed the #18 spot on the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Rocky Mountains Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Boise, Idaho is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s parks and rec degrees to 89 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Boise State, the school also landed the #11 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Boise State is $13,146 for Rocky Mountains Region Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students whose families make $30-$48k.

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

#19

Southern Utah University

Cedar City, Utah
#22 in overall quality

Southern Utah University landed the #19 spot on the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Rocky Mountains Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Cedar City, Utah is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s parks and rec degrees to 78 students in 2019-2020.

Southern Utah University also took the #22 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Southern Utah University is $11,759 for Rocky Mountains Region Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students whose families make $30-$48k.

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

#20

Colorado Mesa University

Grand Junction, Colorado
#17 in overall quality

Colorado Mesa University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Rocky Mountains Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #20. Colorado Mesa is a medium-sized public school situated in Grand Junction, Colorado. It awarded 131 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

Colorado Mesa not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #17 on our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” list. It costs about $13,624 for Rocky Mountains Region Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Colorado Mesa.

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

#21

Rocky Mountain College

Billings, Montana
#15 in overall quality

Rocky Mountain College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Rocky Mountains Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #21. Rocky Mountain College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Billings, Montana. It awarded 17 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our rocky mountains region bachelor’s degree parks & rec students whose families make $30-$48k list, Rocky has also earned the #15 rank in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” ranking. It costs about $15,758 for Rocky Mountains Region Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Rocky Mountain College.

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

#4 in overall quality

Johnson & Wales University - Denver did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Rocky Mountains Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #22. JWU Denver is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Denver, Colorado. It awarded 16 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at JWU Denver, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Johnson & Wales University - Denver is $25,025 for rocky mountains region bachelor’s degree parks & rec students whose families make $30-$48k.

With a student-to-faculty ratio of 6 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 Johnson & Wales University - Denver

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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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