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2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in Texas For Those Making $30-$48k

48 Ranked Colleges
7,340 Degrees Awarded
$9,400 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in Texas For Those Making $30-$48k

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in Texas 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 Texas, there were 7,340 parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in Texas For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking, we looked at 48 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.

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

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 in Texas For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

In addition to College Factual’s rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. 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 in Texas For Those Making $30-$48k

The colleges and universities below are the best for texas parks & rec students whose families make $30-$48k.

Top 25 Best Value Colleges for Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies (Income $30-$48k) in Texas

#1

Rice University

Houston, Texas

Out of the 48 schools in the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in Texas For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, Rice University landed the #1 spot on the list. Located in Houston, Texas, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school handed out 102 degrees to qualified ’s parks and rec students in 2019-2020.

Rice also took the #2 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools in Texas” ranking. It costs about $7,534 for texas parks & rec students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Rice.

The low student loan default rate of 1.0% 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%. The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%.

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

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in Texas For Those Making $30-$48k list. This large school is located in Edinburg, Texas, and it awarded 319 ’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

UT Rio Grande Valley also made our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools in Texas” list, coming in at #18. The yearly cost to attend The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley is $3,473 for texas parks & rec students whose families make $30-$48k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley

#3

South Texas College

McAllen, Texas

Out of the 48 schools in the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in Texas For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, South Texas College landed the #3 spot on the list. This large school is located in McAllen, Texas, and it awarded 67 ’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for South Texas College is $1,390 for texas parks & rec students whose families make $30-$48k.

Full South Texas College Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Report

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of North Texas. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in Texas For Those Making $30-$48k. Denton, Texas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s parks and rec degrees to 352 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UNT, the school also landed the #10 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools in Texas” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UNT is $9,082 for texas 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%.

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

Out of the 48 schools in the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in Texas For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, Texas A&M International University landed the #5 spot on the list. Located in Laredo, Texas, this medium-sized public school awarded 62 diplomas to qualified ’s parks and rec students in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Texas A&M International University is $2,298 for Texas Parks & Rec students whose families make $30-$48k.

Full Texas A&M International University Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Report

The University of Texas at San Antonio ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in Texas For Those Making $30-$48k list. UTSA is a large school located in San Antonio, Texas that handed out 390 ’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UTSA, the school also landed the #13 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools in Texas” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UTSA is $11,109 for Texas Parks & Rec students whose families make $30-$48k.

Read more about Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at The University of Texas at San Antonio

#7

Texas Tech University

Lubbock, Texas

Texas Tech University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in Texas For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #7. Located in Lubbock, Texas, this large public school awarded 388 diplomas to qualified ’s parks and rec students in 2019-2020.

Texas Tech also made our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools in Texas” list, coming in at #5. The estimated yearly cost for Texas Tech University is $13,326 for Texas Parks & Rec students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

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

Texas Woman’s University ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in Texas For Those Making $30-$48k list. This fairly large school is located in Denton, Texas, and it awarded 168 ’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our texas parks & rec students whose families make $30-$48k list, TWU has also earned the #19 rank in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools in Texas” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Texas Woman’s University is $7,050 for Texas Parks & Rec students whose families make $30-$48k.

Full Texas Woman’s University Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Report

Texas A&M University - College Station came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in Texas For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Texas A&M University - College Station is a large public school situated in College Station, Texas. It awarded 683 ’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Texas A&M College Station, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools in Texas” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Texas A&M College Station is $13,270 for texas parks & rec students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Texas A&M University - College Station Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Report

The University of Texas at Austin came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in Texas For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. The University of Texas at Austin is a large school located in Austin, Texas that handed out 263 ’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

UT Austin also made our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools in Texas” list, coming in at #1. The estimated yearly cost for The University of Texas at Austin is $13,575 for texas parks & rec students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low student loan default rate of 2.7% 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%.

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

With a ranking of #11, The University of Texas of the Permian Basin did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in Texas For Those Making $30-$48k list. Located in Odessa, Texas, this medium-sized public school handed out 48 diplomas to qualified ’s parks and rec students in 2019-2020.

UT Permian Basin did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #14 on our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools in Texas” list. It costs about $10,221 for texas parks & rec students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend UT Permian Basin.

Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at The University of Texas of the Permian Basin

#12

University of Houston

Houston, Texas

University of Houston ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in Texas For Those Making $30-$48k list. This large school is located in Houston, Texas, and it awarded 458 ’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our texas parks & rec students whose families make $30-$48k list, UH has also earned the #8 rank in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools in Texas” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Houston is $9,925 for Texas Parks & Rec students whose families make $30-$48k.

With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

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

The University of Texas at Tyler came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in Texas For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Located in Tyler, Texas, this medium-sized public school handed out 103 diplomas to qualified ’s parks and rec students in 2019-2020.

UT Tyler also took the #22 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools in Texas” ranking. It costs about $7,058 for texas parks & rec students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend The University of Texas at Tyler.

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

#14

Texas State University

San Marcos, Texas

Texas State University came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in Texas For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Texas State University is located in San Marcos, Texas and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 590 ’s parks and rec degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our texas parks & rec students whose families make $30-$48k list, Texas State has also earned the #6 rank in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools in Texas” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Texas State is $12,292 for Texas Parks & Rec students whose families make $30-$48k.

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

#15

MSU Texas

Wichita Falls, Texas

With a ranking of #15, MSU Texas did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in Texas For Those Making $30-$48k list. MSU Texas is a medium-sized school located in Wichita Falls, Texas that handed out 57 ’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $8,554 for texas parks & rec students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend MSU Texas.

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

Stephen F Austin State University landed the #16 spot on the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in Texas For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. SFASU is located in Nacogdoches, Texas and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 166 ’s parks and rec degrees to qualified students.

SFASU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #16 on our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools in Texas” list. The yearly cost to attend SFASU is $10,816 for texas parks & rec students whose families make $30-$48k.

Full Stephen F Austin State University Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Report

University of Houston - Clear Lake came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in Texas For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. UH Clear Lake is a medium-sized public school situated in Houston, Texas. It awarded 63 ’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

UH Clear Lake did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #7 on our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools in Texas” list. It costs about $7,941 for texas parks & rec students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend UH Clear Lake.

Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at University of Houston - Clear Lake

The University of Texas at El Paso landed the #18 spot on the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in Texas For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. The University of Texas at El Paso is a large school located in El Paso, Texas that handed out 177 ’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend UTEP is $7,427 for texas parks & rec students whose families make $30-$48k.

Read more about Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at The University of Texas at El Paso

#19

Lamar University

Beaumont, Texas

With a ranking of #19, Lamar University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in Texas For Those Making $30-$48k list. Lamar University is a fairly large public school situated in Beaumont, Texas. It awarded 52 ’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Lamar University is $10,631 for texas parks & rec students whose families make $30-$48k.

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

#20

Angelo State University

San Angelo, Texas

Angelo State University ranked #20 on this year’s Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in Texas For Those Making $30-$48k list. Angelo State University is a fairly large public school situated in San Angelo, Texas. It awarded 126 ’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our texas parks & rec students whose families make $30-$48k list, Angelo State has also earned the #24 rank in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools in Texas” ranking. It costs about $11,516 for Texas Parks & Rec students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Angelo State.

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

#21

Sam Houston State University

Huntsville, Texas

Sam Houston State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in Texas For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #21. Located in Huntsville, Texas, this large public school handed out 163 degrees to qualified ’s parks and rec students in 2019-2020.

SHSU also took the #15 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools in Texas” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for SHSU is $11,634 for Texas Parks & Rec students whose families make $30-$48k.

Read more about Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Sam Houston State University

The University of Texas at Arlington did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in Texas For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #22. UT Arlington is a large school located in Arlington, Texas that handed out 261 ’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

UT Arlington also made our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools in Texas” list, coming in at #11. The estimated yearly cost for UT Arlington is $12,974 for Texas Parks & Rec students whose families make $30-$48k.

Read more about Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at UT Arlington

With a ranking of #23, Texas A&M University - Commerce did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in Texas For Those Making $30-$48k list. Texas A&M University - Commerce is a public institution located in Commerce, Texas. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 110 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $10,580 for Texas Parks & Rec students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Texas A&M University - Commerce.

Full Texas A&M University - Commerce Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Report

Texas A&M University - Kingsville ranked #24 on this year’s Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in Texas For Those Making $30-$48k list. Texas A&M University - Kingsville is a medium-sized public school situated in Kingsville, Texas. It awarded 108 ’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $11,721 for texas parks & rec students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Texas A&M University - Kingsville.

Read more about Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Texas A&M Kingsville

#25

West Texas A&M University

Canyon, Texas

West Texas A&M University ranked #25 on this year’s Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in Texas For Those Making $30-$48k list. Canyon, Texas is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s parks and rec degrees to 66 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our texas parks & rec students whose families make $30-$48k list, West Texas A&M University has also earned the #23 rank in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools in Texas” ranking. The yearly cost to attend West Texas A&M University is $10,146 for texas parks & rec students whose families make $30-$48k.

Full West Texas A&M University Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Report

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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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