2023 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools For Those Making $48-$75k
517
Ranked Colleges
73,813
Degrees Awarded
When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Parks & Rec Schools For Those Making $48-$75k” 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 73,813 degrees awarded in 2020-2021. In 2019-2020, parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $31,423 and had an average of $24,388 in loans still to pay off.
This year’s “Best Value Parks & Rec Schools For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking looked at 517 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. See our ranking methodology to learn more.
One Size Does Not Fit All
When choosing the right school for you, it’s important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we’ve created a number of major-specific rankings, including this “Best Value Parks & Rec Schools For Those Making $48-$75k” list to help you make the college 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. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.
Best Value Parks & Rec Schools For Those Making $48-$75k
The colleges and universities below are the best for parks & rec students whose families make $48-$75k.
Top 25 Best Value Colleges for Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies (Income $48-$75k)
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Columbia University in the City of New York. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools For Those Making $48-$75k list. Columbia University in the City of New York is a private not-for-profit institution located in New York, New York. The school has a large population, and it awarded 71 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Columbia, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools” ranking. It costs about $8,106 for parks & rec students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Columbia.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 95%. The low undergrad 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%.
Full Columbia University in the City of New York Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Rice University. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools For Those Making $48-$75k list. Rice is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Houston, Texas. It awarded 104 ’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our parks & rec students whose families make $48-$75k list, Rice has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools” ranking. It costs about $6,152 for Parks & Rec students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Rice University.
With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Full Rice University Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Report
Out of the 517 schools in the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Michigan - Ann Arbor landed the #3 spot on the list. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor is a public institution located in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The school has a large population, and it awarded 326 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at U-M, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Michigan - Ann Arbor is $10,481 for parks & rec students whose families make $48-$75k.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Northwestern University. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools For Those Making $48-$75k. Northwestern University is a large school located in Evanston, Illinois that handed out 62 ’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.
Northwestern did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #9 on our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for Northwestern is $5,849 for Parks & Rec students whose families make $48-$75k.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Full Northwestern University Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend American Public University System. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools For Those Making $48-$75k. American Military University is located in Charles Town, West Virginia and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 683 ’s parks and rec degrees to qualified students.
American Military University not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #8 on our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools” list. It costs about $13,536 for parks & rec students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend American Public University System.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 98%.
Full American Military University Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Report
University of Florida came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. UF is a large school located in Gainesville, Florida that handed out 306 ’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.
UF not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #14 on our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of Florida is $8,394 for parks & rec students whose families make $48-$75k.
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 undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at UF
With a ranking of #7, Indiana University - Bloomington did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools For Those Making $48-$75k list. Indiana University - Bloomington is a large school located in Bloomington, Indiana that handed out 643 ’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.
IU Bloomington also made our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools” list, coming in at #12. The yearly cost to attend Indiana University - Bloomington is $12,369 for parks & rec students whose families make $48-$75k.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read more about Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at IU Bloomington
With a ranking of #8, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools For Those Making $48-$75k list. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a large public school situated in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. It awarded 401 ’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UNC Chapel Hill, the school also landed the #20 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UNC Chapel Hill is $11,619 for parks & rec students whose families make $48-$75k.
With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Report
Mt. San Antonio College ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Parks & Rec Schools For Those Making $48-$75k list. Mt. SAC is a large school located in Walnut, California that handed out 521 ’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.
The estimated yearly cost for Mt. SAC is $5,768 for parks & rec students whose families make $48-$75k.
Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Mt. San Antonio College
California State University - Los Angeles ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Parks & Rec Schools For Those Making $48-$75k list. Located in Los Angeles, California, this large public school handed out 339 diplomas to qualified ’s parks and rec students in 2020-2021.
The yearly cost to attend California State University - Los Angeles is $5,700 for parks & rec students whose families make $48-$75k.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.6% 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 Cal State LA
University of Wisconsin - Madison ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Parks & Rec Schools For Those Making $48-$75k list. University of Wisconsin - Madison is a large school located in Madison, Wisconsin that handed out 148 ’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.
UW - Madison not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #15 on our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools” list. It costs about $10,364 for parks & rec students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend University of Wisconsin - Madison.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 95%.
Full University of Wisconsin - Madison Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Report
Purdue University - Main Campus landed the #12 spot on the 2023 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Located in West Lafayette, Indiana, this large public school awarded 131 diplomas to qualified ’s parks and rec students in 2020-2021.
On top of its placing in this ranking, Purdue also did well on our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools” list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. The yearly cost to attend Purdue is $8,450 for parks & rec students whose families make $48-$75k.
With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad 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%.
Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Purdue
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. This large school is located in Champaign, Illinois, and it awarded 317 ’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UIUC, the school also landed the #16 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is $11,505 for parks & rec students whose families make $48-$75k.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at UIUC
With a ranking of #14, The University of West Florida did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools For Those Making $48-$75k list. UWF is a fairly large school located in Pensacola, Florida that handed out 147 ’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.
The estimated yearly cost for UWF is $7,301 for parks & rec students whose families make $48-$75k.
Read more about Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at The University of West Florida
With a ranking of #15, University of Minnesota - Twin Cities did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools For Those Making $48-$75k list. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities is a large school located in Minneapolis, Minnesota that handed out 124 ’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.
UMN Twin Cities also made our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools” list, coming in at #23. The estimated yearly cost for UMN Twin Cities is $12,911 for parks & rec students whose families make $48-$75k.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read more about Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
Florida International University landed the #16 spot on the 2023 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Florida International University is a public institution located in Miami, Florida. The school has a large population, and it awarded 274 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
On top of its placing in this ranking, FIU also did well on our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools” list. It’s ranked in the top 15% of all schools on our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools” list. It costs about $7,292 for Parks & Rec students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend FIU.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%.
Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Florida International University
California State University - Fresno did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #17. Fresno, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s parks and rec degrees to 323 students in 2020-2021.
It costs about $8,030 for parks & rec students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend California State University - Fresno.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Full California State University - Fresno Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Report
The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #18. The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley is a large school located in Edinburg, Texas that handed out 394 ’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.
The estimated yearly cost for The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley is $5,452 for Parks & Rec students whose families make $48-$75k.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.7% 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%.
Full The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Report
Ohio State University - Main Campus landed the #19 spot on the 2023 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Columbus, Ohio is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s parks and rec degrees to 248 students in 2020-2021.
Ohio State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #19 on our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for Ohio State University - Main Campus is $13,273 for Parks & Rec students whose families make $48-$75k.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read more about Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Ohio State University - Main Campus
The University of Texas at Austin landed the #20 spot on the 2023 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Located in Austin, Texas, this large public school awarded 313 diplomas to qualified ’s parks and rec students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our parks & rec students whose families make $48-$75k list, UT Austin has also earned the #5 rank in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UT Austin is $16,134 for Parks & Rec students whose families make $48-$75k.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read more about Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at UT Austin
Brigham Young University - Provo landed the #21 spot on the 2023 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Provo, Utah is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s parks and rec degrees to 267 students in 2020-2021.
BYU also claimed a top spot on our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools” list. It’s in the top [COLLEGE_QUALITY_PECTENTILE_ALL_LEVES]% of all schools in this category. The yearly cost to attend BYU is $12,676 for Parks & Rec students whose families make $48-$75k.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 92%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.3% 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 BYU
Florida State University landed the #22 spot on the 2023 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Florida State University is a large public school situated in Tallahassee, Florida. It awarded 219 ’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.
Florida State also claimed a top spot on our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools” list. It’s ranked in the top 15% of all schools on our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools” list. It costs about $11,506 for Parks & Rec students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Florida State.
The low undergrad 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read more about Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Florida State
William & Mary came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. William & Mary is a public institution located in Williamsburg, Virginia. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 125 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
On top of its placing in this ranking, William & Mary also did well on our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools” list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. It costs about $10,995 for parks & rec students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend William & Mary.
With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.7% 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%.
Full William & Mary Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Report
California State University - Fullerton ranked #24 on this year’s Best Value Parks & Rec Schools For Those Making $48-$75k list. California State University - Fullerton is a large public school situated in Fullerton, California. It awarded 581 ’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.
The yearly cost to attend California State University - Fullerton is $9,017 for parks & rec students whose families make $48-$75k.
With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full California State University - Fullerton Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Report
Brooklyn College landed the #25 spot on the 2023 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Brooklyn College is located in Brooklyn, New York and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 83 ’s parks and rec degrees to qualified students.
The estimated yearly cost for Brooklyn College is $7,219 for Parks & Rec students whose families make $48-$75k.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.5% 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 Brooklyn College
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