2023 Best Value Colleges for Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies (Income $48-$75k) in Virginia
12
Ranked Colleges
1,741
Degrees Awarded
It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in Virginia For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking is part of that endeavor.
In 2020-2021, 73,813 people earned their degree in parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies, making the major the 15th most popular in the United States. 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.
Across Virginia, there were 1,741 parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $31,990 and $25,658 respectively.
This year’s “Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in Virginia For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking looked at 12 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s 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.
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 in Virginia For Those Making $48-$75k” list to help you make the college decision.
To further help you make the college decision, we’ve developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. 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 in Virginia For Those Making $48-$75k
The colleges and universities below are the best for virginia parks & rec students whose families make $48-$75k.
Top 12 Best Value Colleges for Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies (Income $48-$75k) in Virginia
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend William & Mary. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in Virginia For Those Making $48-$75k list. Williamsburg, Virginia is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s parks and rec degrees to 125 students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our virginia parks & rec students whose families make $48-$75k list, William & Mary has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools in Virginia” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for William & Mary is $10,995 for Virginia Parks & Rec students whose families make $48-$75k.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, 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 0.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at William & Mary
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 in Virginia For Those Making $48-$75k. University of Virginia is a large school located in Charlottesville, Virginia that handed out 117 ’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.
University of Virginia also made our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools in Virginia” list, coming in at #2. It costs about $16,019 for virginia parks & rec students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend University of Virginia - Main Campus.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.7%, which is much lower than the national 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 University of Virginia
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend James Madison University. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in Virginia For Those Making $48-$75k list. Harrisonburg, Virginia is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s parks and rec degrees to 326 students in 2020-2021.
JMU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools in Virginia” list. It costs about $19,216 for Virginia Parks & Rec students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend James Madison University.
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 2.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full James Madison University Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Report
Out of the 12 schools in the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in Virginia For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, Old Dominion University landed the #4 spot on the list. Old Dominion University is a large school located in Norfolk, Virginia that handed out 142 ’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.
Old Dominion also took the #7 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools in Virginia” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Old Dominion is $16,954 for Virginia Parks & Rec students whose families make $48-$75k.
Full Old Dominion University Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Bridgewater College. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in Virginia For Those Making $48-$75k. This small school is located in Bridgewater, Virginia, and it awarded 46 ’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Bridgewater, the school also landed the #8 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools in Virginia” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Bridgewater is $19,772 for Virginia Parks & Rec students whose families make $48-$75k.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.2% 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 Bridgewater
George Mason University landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in Virginia For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. George Mason University is a large school located in Fairfax, Virginia that handed out 113 ’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our virginia parks & rec students whose families make $48-$75k list, GMU has also earned the #4 rank in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools in Virginia” ranking. The yearly cost to attend George Mason University is $19,066 for Virginia Parks & Rec students whose families make $48-$75k.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at GMU
With a ranking of #7, Radford University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in Virginia For Those Making $48-$75k list. Radford University is a public institution located in Radford, Virginia. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 44 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our virginia parks & rec students whose families make $48-$75k list, Radford has also earned the #12 rank in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools in Virginia” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Radford is $16,716 for virginia parks & rec students whose families make $48-$75k.
Read more about Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Radford
Roanoke College came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in Virginia For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Salem, Virginia is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s parks and rec degrees to 41 students in 2020-2021.
Roanoke also made our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools in Virginia” list, coming in at #6. The yearly cost to attend Roanoke College is $23,983 for Virginia Parks & Rec students whose families make $48-$75k.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Roanoke
Virginia Commonwealth University landed the #9 spot on the 2023 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in Virginia For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. VCU is located in Richmond, Virginia and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 47 ’s parks and rec degrees to qualified students.
VCU also took the #11 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools in Virginia” ranking. It costs about $18,553 for virginia parks & rec students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend VCU.
The undergrad 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 Virginia Commonwealth University
Averett University ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in Virginia For Those Making $48-$75k list. AU is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Danville, Virginia. It awarded 32 ’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our virginia parks & rec students whose families make $48-$75k list, AU has also earned the #10 rank in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools in Virginia” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for AU is $44,714 for virginia parks & rec students whose families make $48-$75k.
Full AU Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Report
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