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2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $75-$110k

88 Ranked Colleges
5,005 Degrees Awarded
$17,000 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor's in the Plains States Region For Those Making $75-$110k

When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. 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 for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $75-$110k” ranking is part of that endeavor.

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 the Plains States region, there were 5,808 parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $29,644 and $24,923 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 5,005 parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $39,786 and $25,576 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $75-$110k” ranking looked at 88 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.

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. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

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 a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $75-$110k” list to help you make the college decision.

In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $75-$110k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $75-$110k.

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies (Income $75-$110k) in the Plains States Region

#1

Truman State University

Kirksville, Missouri
#5 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Truman State University. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $75-$110k list. Truman State is a small school located in Kirksville, Missouri that handed out 104 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

Truman State 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 Plains States Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Truman State is $13,624 for plains states region bachelor’s degree parks & rec students whose families make $75-$110k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 3.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 88%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

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

#2

Chadron State College

Chadron, Nebraska
#1 in overall quality

Out of the 88 schools in the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $75-$110k that were part of this year’s ranking, Chadron State College landed the #2 spot on the list. Chadron State College is located in Chadron, Nebraska and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 17 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees to qualified students.

Chadron State College also took the #1 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. It costs about $15,997 for plains states region bachelor’s degree parks & rec students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend Chadron State College.

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

#3 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Iowa State University. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $75-$110k. Iowa State is a public institution located in Ames, Iowa. The school has a large population, and it awarded 238 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Iowa State also made our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list, coming in at #3. It costs about $17,228 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend Iowa State University.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

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

#4

Dickinson State University

Dickinson, North Dakota

Out of the 88 schools in the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $75-$110k that were part of this year’s ranking, Dickinson State University landed the #4 spot on the list. Dickinson, North Dakota is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s parks and rec degrees to 8 students in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Dickinson State University is $14,008 for plains states region bachelor’s degree parks & rec students whose families make $75-$110k.

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

#7 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend North Dakota State University - Main Campus. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $75-$110k list. North Dakota State University - Main Campus is located in Fargo, North Dakota and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 79 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees to qualified students.

North Dakota State University not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #7 on our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. The yearly cost to attend North Dakota State University - Main Campus is $18,389 for plains states region bachelor’s degree parks & rec students whose families make $75-$110k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

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

#6

University of Mary

Bismarck, North Dakota
#10 in overall quality

With a ranking of #6, University of Mary did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $75-$110k list. This small school is located in Bismarck, North Dakota, and it awarded 26 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UMary, the school also landed the #10 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UMary is $17,691 for plains states region bachelor’s degree parks & rec students whose families make $75-$110k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

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

University of Minnesota - Crookston came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. UMN Crookston is a public institution located in Crookston, Minnesota. The school has a small population, and it awarded 15 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for University of Minnesota - Crookston is $13,185 for plains states region bachelor’s degree parks & rec students whose families make $75-$110k.

Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at University of Minnesota - Crookston

#8

University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Minneapolis, Minnesota
#8 in overall quality

University of Minnesota - Twin Cities did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $75-$110k ranking, coming in at #8. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities is located in Minneapolis, Minnesota and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 104 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees to qualified students.

UMN Twin Cities also made our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list, coming in at #8. It costs about $19,942 for plains states region bachelor’s degree parks & rec students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend University of Minnesota - Twin Cities.

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 student loan default rate at the school is 2.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

With a ranking of #9, Northwest Missouri State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $75-$110k list. Northwest Missouri State University is a medium-sized school located in Maryville, Missouri that handed out 43 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Northwest Missouri State University is $14,385 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students whose families make $75-$110k.

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

#10

University of North Dakota

Grand Forks, North Dakota
#17 in overall quality

With a ranking of #10, University of North Dakota did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $75-$110k list. Grand Forks, North Dakota is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s parks and rec degrees to 38 students in 2019-2020.

UND also took the #17 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. It costs about $17,409 for plains states region bachelor’s degree parks & rec students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend University of North Dakota.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

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

#11

University of Northern Iowa

Cedar Falls, Iowa
#15 in overall quality

University of Northern Iowa ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $75-$110k list. University of Northern Iowa is a medium-sized public school situated in Cedar Falls, Iowa. It awarded 113 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

UNI also made our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list, coming in at #15. The estimated yearly cost for UNI is $17,467 for plains states region bachelor’s degree parks & rec students whose families make $75-$110k.

The low 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%. 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 Northern Iowa

#12

Winona State University

Winona, Minnesota
#11 in overall quality

With a ranking of #12, Winona State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $75-$110k list. Winona State is a medium-sized school located in Winona, Minnesota that handed out 107 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Winona State, the school also landed the #11 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. It costs about $18,682 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend Winona State.

The low student loan default rate of 3.4% 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 Winona State

#6 in overall quality

University of Missouri - Columbia ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $75-$110k list. University of Missouri - Columbia is a public institution located in Columbia, Missouri. The school has a large population, and it awarded 126 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Mizzou, the school also landed the #6 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Missouri - Columbia is $19,595 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students whose families make $75-$110k.

The low 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

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

#14 in overall quality

Minnesota State University - Mankato came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. Mankato, Minnesota is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s parks and rec degrees to 151 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Minnesota State Mankato, the school also landed the #14 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Minnesota State University - Mankato is $18,312 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students whose families make $75-$110k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Minnesota State University - Mankato

University of Minnesota - Morris came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. This small school is located in Morris, Minnesota, and it awarded 9 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for University of Minnesota - Morris is $13,194 for plains states region bachelor’s degree parks & rec students whose families make $75-$110k.

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%.

Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at University of Minnesota - Morris

#16

University of Iowa

Iowa City, Iowa
#4 in overall quality

University of Iowa came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. Iowa is a large public school situated in Iowa City, Iowa. It awarded 652 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Iowa, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Iowa is $20,738 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students whose families make $75-$110k.

The low student loan default rate of 3.5% 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 88%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

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

Missouri Southern State University landed the #17 spot on the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. Missouri Southern State University is a medium-sized school located in Joplin, Missouri that handed out 37 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Missouri Southern State University is $12,802 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students whose families make $75-$110k.

Full Missouri Southern Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Report

Southwest Minnesota State University came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. Southwest Minnesota State University is a medium-sized public school situated in Marshall, Minnesota. It awarded 58 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $18,005 for plains states region bachelor’s degree parks & rec students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend Southwest Minnesota State University.

Full Southwest Minnesota State University Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Report

University of Nebraska at Omaha landed the #19 spot on the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. University of Nebraska at Omaha is located in Omaha, Nebraska and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 68 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees to qualified students.

The yearly cost to attend UNOMAHA is $17,400 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students whose families make $75-$110k.

Full UNOMAHA Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Report

#20

Emporia State University

Emporia, Kansas

Emporia State University came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. ESU is a medium-sized school located in Emporia, Kansas that handed out 7 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend ESU is $16,515 for plains states region bachelor’s degree parks & rec students whose families make $75-$110k.

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

#19 in overall quality

With a ranking of #21, University of Nebraska at Kearney did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $75-$110k list. This medium-sized school is located in Kearney, Nebraska, and it awarded 81 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

UNK did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #19 on our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. It costs about $18,669 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend UNK.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at UNK

#23 in overall quality

University of Minnesota - Duluth came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. University of Minnesota - Duluth is a fairly large school located in Duluth, Minnesota that handed out 55 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UMN Duluth, the school also landed the #23 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UMN Duluth is $19,042 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students whose families make $75-$110k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 3.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at University of Minnesota - Duluth

#23

Missouri Western State University

Saint Joseph, Missouri

Missouri Western State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $75-$110k ranking, coming in at #23. This small school is located in Saint Joseph, Missouri, and it awarded 51 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Missouri Western State University is $14,235 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students whose families make $75-$110k.

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

#24

South Dakota State University

Brookings, South Dakota
#13 in overall quality

With a ranking of #24, South Dakota State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $75-$110k list. Brookings, South Dakota is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s parks and rec degrees to 50 students in 2019-2020.

South Dakota State also took the #13 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend South Dakota State University is $20,754 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students whose families make $75-$110k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

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

#25

Concordia University, Saint Paul

Saint Paul, Minnesota

Concordia University, Saint Paul came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. Saint Paul, Minnesota is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s parks and rec degrees to 99 students in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Concordia University, Saint Paul is $18,611 for plains states region bachelor’s degree parks & rec students whose families make $75-$110k.

Full Concordia University, Saint Paul 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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