Find Schools

Study Area & Zipcode

Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies

Find Schools Near

2022 Best Vallue Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making Over $110k

34 Ranked Colleges
6,201 Degrees Awarded
$21,600 Avg Net Price*
Best Vallue Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor's in California For Those Making Over $110k

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Best Vallue Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making Over $110k” ranking - to help you make that decision.

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 California, there were 11,357 parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $30,588 and $23,018 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 6,201 parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $37,907 and $21,546 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Vallue Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making Over $110k” ranking, we looked at 34 colleges that offer a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies programs and 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.

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 Vallue Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making Over $110k” list to help you make the college decision.

We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most to you. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.

13159166201505113551181801826117250189221489722048233582046523892208962037621627137372303924667234022646836338311023183630859

Best Vallue Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making Over $110k

The colleges and universities below are the best for california bachelor’s degree parks & rec students whose families make more than $110k.

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies (Income Over $110k) in California

#21 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Los Angeles. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Vallue Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making Over $110k list. Cal State LA is a public institution located in Los Angeles, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 268 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Cal State LA also made our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #21. The yearly cost to attend Cal State LA is $2,768 for California Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students whose families make more than $110k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Cal State LA Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Report

#4 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Fullerton. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Vallue Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making Over $110k list. California State University - Fullerton is a large public school situated in Fullerton, California. It awarded 562 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

Cal State Fullerton not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #4 on our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for Cal State Fullerton is $7,991 for california bachelor’s degree parks & rec students whose families make more than $110k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The student loan default rate at the school is 2.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at California State University - Fullerton

#17 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State University - Fresno. The school came in at #3 for the Best Vallue Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making Over $110k. California State University - Fresno is a large public school situated in Fresno, California. It awarded 271 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

Fresno State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #17 on our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for Fresno State is $5,464 for California Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students whose families make more than $110k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%. 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%.

Full Fresno State Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Report

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State University - Dominguez Hills. The school came in at #4 for the Best Vallue Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making Over $110k. Carson, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s parks and rec degrees to 140 students in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Dominguez Hills is $4,215 for California Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students whose families make more than $110k.

The low student loan default rate of 2.6% 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%.

Full California State University - Dominguez Hills Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Report

#7 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State University - Long Beach. The school came in at #5 for the Best Vallue Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making Over $110k. Long Beach, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s parks and rec degrees to 305 students in 2019-2020.

CSULB also took the #7 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $9,622 for california bachelor’s degree parks & rec students whose families make more than $110k per year to attend CSULB.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at California State University - Long Beach

#9 in overall quality

With a ranking of #6, California State University - Northridge did quite well on the 2022 Best Vallue Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making Over $110k list. Northridge, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s parks and rec degrees to 443 students in 2019-2020.

CSUN did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #9 on our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend California State University - Northridge is $8,414 for California Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students whose families make more than $110k.

The low student loan default rate of 2.0% 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%.

Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at California State University - Northridge

#22 in overall quality

With a ranking of #7, California State University - San Bernardino did quite well on the 2022 Best Vallue Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making Over $110k list. Located in San Bernardino, California, this fairly large public school awarded 276 degrees to qualified bachelors’s parks and rec students in 2019-2020.

CSUSB also made our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #22. The yearly cost to attend CSUSB is $7,342 for california bachelor’s degree parks & rec students whose families make more than $110k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at California State University - San Bernardino

#8 in overall quality

California State University - Sacramento ranked #8 on this year’s Best Vallue Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making Over $110k list. Sacramento, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s parks and rec degrees to 438 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Sac State, the school also landed the #8 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Sac State is $9,979 for California Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students whose families make more than $110k.

The low student loan default rate of 4.6% 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 Sac State

California State University - Stanislaus came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Vallue Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making Over $110k ranking. Turlock, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s parks and rec degrees to 117 students in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend California State University - Stanislaus is $6,019 for california bachelor’s degree parks & rec students whose families make more than $110k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, 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 4.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full California State University - Stanislaus Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Report

#10

San Diego State University

San Diego, California
#3 in overall quality

San Diego State University came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Vallue Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making Over $110k ranking. San Diego State University is a public institution located in San Diego, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 427 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

SDSU also made our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #3. The yearly cost to attend San Diego State University is $14,788 for California Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students whose families make more than $110k.

The low 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

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

#11

San Jose State University

San Jose, California
#1 in overall quality

San Jose State University ranked #11 on this year’s Best Vallue Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making Over $110k list. San Jose, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s parks and rec degrees to 263 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree parks & rec students whose families make more than $110k list, San Jose State has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for San Jose State is $14,928 for California Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students whose families make more than $110k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. The low student loan default rate of 3.7% 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 San Jose State Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Report

#14 in overall quality

California State University - Monterey Bay did quite well in the 2022 Best Vallue Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making Over $110k ranking, coming in at #12. Located in Seaside, California, this medium-sized public school handed out 185 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s parks and rec students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree parks & rec students whose families make more than $110k list, CSUMB has also earned the #14 rank in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend California State University - Monterey Bay is $12,212 for california bachelor’s degree parks & rec students whose families make more than $110k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 5.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at California State University - Monterey Bay

#13

San Francisco State University

San Francisco, California
#5 in overall quality

San Francisco State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Vallue Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making Over $110k ranking, coming in at #13. SFSU is located in San Francisco, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 247 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees to qualified students.

SFSU also took the #5 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for SFSU is $15,113 for california bachelor’s degree parks & rec students whose families make more than $110k.

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

#18 in overall quality

With a ranking of #14, California State Polytechnic University - Pomona did quite well on the 2022 Best Vallue Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making Over $110k list. Pomona, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s parks and rec degrees to 160 students in 2019-2020.

Cal Poly Pomona did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #18 on our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $12,734 for california bachelor’s degree parks & rec students whose families make more than $110k per year to attend Cal Poly Pomona.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.7%, 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 students.

Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at California State Polytechnic University - Pomona

#15 in overall quality

California State University - East Bay did quite well in the 2022 Best Vallue Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making Over $110k ranking, coming in at #15. California State University - East Bay is located in Hayward, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 191 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Cal State East Bay, the school also landed the #15 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $11,116 for california bachelor’s degree parks & rec students whose families make more than $110k per year to attend Cal State East Bay.

Read more about Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Cal State East Bay

#19 in overall quality

California State University - San Marcos ranked #16 on this year’s Best Vallue Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making Over $110k list. CSUSM is a fairly large public school situated in San Marcos, California. It awarded 207 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

CSUSM did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #19 on our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for CSUSM is $13,399 for california bachelor’s degree parks & rec students whose families make more than $110k.

The low 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 full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at California State University - San Marcos

California State University - Bakersfield landed the #17 spot on the 2022 Best Vallue Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making Over $110k ranking. CSUB is a fairly large public school situated in Bakersfield, California. It awarded 117 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for CSUB is $5,318 for California Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students whose families make more than $110k.

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

#12 in overall quality

California State University - Chico came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Vallue Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making Over $110k ranking. Chico State is a fairly large public school situated in Chico, California. It awarded 307 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree parks & rec students whose families make more than $110k list, Chico State has also earned the #12 rank in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Chico State is $15,017 for California Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students whose families make more than $110k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 3.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Chico State Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Report

#19

Sonoma State University

Rohnert Park, California

With a ranking of #19, Sonoma State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Vallue Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making Over $110k list. Rohnert Park, California is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s parks and rec degrees to 102 students in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Sonoma State University is $17,478 for California Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students whose families make more than $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 SSU

#20

Humboldt State University

Arcata, California

Humboldt State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Vallue Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making Over $110k ranking, coming in at #20. This medium-sized school is located in Arcata, California, and it awarded 111 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $14,692 for california bachelor’s degree parks & rec students whose families make more than $110k per year to attend Humboldt State University.

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

Vanguard University of Southern California ranked #21 on this year’s Best Vallue Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making Over $110k list. Vanguard is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Costa Mesa, California. It awarded 28 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $20,051 for california bachelor’s degree parks & rec students whose families make more than $110k per year to attend Vanguard.

The low student loan default rate of 4.0% 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%.

Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Vanguard University of Southern California

#22

Westmont College

Santa Barbara, California
#6 in overall quality

Westmont College did quite well in the 2022 Best Vallue Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making Over $110k ranking, coming in at #22. Westmont College is a private not-for-profit institution located in Santa Barbara, California. The school has a small population, and it awarded 34 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Westmont, the school also landed the #6 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Westmont College is $31,145 for California Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students whose families make more than $110k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

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

#23

La Sierra University

Riverside, California

La Sierra University ranked #23 on this year’s Best Vallue Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making Over $110k list. Located in Riverside, California, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 24 degrees to qualified bachelors’s parks and rec students in 2019-2020.

It costs about $24,046 for California Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students whose families make more than $110k per year to attend La Sierra.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at La Sierra

#24

California Baptist University

Riverside, California
#16 in overall quality

California Baptist University did quite well in the 2022 Best Vallue Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making Over $110k ranking, coming in at #24. Cal Baptist is located in Riverside, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 129 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Cal Baptist, the school also landed the #16 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $24,707 for California Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students whose families make more than $110k per year to attend Cal Baptist.

The low student loan default rate of 4.6% 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 California Baptist University

#25

Concordia University, Irvine

Irvine, California
#20 in overall quality

Concordia University, Irvine did quite well in the 2022 Best Vallue Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making Over $110k ranking, coming in at #25. Located in Irvine, California, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 49 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s parks and rec students in 2019-2020.

Concordia University, Irvine not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #20 on our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend Concordia University, Irvine is $26,143 for California Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students whose families make more than $110k.

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 Concordia University, Irvine

Switch to a Different Ranking Method

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.

Credits

Featured Athletic Training Schools

Find Schools Near You