Find Schools

Study Area & Zipcode

Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies

Find Schools Near

2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in Washington For Those Getting Aid

9 Ranked Colleges
535 Degrees Awarded
$23,700 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor's in Washington For Those Getting Aid

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 a Bachelor’s in Washington For Those Getting Aid” 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 Washington, there were 718 parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 535 parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $39,202 and $21,977 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in Washington For Those Getting Aid” ranking, we looked at 9 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. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

One Size Does Not Fit All

The parks & rec school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we’ve developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of “Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in Washington For Those Getting Aid”.

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 for a Bachelor’s in Washington For Those Getting Aid

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in Washington For Those Getting Aid.

Top 9 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies in Washington (With Aid)

#1

Eastern Washington University

Cheney, Washington
#9 in overall quality

Out of the 9 schools in the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in Washington For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, Eastern Washington University landed the #1 spot on the list. This fairly large school is located in Cheney, Washington, and it awarded 19 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

EWU also made our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Washington” list, coming in at #9. The yearly cost to attend Eastern Washington University is $12,607 for Washington Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students with aid.

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

#2

Washington State University

Pullman, Washington
#1 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Washington State University. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in Washington For Those Getting Aid list. Wazzu is located in Pullman, Washington and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 178 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees to qualified students.

Wazzu not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Washington” list. The yearly cost to attend Wazzu is $16,358 for Washington Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students with aid.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

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

#3

Central Washington University

Ellensburg, Washington
#6 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Central Washington University. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in Washington For Those Getting Aid. Central Washington University is a fairly large public school situated in Ellensburg, Washington. It awarded 71 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

CWU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #6 on our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Washington” list. It costs about $15,397 for washington bachelor’s degree parks & rec students with aid per year to attend Central Washington University.

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

#4

Western Washington University

Bellingham, Washington
#5 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Western Washington University. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in Washington For Those Getting Aid list. Located in Bellingham, Washington, this fairly large public school awarded 95 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s parks and rec students in 2019-2020.

WWU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Washington” list. The yearly cost to attend WWU is $16,529 for washington bachelor’s degree parks & rec students with aid.

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 more about Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Western Washington University

#5

Pacific Lutheran University

Tacoma, Washington
#2 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Pacific Lutheran University. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in Washington For Those Getting Aid. Pacific Lutheran University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Tacoma, Washington. The school has a small population, and it awarded 52 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our washington bachelor’s degree parks & rec students with aid list, PLU has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Washington” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Pacific Lutheran University is $23,058 for washington bachelor’s degree parks & rec students with aid.

The low student loan default rate of 2.4% 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%.

Full Pacific Lutheran University Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Report

#6

Whitworth University

Spokane, Washington
#8 in overall quality

Whitworth University ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in Washington For Those Getting Aid list. Whitworth University is located in Spokane, Washington and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 14 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our washington bachelor’s degree parks & rec students with aid list, Whitworth has also earned the #8 rank in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Washington” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Whitworth University is $25,557 for Washington Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students with aid.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

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

#7

Gonzaga University

Spokane, Washington
#3 in overall quality

Gonzaga University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in Washington For Those Getting Aid ranking. Gonzaga is a private not-for-profit institution located in Spokane, Washington. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 17 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Gonzaga also made our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Washington” list, coming in at #3. The estimated yearly cost for Gonzaga is $33,793 for Washington Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students with aid.

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 student loan default rate at the school is 1.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

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

#8

Seattle University

Seattle, Washington
#4 in overall quality

Seattle University landed the #8 spot on the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in Washington For Those Getting Aid ranking. Seattle U is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Seattle, Washington. It awarded 30 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

Seattle U also made our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Washington” list, coming in at #4. The yearly cost to attend Seattle University is $34,802 for Washington Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students with aid.

Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Seattle U

#9

University of Puget Sound

Tacoma, Washington
#7 in overall quality

With a ranking of #9, University of Puget Sound did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in Washington For Those Getting Aid list. Puget Sound is a private not-for-profit institution located in Tacoma, Washington. The school has a small population, and it awarded 26 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Puget Sound also made our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Washington” list, coming in at #7. The yearly cost to attend University of Puget Sound is $35,149 for washington bachelor’s degree parks & rec students with aid.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Read more about Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Puget Sound

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