Find Schools

Study Area & Zipcode

Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies

Find Schools Near

2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in Ohio

34 Ranked Colleges
1,993 Degrees Awarded
$20,200 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor's in Ohio

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in Ohio” 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 Ohio, there were 2,643 parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $29,488 and $26,132 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 1,993 parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,281 and $26,151 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in Ohio” ranking analyzed 34 colleges that offered a degree 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.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

More Ways to Rank Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools

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 Ohio” 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. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.

Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in Ohio

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in Ohio.

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies in Ohio

#2 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Ohio State University - Main Campus. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in Ohio list. Columbus, Ohio is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s parks and rec degrees to 171 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Ohio State, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Ohio” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Ohio State is $17,616 for Ohio Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low student loan default rate of 4.4% 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 Ohio State

#10 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Bowling Green State University - Main Campus. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in Ohio list. Bowling Green State University - Main Campus is a fairly large public school situated in Bowling Green, Ohio. It awarded 138 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

BGSU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #10 on our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Ohio” list. It costs about $18,394 for Ohio Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students per year to attend Bowling Green State University - Main Campus.

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

#13 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Cincinnati - Main Campus. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in Ohio. University of Cincinnati - Main Campus is a large public school situated in Cincinnati, Ohio. It awarded 69 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UC, the school also landed the #13 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Ohio” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Cincinnati - Main Campus is $21,843 for ohio bachelor’s degree parks & rec students.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 88%.

Read more about Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at University of Cincinnati - Main Campus

#17 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Kent State University at Kent. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in Ohio list. Kent State University at Kent is a large public school situated in Kent, Ohio. It awarded 159 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our ohio bachelor’s degree parks & rec students list, Kent State has also earned the #17 rank in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Ohio” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Kent State University at Kent is $18,885 for Ohio Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students.

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

#3 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Miami University - Oxford. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in Ohio list. Miami University - Oxford is a fairly large school located in Oxford, Ohio that handed out 286 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

Miami University - Oxford also took the #3 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Ohio” ranking. It costs about $24,323 for ohio bachelor’s degree parks & rec students per year to attend Miami University - Oxford.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 88%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full Miami University - Oxford Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Report

#8 in overall quality

Ohio University - Athens Campus landed the #6 spot on the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in Ohio ranking. Athens, Ohio is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s parks and rec degrees to 136 students in 2019-2020.

OHIO Athens not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #8 on our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Ohio” list. The estimated yearly cost for OHIO Athens is $22,906 for ohio bachelor’s degree parks & rec students.

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

#7

Youngstown State University

Youngstown, Ohio
#24 in overall quality

Youngstown State University landed the #7 spot on the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in Ohio ranking. Youngstown, Ohio is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s parks and rec degrees to 53 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Youngstown State University, the school also landed the #24 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Ohio” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Youngstown State University is $11,947 for ohio bachelor’s degree parks & rec students.

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

Wright State University - Main Campus did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in Ohio ranking, coming in at #8. Wright State University - Main Campus is a fairly large public school situated in Dayton, Ohio. It awarded 36 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Wright State University - Main Campus is $16,823 for Ohio Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students.

Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Wright State University - Main Campus

#9

University of Toledo

Toledo, Ohio
#25 in overall quality

University of Toledo ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in Ohio list. University of Toledo is a fairly large public school situated in Toledo, Ohio. It awarded 86 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our ohio bachelor’s degree parks & rec students list, University of Toledo has also earned the #25 rank in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Ohio” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Toledo is $17,630 for Ohio Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students.

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

With a ranking of #10, University of Akron Main Campus did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in Ohio list. Located in Akron, Ohio, this fairly large public school handed out 68 degrees to qualified bachelors’s parks and rec students in 2019-2020.

It costs about $17,792 for Ohio Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students per year to attend University of Akron Main Campus.

Full University of Akron Main Campus Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Report

#11

Cleveland State University

Cleveland, Ohio

Cleveland State University came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in Ohio ranking. Cleveland State University is a fairly large public school situated in Cleveland, Ohio. It awarded 11 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $17,278 for Ohio Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students per year to attend Cleveland State University.

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

#12

Ashland University

Ashland, Ohio
#22 in overall quality

Ashland University ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in Ohio list. Ashland is a small school located in Ashland, Ohio that handed out 11 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

Ashland did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #22 on our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Ohio” list. The yearly cost to attend Ashland is $20,111 for Ohio Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

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

#13

Wilmington College

Wilmington, Ohio
#16 in overall quality

Wilmington College came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in Ohio ranking. Wilmington, Ohio is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s parks and rec degrees to 34 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Wilmington College, the school also landed the #16 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Ohio” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Wilmington College is $21,216 for ohio bachelor’s degree parks & rec students.

Full Wilmington College Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Report

#14

Shawnee State University

Portsmouth, Ohio

Shawnee State University came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in Ohio ranking. Shawnee State University is a public institution located in Portsmouth, Ohio. The school has a small population, and it awarded 15 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Shawnee State University is $16,320 for Ohio Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students.

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

#15

Otterbein University

Westerville, Ohio
#6 in overall quality

Otterbein University came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in Ohio ranking. Westerville, Ohio is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s parks and rec degrees to 31 students in 2019-2020.

Otterbein also made our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Ohio” list, coming in at #6. The yearly cost to attend Otterbein is $23,386 for ohio bachelor’s degree parks & rec students.

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 Otterbein University

#16

University of Mount Union

Alliance, Ohio
#12 in overall quality

With a ranking of #16, University of Mount Union did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in Ohio list. Mount Union is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Alliance, Ohio. It awarded 59 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

Mount Union not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #12 on our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Ohio” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of Mount Union is $23,501 for ohio bachelor’s degree parks & rec students.

Full Mount Union Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Report

#17

Mount St. Joseph University

Cincinnati, Ohio
#20 in overall quality

With a ranking of #17, Mount St. Joseph University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in Ohio list. Mount St. Joseph University is a small school located in Cincinnati, Ohio that handed out 14 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our ohio bachelor’s degree parks & rec students list, Mount St. Joe has also earned the #20 rank in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Ohio” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Mount St. Joseph University is $21,913 for Ohio Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students.

Full Mount St. Joseph University Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Report

#18

Heidelberg University

Tiffin, Ohio
#18 in overall quality

Heidelberg University ranked #18 on this year’s Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in Ohio list. Tiffin, Ohio is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s parks and rec degrees to 22 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Heidelburg College, the school also landed the #18 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Ohio” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Heidelberg University is $20,893 for ohio bachelor’s degree parks & rec students.

Full Heidelberg University Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Report

#7 in overall quality

Baldwin Wallace University landed the #19 spot on the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in Ohio ranking. Berea, Ohio is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s parks and rec degrees to 49 students in 2019-2020.

Baldwin Wallace College also made our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Ohio” list, coming in at #7. The estimated yearly cost for Baldwin Wallace College is $22,917 for Ohio Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students.

With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Baldwin Wallace College

#5 in overall quality

Ohio Northern University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in Ohio ranking, coming in at #20. Ohio Northern University is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Ada, Ohio. It awarded 23 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

ONU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Ohio” list. The estimated yearly cost for ONU is $24,072 for Ohio Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students.

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%.

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

#21

Muskingum University

New Concord, Ohio
#23 in overall quality

Muskingum University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in Ohio ranking, coming in at #21. New Concord, Ohio is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s parks and rec degrees to 18 students in 2019-2020.

Muskingum also made our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Ohio” list, coming in at #23. The estimated yearly cost for Muskingum is $20,157 for ohio bachelor’s degree parks & rec students.

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

#22

Bluffton University

Bluffton, Ohio
#15 in overall quality

With a ranking of #22, Bluffton University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in Ohio list. Bluffton, Ohio is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s parks and rec degrees to 21 students in 2019-2020.

Bluffton did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #15 on our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Ohio” list. It costs about $26,069 for Ohio Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students per year to attend Bluffton.

Full Bluffton University Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Report

#23

Ohio Dominican University

Columbus, Ohio
#21 in overall quality

Ohio Dominican University ranked #23 on this year’s Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in Ohio list. ODU is a small school located in Columbus, Ohio that handed out 37 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

ODU also took the #21 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Ohio” ranking. The yearly cost to attend ODU is $19,960 for ohio bachelor’s degree parks & rec students.

Read more about Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Ohio Dominican University

#24

Malone University

Canton, Ohio

With a ranking of #24, Malone University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in Ohio list. Malone University is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Canton, Ohio. It awarded 29 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $19,897 for Ohio Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students per year to attend Malone University.

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

#25

Lake Erie College

Painesville, Ohio

Lake Erie College ranked #25 on this year’s Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in Ohio list. Located in Painesville, Ohio, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 11 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s parks and rec students in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Lake Erie College is $20,261 for ohio bachelor’s degree parks & rec students.

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

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