2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies in the Rocky Mountains Region
When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Rocky Mountains Region” ranking as one item you can use to help make this 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 the Rocky Mountains region, there were 2,643 parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $28,100 and $19,813 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 2,272 parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,111 and $23,874 respectively.
This year’s “Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Rocky Mountains Region” ranking analyzed 22 colleges that offered 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.
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.
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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 the Rocky Mountains Region”.
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 Rocky Mountains Region
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Rocky Mountains Region.
Top 22 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies in the Rocky Mountains Region
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Brigham Young University - Provo. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Rocky Mountains Region list. BYU is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Provo, Utah. It awarded 258 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.
BYU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” list. It costs about $13,322 for Rocky Mountains Region Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students per year to attend Brigham Young University - Provo.
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 92%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
Full Brigham Young University - Provo Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Brigham Young University - Idaho. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Rocky Mountains Region list. Rexburg, Idaho is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s parks and rec degrees to 91 students in 2019-2020.
BYU - I also took the #18 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” ranking. It costs about $7,167 for rocky mountains region bachelor’s degree parks & rec students per year to attend BYU - I.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Utah Valley University. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Rocky Mountains Region list. This large school is located in Orem, Utah, and it awarded 114 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.
UVU also took the #8 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Utah Valley University is $9,159 for Rocky Mountains Region Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students.
Full Utah Valley University Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Wyoming. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Rocky Mountains Region. University of Wyoming is a fairly large public school situated in Laramie, Wyoming. It awarded 78 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.
UW also made our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” list, coming in at #6. The estimated yearly cost for University of Wyoming is $12,159 for Rocky Mountains Region Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students.
The student loan default rate at the school is 4.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at UW
Out of the 22 schools in the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Rocky Mountains Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Weber State University landed the #5 spot on the list. WSU is a large public school situated in Ogden, Utah. It awarded 42 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.
WSU also made our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” list, coming in at #12. The yearly cost to attend Weber State University is $11,968 for rocky mountains region bachelor’s degree parks & rec students.
Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Weber State University
With a ranking of #6, Colorado State University - Pueblo did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Rocky Mountains Region list. Colorado State University - Pueblo is a medium-sized public school situated in Pueblo, Colorado. It awarded 40 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.
Colorado State University - Pueblo also took the #13 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” ranking. It costs about $14,653 for Rocky Mountains Region Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students per year to attend Colorado State University - Pueblo.
The University of Montana - Western ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Rocky Mountains Region list. This small school is located in Dillon, Montana, and it awarded 14 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.
Montana Western also took the #16 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Montana Western is $13,929 for rocky mountains region bachelor’s degree parks & rec students.
Read more about Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Montana Western
With a ranking of #8, University of Northern Colorado did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Rocky Mountains Region list. University of Northern Colorado is located in Greeley, Colorado and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 162 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees to qualified students.
University of Northern Colorado also made our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” list, coming in at #5. The yearly cost to attend University of Northern Colorado is $15,714 for rocky mountains region bachelor’s degree parks & rec students.
Read more about Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at University of Northern Colorado
Western Colorado University ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Rocky Mountains Region list. Western is a small school located in Gunnison, Colorado that handed out 54 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.
Western 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 Rocky Mountains Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Western Colorado University is $17,282 for rocky mountains region bachelor’s degree parks & rec students.
Read more about Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Western Colorado University
University of Utah came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Rocky Mountains Region ranking. U of U is a large public school situated in Salt Lake City, Utah. It awarded 279 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.
U of U also made our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” list, coming in at #3. It costs about $14,773 for Rocky Mountains Region Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students per year to attend U of U.
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 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 University of Utah
With a ranking of #11, Utah State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Rocky Mountains Region list. Logan, Utah is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s parks and rec degrees to 27 students in 2019-2020.
USU also took the #14 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Utah State University is $13,634 for rocky mountains region bachelor’s degree parks & rec students.
Read more about Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Utah State University
Lewis - Clark State College ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Rocky Mountains Region list. This small school is located in Lewiston, Idaho, and it awarded 14 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our rocky mountains region bachelor’s degree parks & rec students list, Lewis - Clark State College has also earned the #21 rank in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Lewis - Clark State College is $11,046 for rocky mountains region bachelor’s degree parks & rec students.
Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Lewis - Clark State College
Adams State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Rocky Mountains Region ranking, coming in at #13. Adams State University is located in Alamosa, Colorado and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 50 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees to qualified students.
Adams State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #19 on our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” list. It costs about $14,064 for Rocky Mountains Region Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students per year to attend Adams State University.
Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Adams State University
With a ranking of #14, Colorado State University - Fort Collins did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Rocky Mountains Region list. Colorado State is a large school located in Fort Collins, Colorado that handed out 335 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.
Colorado State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” list. It costs about $18,668 for Rocky Mountains Region Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students per year to attend Colorado State University - Fort Collins.
The low student loan default rate of 3.0% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%.
With a ranking of #15, Fort Lewis College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Rocky Mountains Region list. Fort Lewis College is a public institution located in Durango, Colorado. The school has a small population, and it awarded 72 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
FLC also took the #20 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for FLC is $16,274 for rocky mountains region bachelor’s degree parks & rec students.
Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Fort Lewis College
Metropolitan State University of Denver did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Rocky Mountains Region ranking, coming in at #16. Metropolitan State University of Denver is located in Denver, Colorado and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 122 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees to qualified students.
MSU Denver not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #9 on our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” list. It costs about $14,257 for Rocky Mountains Region Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students per year to attend MSU Denver.
Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at MSU Denver
With a ranking of #17, Colorado Mesa University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Rocky Mountains Region list. Grand Junction, Colorado is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s parks and rec degrees to 131 students in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Colorado Mesa, the school also landed the #17 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Colorado Mesa University is $15,569 for Rocky Mountains Region Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students.
Read more about Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Colorado Mesa
Southern Utah University landed the #18 spot on the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Rocky Mountains Region ranking. Southern Utah University is located in Cedar City, Utah and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 78 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees to qualified students.
Southern Utah University also took the #22 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Southern Utah University is $14,285 for Rocky Mountains Region Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students.
Read more about Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Southern Utah University
University of Idaho ranked #19 on this year’s Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Rocky Mountains Region list. This fairly large school is located in Moscow, Idaho, and it awarded 46 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.
U of I did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #10 on our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for U of I is $14,132 for Rocky Mountains Region Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students.
Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at U of I
With a ranking of #20, Boise State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Rocky Mountains Region list. Located in Boise, Idaho, this large public school awarded 89 degrees to qualified bachelors’s parks and rec students in 2019-2020.
Boise State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #11 on our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Boise State is $15,787 for Rocky Mountains Region Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students.
Read more about Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Boise State
Johnson & Wales University - Denver ranked #21 on this year’s Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Rocky Mountains Region list. Johnson & Wales University - Denver is a small school located in Denver, Colorado that handed out 16 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.
JWU Denver did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” list. The yearly cost to attend JWU Denver is $26,221 for Rocky Mountains Region Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students.
Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Read more about Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at JWU Denver
Rocky Mountain College ranked #22 on this year’s Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Rocky Mountains Region list. Located in Billings, Montana, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 17 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s parks and rec students in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our rocky mountains region bachelor’s degree parks & rec students list, Rocky has also earned the #15 rank in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” ranking. It costs about $18,747 for Rocky Mountains Region Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students per year to attend Rocky.
Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Rocky Mountain College
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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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- Credit for the banner image above goes to NPS Photo/Zurbuch.
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