2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies in Virginia
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 Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia” 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 Virginia, there were 1,667 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 1,261 parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively.
This year’s “Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia” ranking analyzed 18 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.
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.
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More Ways to Rank Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools
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 Virginia”.
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. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.
Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia
The colleges and universities below are the best for virginia bachelor’s degree parks & rec students.
Top 18 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies in Virginia
Out of the 18 schools in the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia that were part of this year’s ranking, James Madison University landed the #1 spot on the list. JMU is a public institution located in Harrisonburg, Virginia. The school has a large population, and it awarded 252 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our virginia bachelor’s degree parks & rec students list, JMU has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” ranking. It costs about $22,169 for virginia bachelor’s degree parks & rec students per year to attend JMU.
With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The student loan default rate at the school is 2.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at James Madison University
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend George Mason University. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia list. This large school is located in Fairfax, Virginia, and it awarded 67 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.
GMU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” list. The estimated yearly cost for GMU is $21,048 for virginia bachelor’s degree parks & rec students.
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 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 GMU Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Report
Out of the 18 schools in the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Virginia - Main Campus landed the #3 spot on the list. University of Virginia is a public institution located in Charlottesville, Virginia. The school has a large population, and it awarded 73 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our virginia bachelor’s degree parks & rec students list, University of Virginia has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Virginia is $20,397 for virginia bachelor’s degree parks & rec students.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%.
Full University of Virginia Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Radford University. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia. Radford University is located in Radford, Virginia and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 60 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees to qualified students.
Radford also made our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” list, coming in at #9. The yearly cost to attend Radford University is $16,447 for virginia bachelor’s degree parks & rec students.
Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Radford
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Longwood University. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia list. This small school is located in Farmville, Virginia, and it awarded 45 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.
Longwood also took the #5 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Longwood is $19,462 for virginia bachelor’s degree parks & rec students.
Read more about Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Longwood University
Old Dominion University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia ranking. Old Dominion is a large school located in Norfolk, Virginia that handed out 109 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our virginia bachelor’s degree parks & rec students list, Old Dominion has also earned the #13 rank in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” ranking. It costs about $16,493 for virginia bachelor’s degree parks & rec students per year to attend Old Dominion University.
Read more about Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Old Dominion University
William & Mary landed the #7 spot on the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia ranking. William & Mary is a medium-sized school located in Williamsburg, Virginia that handed out 129 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.
William & Mary not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” list. The estimated yearly cost for William & Mary is $19,800 for Virginia Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students.
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 low student loan default rate of 1.0% 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%.
Full William & Mary Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Report
Liberty University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia ranking. Liberty University is a large school located in Lynchburg, Virginia that handed out 164 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.
Liberty University did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #15 on our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” list. The estimated yearly cost for Liberty University is $28,903 for virginia bachelor’s degree parks & rec students.
Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Liberty University
Randolph College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia ranking, coming in at #9. Randolph is a private not-for-profit institution located in Lynchburg, Virginia. The school has a small population, and it awarded 10 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
Randolph also made our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” list, coming in at #14. The estimated yearly cost for Randolph College is $20,625 for virginia bachelor’s degree parks & rec students.
The student-to-faculty ratio of 8 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 Randolph
Shenandoah University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia ranking, coming in at #10. Located in Winchester, Virginia, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 17 degrees to qualified bachelors’s parks and rec students in 2019-2020.
Shenandoah not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #6 on our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” list. The yearly cost to attend Shenandoah is $27,124 for Virginia Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students.
The student loan default rate at the school is 3.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
Read more about Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Shenandoah
With a ranking of #11, Hampton University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia list. Hampton, Virginia 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 66 students in 2019-2020.
Hampton also took the #12 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Hampton University is $31,307 for Virginia Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students.
Full Hampton University Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Report
Virginia Wesleyan University ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia list. VWU is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Virginia Beach, Virginia. It awarded 9 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our virginia bachelor’s degree parks & rec students list, VWU has also earned the #11 rank in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Virginia Wesleyan University is $23,425 for Virginia Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students.
Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at VWU
Emory and Henry College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia ranking, coming in at #13. Emory, Virginia 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.
Emory & Henry College also took the #8 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Emory and Henry College is $18,593 for virginia bachelor’s degree parks & rec students.
The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
Read more about Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Emory & Henry College
Bluefield College ranked #14 on this year’s Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia list. Located in Bluefield, Virginia, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 13 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s parks and rec students in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Bluefield College, the school also landed the #17 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Bluefield College is $23,158 for Virginia Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students.
Read more about Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Bluefield College
Bridgewater College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia ranking, coming in at #15. This small school is located in Bridgewater, Virginia, and it awarded 50 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our virginia bachelor’s degree parks & rec students list, Bridgewater has also earned the #7 rank in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” ranking. It costs about $17,929 for Virginia Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students per year to attend Bridgewater.
Full Bridgewater College Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Report
Averett University landed the #16 spot on the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia ranking. This small school is located in Danville, Virginia, and it awarded 31 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our virginia bachelor’s degree parks & rec students list, AU has also earned the #16 rank in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Averett University is $23,516 for virginia bachelor’s degree parks & rec students.
Read more about Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at AU
Roanoke College came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia ranking. Roanoke is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Salem, Virginia. It awarded 47 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our virginia bachelor’s degree parks & rec students list, Roanoke has also earned the #10 rank in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Roanoke College is $25,135 for virginia bachelor’s degree parks & rec students.
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%.
Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Roanoke College
Averett University - Graduate & Professional Studies ranked #18 on this year’s Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia list. Averett University - Graduate & Professional Studies is located in Danville, Virginia and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 1 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees to qualified students.
In addition to being on our virginia bachelor’s degree parks & rec students list, Averett University - Graduate & Professional Studies has also earned the #18 rank in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Averett University - Graduate & Professional Studies is $24,027 for virginia bachelor’s degree parks & rec students.
The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
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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.
Credits
- Credit for the banner image above goes to NPS Photo/Zurbuch.
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