2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies in Iowa
When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa” ranking is part of that endeavor.
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 Iowa, there were 1,572 parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $30,615 and $25,199 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 1,443 parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $39,922 and $25,876 respectively.
For this year’s “Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa” ranking, we looked at 16 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.
To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as the cost to attend the school after aid is awarded and overall quality of the parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies program at the school. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
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Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
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. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.
Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa
The colleges and universities below are the best for iowa bachelor’s degree parks & rec students.
Top 16 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies in Iowa
Out of the 16 schools in the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa that were part of this year’s ranking, Iowa State University landed the #1 spot on the list. Located in Ames, Iowa, this large public school awarded 238 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s parks and rec students in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Iowa State, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Iowa State is $15,496 for Iowa Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
Read more about Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Iowa State University
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Iowa. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa list. This large school is located in Iowa City, Iowa, and it awarded 652 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.
Iowa not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa” list. It costs about $19,145 for Iowa Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students per year to attend Iowa.
With a freshman retention rate of 88%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its 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 University of Iowa
Out of the 16 schools in the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Northern Iowa landed the #3 spot on the list. University of Northern Iowa is located in Cedar Falls, Iowa and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 113 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees to qualified students.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UNI, the school also landed the #5 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Northern Iowa is $15,620 for Iowa Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
Read more about Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at University of Northern Iowa
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Northwestern College. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa list. NWC is a small school located in Orange City, Iowa that handed out 21 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.
NWC did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa” list. It costs about $22,968 for Iowa Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students per year to attend Northwestern College.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Northwestern College
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Grand View University. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa list. Grand View University is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Des Moines, Iowa. It awarded 66 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.
Grand View University not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #10 on our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa” list. The yearly cost to attend Grand View University is $19,826 for Iowa Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students.
Read more about Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Grand View University
With a ranking of #6, Graceland University - Lamoni did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa list. Graceland University - Lamoni is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Lamoni, Iowa. It awarded 24 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.
Graceland Lamoni also took the #12 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Graceland University - Lamoni is $17,650 for iowa bachelor’s degree parks & rec students.
Read more about Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Graceland University - Lamoni
With a ranking of #7, Loras College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa list. Loras College is a small school located in Dubuque, Iowa that handed out 33 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Loras, the school also landed the #6 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa” ranking. It costs about $20,676 for iowa bachelor’s degree parks & rec students per year to attend Loras.
The low student loan default rate of 3.2% 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 more about Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Loras College
Dordt University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa ranking. Dordt University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Sioux Center, Iowa. The school has a small population, and it awarded 12 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Dordt, the school also landed the #13 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Dordt University is $25,102 for Iowa Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students.
The low student loan default rate of 1.8% 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 Dordt
Saint Ambrose University landed the #9 spot on the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa ranking. Located in Davenport, Iowa, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 64 degrees to qualified bachelors’s parks and rec students in 2019-2020.
St. Ambrose University did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #11 on our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa” list. The yearly cost to attend St. Ambrose University is $26,204 for iowa bachelor’s degree parks & rec students.
Read more about Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at St. Ambrose University
Buena Vista University landed the #10 spot on the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa ranking. BVU is a private not-for-profit institution located in Storm Lake, Iowa. The school has a small population, and it awarded 18 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
BVU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #9 on our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa” list. The yearly cost to attend Buena Vista University is $17,544 for iowa bachelor’s degree parks & rec students.
The student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at BVU
With a ranking of #11, Upper Iowa University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa list. UIU is a private not-for-profit institution located in Fayette, Iowa. The school has a small population, and it awarded 11 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
UIU also made our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa” list, coming in at #16. The estimated yearly cost for UIU is $21,624 for Iowa Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students.
Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Upper Iowa University
University of Dubuque landed the #12 spot on the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa ranking. Located in Dubuque, Iowa, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 27 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s parks and rec students in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our iowa bachelor’s degree parks & rec students list, UD has also earned the #14 rank in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Dubuque is $26,748 for Iowa Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students.
Read more about Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at University of Dubuque
Simpson College ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa list. Simpson College is a small school located in Indianola, Iowa that handed out 25 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.
Simpson College did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa” list. The estimated yearly cost for Simpson College is $19,151 for Iowa Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students.
The student loan default rate at the school is 3.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full Simpson College Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Report
Cornell College came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa ranking. Mount Vernon, Iowa 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 24 students in 2019-2020.
Cornell College did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #8 on our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa” list. The estimated yearly cost for Cornell College is $26,901 for Iowa Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students.
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%.
Full Cornell College Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Report
Coe College landed the #15 spot on the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa ranking. Coe is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. It awarded 11 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our iowa bachelor’s degree parks & rec students list, Coe has also earned the #7 rank in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa” ranking. It costs about $19,955 for iowa bachelor’s degree parks & rec students per year to attend Coe College.
The low student loan default rate of 3.1% 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 Coe College
Wartburg College landed the #16 spot on the 2022 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa ranking. Wartburg is a small school located in Waverly, Iowa that handed out 12 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2019-2020.
Wartburg also made our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa” list, coming in at #15. The estimated yearly cost for Wartburg is $21,787 for Iowa Bachelor’s Degree Parks & Rec students.
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 Wartburg
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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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