2024 Best Value Colleges for Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies in Michigan
16
Ranked Colleges
2,286
Degrees Awarded
$19,000
Avg Net Price*
With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in Michigan” ranking.
Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies is the 15th most popular major in the country with 73,813 degrees awarded in 2020-2021. In 2019-2020, parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $31,423 and had an average of $24,388 in loans still to pay off.
Across Michigan, there were 2,286 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $31,378 and $25,970 respectively.
This year’s “Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in Michigan” ranking analyzed 16 colleges that offered a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.
When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
More Ways to Rank Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools
Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in Michigan” list, to help you choose the best school for you.
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. 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 in Michigan
The colleges and universities below are the best for michigan parks & rec students.
Top 16 Best Value Colleges for Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies in Michigan
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Michigan - Ann Arbor. It ranked #1 on our 2024 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in Michigan list. Ann Arbor, Michigan is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s parks & rec degrees to 326 students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at U-M, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools in Michigan” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Michigan - Ann Arbor is $14,878 for Michigan Parks & Rec students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%.
Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at U-M
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Central Michigan University. It ranked #2 on our 2024 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in Michigan list. Mount Pleasant, Michigan is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s parks & rec degrees to 292 students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Central Michigan, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools in Michigan” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Central Michigan University is $16,007 for Michigan Parks & Rec students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Central Michigan University
Out of the 16 schools in the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in Michigan that were part of this year’s ranking, Grand Valley State University landed the #3 spot on the list. Grand Valley State University is a large school located in Allendale, Michigan that handed out 290 ’s parks & rec degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at GVSU, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools in Michigan” ranking. It costs about $17,356 for Michigan Parks & Rec students per year to attend Grand Valley State University.
The low undergrad 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%.
Full GVSU Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Report
Out of the 16 schools in the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in Michigan that were part of this year’s ranking, Michigan State University landed the #4 spot on the list. This large school is located in East Lansing, Michigan, and it awarded 442 ’s parks & rec degrees in 2020-2021.
Michigan State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools in Michigan” list. It costs about $19,058 for michigan parks & rec students per year to attend Michigan State University.
The low undergrad 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 92%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Michigan State University
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Western Michigan University. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in Michigan. This fairly large school is located in Kalamazoo, Michigan, and it awarded 137 ’s parks & rec degrees in 2020-2021.
WMU also took the #5 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools in Michigan” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for WMU is $20,371 for Michigan Parks & Rec students.
Read more about Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at WMU
With a ranking of #6, Eastern Michigan University did quite well on the 2024 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in Michigan list. This fairly large school is located in Ypsilanti, Michigan, and it awarded 114 ’s parks & rec degrees in 2020-2021.
Eastern Michigan also made our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools in Michigan” list, coming in at #7. The yearly cost to attend Eastern Michigan University is $15,127 for Michigan Parks & Rec students.
Full Eastern Michigan University Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Report
Wayne State University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in Michigan ranking. Wayne State University is a public institution located in Detroit, Michigan. The school has a large population, and it awarded 94 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Wayne State, the school also landed the #8 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools in Michigan” ranking. It costs about $13,962 for Michigan Parks & Rec students per year to attend Wayne State.
Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Wayne State
With a ranking of #8, Northern Michigan University did quite well on the 2024 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in Michigan list. Northern Michigan University is located in Marquette, Michigan and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 65 ’s parks & rec degrees to qualified students.
Northern Michigan University did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #11 on our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools in Michigan” list. The yearly cost to attend Northern Michigan University is $15,214 for michigan parks & rec students.
Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Northern Michigan University
With a ranking of #9, Saginaw Valley State University did quite well on the 2024 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in Michigan list. Saginaw Valley State University is a medium-sized public school situated in University Center, Michigan. It awarded 43 ’s parks & rec degrees in 2020-2021.
Saginaw Valley State University also made our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools in Michigan” list, coming in at #14. It costs about $14,279 for Michigan Parks & Rec students per year to attend Saginaw Valley State University.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Saginaw Valley State University
Cornerstone University ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in Michigan list. Cornerstone is located in Grand Rapids, Michigan and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 26 ’s parks & rec degrees to qualified students.
Cornerstone not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #10 on our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools in Michigan” list. The estimated yearly cost for Cornerstone University is $20,397 for Michigan Parks & Rec students.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full Cornerstone Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Report
Davenport University came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in Michigan ranking. Davenport University is located in Grand Rapids, Michigan and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 37 ’s parks & rec degrees to qualified students.
Davenport University not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #15 on our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools in Michigan” list. The estimated yearly cost for Davenport University is $18,264 for Michigan Parks & Rec students.
Read more about Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Davenport University
Olivet College ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in Michigan list. Olivet is a small school located in Olivet, Michigan that handed out 21 ’s parks & rec degrees in 2020-2021.
Olivet did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #13 on our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools in Michigan” list. The estimated yearly cost for Olivet is $20,053 for Michigan Parks & Rec students.
Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Olivet
Adrian College came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in Michigan ranking. Located in Adrian, Michigan, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 62 degrees to qualified ’s parks & rec students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our michigan parks & rec students list, Adrian has also earned the #6 rank in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools in Michigan” ranking. It costs about $24,982 for michigan parks & rec students per year to attend Adrian College.
Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Adrian
Calvin University came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in Michigan ranking. Calvin University is a small school located in Grand Rapids, Michigan that handed out 34 ’s parks & rec degrees in 2020-2021.
Calvin also took the #9 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools in Michigan” ranking. It costs about $26,082 for michigan parks & rec students per year to attend Calvin.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read more about Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Calvin University
Northwood University came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in Michigan ranking. This small school is located in Midland, Michigan, and it awarded 22 ’s parks & rec degrees in 2020-2021.
Northwood also took the #16 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools in Michigan” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Northwood University is $21,257 for Michigan Parks & Rec students.
With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Full Northwood Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Report
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