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2024 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in Wisconsin

11 Ranked Colleges
1,030 Degrees Awarded
$18,000 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in Wisconsin

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 Wisconsin” 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 Wisconsin, there were 1,030 parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $32,670 and $26,214 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in Wisconsin” ranking analyzed 11 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.

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, & fitness studies program at the school. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

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

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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 in Wisconsin” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that 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 in Wisconsin

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in Wisconsin.

Top 11 Best Value Colleges for Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies in Wisconsin

1

Out of the 11 schools in the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in Wisconsin that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Wisconsin - Madison landed the #1 spot on the list. University of Wisconsin - Madison is a large school located in Madison, Wisconsin that handed out 148 ’s parks & rec degrees in 2020-2021.

UW - Madison not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools in Wisconsin” list. The yearly cost to attend University of Wisconsin - Madison is $17,234 for Wisconsin Parks & Rec students.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.9% 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at University of Wisconsin - Madison

2

Out of the 11 schools in the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in Wisconsin that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Wisconsin - La Crosse landed the #2 spot on the list. UW - La Crosse is a fairly large school located in La Crosse, Wisconsin that handed out 252 ’s parks & rec degrees in 2020-2021.

UW - La Crosse not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools in Wisconsin” list. The yearly cost to attend University of Wisconsin - La Crosse is $14,654 for wisconsin parks & rec students.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full University of Wisconsin - La Crosse Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Report

3

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Wisconsin - Platteville. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in Wisconsin. University of Wisconsin - Platteville is located in Platteville, Wisconsin and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 32 ’s parks & rec degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UW - Platteville, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools in Wisconsin” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UW - Platteville is $14,565 for wisconsin parks & rec students.

Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at UW - Platteville

4

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point. It ranked #4 on our 2024 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in Wisconsin list. Located in Stevens Point, Wisconsin, this medium-sized public school awarded 42 degrees to qualified ’s parks & rec students in 2020-2021.

UW - Stevens Point not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #5 on our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools in Wisconsin” list. The estimated yearly cost for UW - Stevens Point is $13,346 for wisconsin parks & rec students.

Full UW - Stevens Point Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Report

5

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire. It ranked #5 on our 2024 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in Wisconsin list. University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire is a fairly large school located in Eau Claire, Wisconsin that handed out 53 ’s parks & rec degrees in 2020-2021.

UW - Eau Claire also took the #3 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools in Wisconsin” ranking. It costs about $16,051 for Wisconsin Parks & Rec students per year to attend University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire.

Read more about Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire

6

With a ranking of #6, University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee did quite well on the 2024 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in Wisconsin list. UWM is a public institution located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The school has a large population, and it awarded 87 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our wisconsin parks & rec students list, UWM has also earned the #6 rank in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools in Wisconsin” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee is $17,486 for wisconsin parks & rec students.

Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee

7

University of Wisconsin - River Falls landed the #7 spot on the 2024 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in Wisconsin ranking. River Falls, Wisconsin is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s parks & rec degrees to 22 students in 2020-2021.

UW - River Falls also took the #9 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools in Wisconsin” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UW - River Falls is $13,844 for Wisconsin Parks & Rec students.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at University of Wisconsin - River Falls

8
Cardinal Stritch crest
Cardinal Stritch University
Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Cardinal Stritch University did quite well in the 2024 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in Wisconsin ranking, coming in at #8. Cardinal Stritch University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The school has a small population, and it awarded 19 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Cardinal Stritch also made our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools in Wisconsin” list, coming in at #11. It costs about $18,483 for Wisconsin Parks & Rec students per year to attend Cardinal Stritch.

The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.9% 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 Cardinal Stritch University

9
Marian crest
Marian University
Fond Du Lac, Wisconsin

With a ranking of #9, Marian University did quite well on the 2024 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in Wisconsin list. Marian is a private not-for-profit institution located in Fond Du Lac, Wisconsin. The school has a small population, and it awarded 14 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Marian did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #8 on our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools in Wisconsin” list. The yearly cost to attend Marian University is $21,771 for Wisconsin Parks & Rec students.

Full Marian Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Report

10
Carthage crest
Carthage College
Kenosha, Wisconsin

Carthage College came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in Wisconsin ranking. Located in Kenosha, Wisconsin, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 30 diplomas to qualified ’s parks & rec students in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Carthage, the school also landed the #7 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools in Wisconsin” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Carthage College is $27,274 for wisconsin parks & rec students.

The low undergrad 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 full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Carthage College

11

Concordia University, Wisconsin did quite well in the 2024 Best Value Parks & Rec Schools in Wisconsin ranking, coming in at #11. Mequon, Wisconsin is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s parks & rec degrees to 23 students in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Concordia University, Wisconsin, the school also landed the #10 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools in Wisconsin” ranking. It costs about $22,996 for wisconsin parks & rec students per year to attend Concordia University, Wisconsin.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Concordia University, Wisconsin Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Report

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Notes and References

References

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