by our College Data Analytics Team
When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Most Well Attended Parks & Rec Major in the New England Region” ranking - to help you make that decision.
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, and 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 the New England region, there were 2,777 parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $33,506 and $25,928 respectively.
This year’s “Most Well Attended Parks & Rec Major in the New England Region” ranking analyzed 77 colleges that offered a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have one of the most popular parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies programs in the United States.
Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Most Well Attended Parks & Rec Major in the New England Region” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
In addition to College Factual’s rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.
The following schools top our list of the Best “Most Well Attended Parks & Rec Major in the New England Region”.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Southern New Hampshire University. The school came in at #1 for the Most Well Attended Parks & Rec Major in the New England Region. This large school is located in Manchester, New Hampshire, and it awarded 212 ’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Rhode Island. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Parks & Rec Major in the New England Region list. URI is a fairly large school located in Kingston, Rhode Island that handed out 167 ’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.
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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%.
Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at University of Rhode Island
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of New Hampshire - Main Campus. The school came in at #3 for the Most Well Attended Parks & Rec Major in the New England Region. University of New Hampshire - Main Campus is a public institution located in Durham, New Hampshire. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 160 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Out of the 77 schools in the Most Well Attended Parks & Rec Major in the New England Region that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Massachusetts Amherst landed the #4 spot on the list. University of Massachusetts Amherst is a large school located in Amherst, Massachusetts that handed out 144 ’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Full University of Massachusetts Amherst Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Massachusetts - Boston. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Parks & Rec Major in the New England Region list. This fairly large school is located in Boston, Massachusetts, and it awarded 143 ’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.
Full UMass Boston Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Report
Springfield College came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Parks & Rec Major in the New England Region ranking. This small school is located in Springfield, Massachusetts, and it awarded 129 ’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Full Springfield College Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Report
Endicott College came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Parks & Rec Major in the New England Region ranking. Beverly, Massachusetts is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s parks and rec degrees to 102 students in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full Endicott College Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Report
With a ranking of #8, Southern Connecticut State University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Parks & Rec Major in the New England Region list. SCSU is a public institution located in New Haven, Connecticut. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 100 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Read more about Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at SCSU
University of Massachusetts - Lowell ranked #9 on this year’s Most Well Attended Parks & Rec Major in the New England Region list. Located in Lowell, Massachusetts, this fairly large public school handed out 89 diplomas to qualified ’s parks and rec students in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.5% 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%.
Lasell University landed the #10 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Parks & Rec Major in the New England Region ranking. Located in Newton, Massachusetts, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 80 degrees to qualified ’s parks and rec students in 2020-2021.
Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Lasell
Plymouth State University came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Parks & Rec Major in the New England Region ranking. Plymouth State University is a public institution located in Plymouth, New Hampshire. The school has a small population, and it awarded 81 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Plymouth State
Johnson & Wales University - Providence did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Parks & Rec Major in the New England Region ranking, coming in at #12. JWU Providence is a private not-for-profit institution located in Providence, Rhode Island. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 77 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
With a ranking of #13, Central Connecticut State University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Parks & Rec Major in the New England Region list. CCSU is a public institution located in New Britain, Connecticut. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 60 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Husson University ranked #14 on this year’s Most Well Attended Parks & Rec Major in the New England Region list. Husson is a private not-for-profit institution located in Bangor, Maine. The school has a small population, and it awarded 59 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Husson University
Castleton University landed the #15 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Parks & Rec Major in the New England Region ranking. This small school is located in Castleton, Vermont, and it awarded 58 ’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.
Full Castleton Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Report
University of New England ranked #16 on this year’s Most Well Attended Parks & Rec Major in the New England Region list. Biddeford, Maine is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s parks and rec degrees to 57 students in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full UNE Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Report
Westfield State University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Parks & Rec Major in the New England Region ranking, coming in at #17. Westfield is a public institution located in Westfield, Massachusetts. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 56 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.8% 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 Westfield State University
Nichols College came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Parks & Rec Major in the New England Region ranking. Nichols College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Dudley, Massachusetts. It awarded 47 ’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.
Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Nichols College
University of Connecticut ranked #19 on this year’s Most Well Attended Parks & Rec Major in the New England Region list. UCONN is a large public school situated in Storrs, Connecticut. It awarded 51 ’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.0% 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Full University of Connecticut Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Report
Merrimack College came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Parks & Rec Major in the New England Region ranking. This medium-sized school is located in North Andover, Massachusetts, and it awarded 45 ’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.3% 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 Merrimack College
University of Vermont landed the #21 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Parks & Rec Major in the New England Region ranking. UVM is a fairly large public school situated in Burlington, Vermont. It awarded 43 ’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read more about Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at UVM
Northern Vermont University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Parks & Rec Major in the New England Region ranking, coming in at #22. Northern Vermont University is a public institution located in Johnson, Vermont. The school has a small population, and it awarded 42 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Northern Vermont University
Boston College came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Parks & Rec Major in the New England Region ranking. Boston College is a fairly large school located in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts that handed out 41 ’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Boston College
Western New England University came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Parks & Rec Major in the New England Region ranking. Western New England University is located in Springfield, Massachusetts and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 39 ’s parks and rec degrees to qualified students.
The low undergrad 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 Western New England University
Northeastern University Professional Advancement Network came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Parks & Rec Major in the New England Region ranking. Boston, Massachusetts is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s parks and rec degrees to 35 students in 2020-2021.
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%.
Read more about our data sources and methodologies