by our College Data Analytics Team
When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Most Well Attended Parks & Rec Major in Virginia” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.
In 2020-2021, 73,813 people earned their degree in parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies, making the major the 15th most popular in the United States. 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 Virginia, there were 1,741 parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $31,990 and $25,658 respectively.
This year’s “Most Well Attended Parks & Rec Major in Virginia” ranking looked at 24 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s 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.
See our ranking methodology to learn more.
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 “Most Well Attended Parks & Rec Major in Virginia”.
You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our 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.
The following schools top our list of the Best “Most Well Attended Parks & Rec Major in Virginia”.
Out of the 24 schools in the Most Well Attended Parks & Rec Major in Virginia that were part of this year’s ranking, Liberty University landed the #1 spot on the list. Liberty University is a large school located in Lynchburg, Virginia that handed out 403 ’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.
Full Liberty University Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend James Madison University. The school came in at #2 for the Most Well Attended Parks & Rec Major in Virginia. James Madison University is a large school located in Harrisonburg, Virginia that handed out 326 ’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 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Full JMU Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Old Dominion University. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Parks & Rec Major in Virginia list. This large school is located in Norfolk, Virginia, and it awarded 142 ’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.
Read more about Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Old Dominion
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend William & Mary. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Parks & Rec Major in Virginia list. Located in Williamsburg, Virginia, this medium-sized public school awarded 125 degrees to qualified ’s parks and rec students in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at William & Mary
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Virginia - Main Campus. The school came in at #5 for the Most Well Attended Parks & Rec Major in Virginia. This large school is located in Charlottesville, Virginia, and it awarded 117 ’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full University of Virginia Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Report
George Mason University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Parks & Rec Major in Virginia ranking. GMU is a large school located in Fairfax, Virginia that handed out 113 ’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.5%, 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 GMU
With a ranking of #7, Hampton University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Parks & Rec Major in Virginia list. Located in Hampton, Virginia, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 65 degrees to qualified ’s parks and rec students in 2020-2021.
Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Hampton
With a ranking of #8, Virginia Commonwealth University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Parks & Rec Major in Virginia list. Virginia Commonwealth University is a public institution located in Richmond, Virginia. The school has a large population, and it awarded 47 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at VCU
Bridgewater College ranked #9 on this year’s Most Well Attended Parks & Rec Major in Virginia list. Bridgewater is a small school located in Bridgewater, Virginia that handed out 46 ’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full Bridgewater Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Report
With a ranking of #10, Radford University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Parks & Rec Major in Virginia list. Located in Radford, Virginia, this medium-sized public school awarded 44 diplomas to qualified ’s parks and rec students in 2020-2021.
Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Radford University
Roanoke College ranked #11 on this year’s Most Well Attended Parks & Rec Major in Virginia list. Roanoke College is a small school located in Salem, Virginia that handed out 41 ’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Roanoke College
Emory and Henry College came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Parks & Rec Major in Virginia ranking. Emory and Henry College is a small school located in Emory, Virginia that handed out 34 ’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Read more about Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Emory & Henry College
Averett University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Parks & Rec Major in Virginia ranking, coming in at #13. Averett University is located in Danville, Virginia and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 32 ’s parks and rec degrees to qualified students.
Full AU Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Report
Bluefield College came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Parks & Rec Major in Virginia ranking. Bluefield, Virginia is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s parks and rec degrees to 26 students in 2020-2021.
Full Bluefield College Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Report
University of Lynchburg ranked #14 on this year’s Most Well Attended Parks & Rec Major in Virginia list. University of Lynchburg is a small school located in Lynchburg, Virginia that handed out 26 ’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergraduate 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. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Lynchburg
Longwood University ranked #16 on this year’s Most Well Attended Parks & Rec Major in Virginia list. This small school is located in Farmville, Virginia, and it awarded 25 ’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Longwood
Virginia Wesleyan University landed the #17 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Parks & Rec Major in Virginia ranking. Virginia Beach, Virginia is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s parks and rec degrees to 23 students in 2020-2021.
Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at VWU
With a ranking of #18, Shenandoah University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Parks & Rec Major in Virginia list. Shenandoah University is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Winchester, Virginia. It awarded 21 ’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.
The impressive undergraduate 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. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.6% 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 Shenandoah University
Randolph College did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Parks & Rec Major in Virginia ranking, coming in at #19. Randolph is a private not-for-profit institution located in Lynchburg, Virginia. The school has a small population, and it awarded 17 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Full Randolph Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Report
Norfolk State University ranked #20 on this year’s Most Well Attended Parks & Rec Major in Virginia list. Norfolk, Virginia is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s parks and rec degrees to 16 students in 2020-2021.
Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Norfolk State University
Virginia State University ranked #21 on this year’s Most Well Attended Parks & Rec Major in Virginia list. Virginia State University is a public institution located in Petersburg, Virginia. The school has a small population, and it awarded 14 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Full Virginia State University Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Report
Ferrum College did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Parks & Rec Major in Virginia ranking, coming in at #21. Located in Ferrum, Virginia, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 14 degrees to qualified ’s parks and rec students in 2020-2021.
Read more about Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Ferrum College
Eastern Mennonite University came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Parks & Rec Major in Virginia ranking. Eastern Mennonite University is a small school located in Harrisonburg, Virginia that handed out 12 ’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The undergraduate 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 more about Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Eastern Mennonite
Northern Virginia Community College landed the #24 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Parks & Rec Major in Virginia ranking. Northern Virginia Community College is a large school located in Annandale, Virginia that handed out 4 ’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.
Full Northern Virginia Community College Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Report
Read more about our data sources and methodologies