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2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Michigan for Parks & Rec for a Bachelor’s

16 Ranked Colleges
2,011 Degrees Awarded
$29,090 Avg Salary
Most Veteran Friendly in Michigan for Parks & Rec for a Bachelor's

When pursuing a degree in today’s world, veterans have many different options to choose from. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Most Veteran Friendly in Michigan for Parks & Rec for a Bachelor’s” ranking.

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 Michigan, there were 2,286 parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $31,378 and $25,970 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 2,011 parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $41,004 and $27,379 respectively.

This year’s “Most Veteran Friendly in Michigan for Parks & Rec for a Bachelor’s” ranking analyzed 16 colleges that offered a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies programs, but they also offer a lot of support to veterans and active service members.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies program at the school, veteran affordability, and veteran satisfaction. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

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 “Most Veteran Friendly in Michigan for Parks & Rec for a Bachelor’s” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most to you. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.

Most Veteran Friendly in Michigan for Parks & Rec for a Bachelor’s

The colleges and universities below are the best for michigan bachelor’s degree vets studying parks & rec.

Top 16 Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Veterans in Michigan

1

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Michigan - Ann Arbor. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Michigan for Parks & Rec for a Bachelor’s list. U-M is a large school located in Ann Arbor, Michigan that handed out 274 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.

U-M did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Michigan” list.Of the 47,907 students enrolled at University of Michigan - Ann Arbor, 570 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 325 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $27,058. During this same period, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

[Read full report on veteran student life at University of Michigan - Ann Arbor]](/colleges/university-of-michigan-ann-arbor/student-life/veterans/)

2
Central Michigan crest
Central Michigan University
Mount Pleasant, Michigan

Out of the 16 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in Michigan for Parks & Rec for a Bachelor’s that were part of this year’s ranking, Central Michigan University landed the #2 spot on the list. Central Michigan is a public institution located in Mount Pleasant, Michigan. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 266 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our michigan bachelor’s degree vets studying parks & rec list, Central Michigan has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Michigan” ranking.Among the 17,311 students enrolled at Central Michigan University, 1 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 1 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $425. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% 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 veteran student life at Central Michigan]](/colleges/central-michigan-university/student-life/veterans/)

3
WMU crest
Western Michigan University
Kalamazoo, Michigan

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Western Michigan University. The school came in at #3 for the Most Veteran Friendly in Michigan for Parks & Rec for a Bachelor’s. Kalamazoo, Michigan is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s parks and rec degrees to 114 students in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at WMU, the school also landed the #5 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Michigan” ranking.According to our most recent data, Western Michigan University supports 19,887 students, and 584 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 327 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $9,981. During this same period, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.

Read More…

4
Eastern Michigan crest
Eastern Michigan University
Ypsilanti, Michigan

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Eastern Michigan University. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Michigan for Parks & Rec for a Bachelor’s list. Eastern Michigan is located in Ypsilanti, Michigan and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 97 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees to qualified students.

Eastern Michigan did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #7 on our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Michigan” list.Among the 16,294 students enrolled at Eastern Michigan University, 486 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 265 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $10,462. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.

Full Eastern Michigan University Veteran Student Life Report

5

Out of the 16 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in Michigan for Parks & Rec for a Bachelor’s that were part of this year’s ranking, Grand Valley State University landed the #5 spot on the list. This large school is located in Allendale, Michigan, and it awarded 286 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.

GVSU also took the #4 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Michigan” ranking.According to our most recent data, Grand Valley State University supports 23,350 students, and 479 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 198 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $6,686. During this same period, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Grand Valley State University does offer credit for military training for eligible students.

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

[Read full report on veteran student life at Grand Valley State University]](/colleges/grand-valley-state-university/student-life/veterans/)

6
Wayne State crest
Wayne State University
Detroit, Michigan

Wayne State University landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Michigan for Parks & Rec for a Bachelor’s ranking. Wayne State is a large school located in Detroit, Michigan that handed out 40 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.

Wayne State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #11 on our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Michigan” list.Our most recent data shows that 470 of the 26,241 students enrolled at Wayne State University were GI Bill® students, of which 244 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $9,101. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Wayne State University does offer credit for military training for eligible students.

Read More…

7
Calvin crest
Calvin University
Grand Rapids, Michigan

With a ranking of #7, Calvin University did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Michigan for Parks & Rec for a Bachelor’s list. Calvin is located in Grand Rapids, Michigan and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 34 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees to qualified students.

Calvin also made our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Michigan” list, coming in at #8.According to our most recent data, Calvin supports 3,307 students, and 31 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 17 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $14,224. To help with additional expenses, 11 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Calvin does offer credit for military training for eligible students.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full Calvin University Veteran Student Life Report

8
Michigan State crest
Michigan State University
East Lansing, Michigan

Michigan State University landed the #8 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Michigan for Parks & Rec for a Bachelor’s ranking. Michigan State is located in East Lansing, Michigan and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 411 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees to qualified students.

Michigan State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Michigan” list.According to our most recent data, Michigan State University supports 49,695 students, and 2 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 1 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $14,686. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

[Read full report on veteran student life at Michigan State University]](/colleges/michigan-state-university/student-life/veterans/)

9
Olivet crest
Olivet College
Olivet, Michigan

Olivet College landed the #9 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Michigan for Parks & Rec for a Bachelor’s ranking. Olivet is a small school located in Olivet, Michigan that handed out 21 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.

Olivet did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #15 on our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Michigan” list.Among the 1,023 students enrolled at Olivet College, 26 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 14 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $16,772. During this same period, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.

Full Olivet College Veteran Student Life Report

10
Northern Michigan University crest
Northern Michigan University
Marquette, Michigan

Northern Michigan University ranked #10 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in Michigan for Parks & Rec for a Bachelor’s list. Northern Michigan University is a medium-sized school located in Marquette, Michigan that handed out 57 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.

Northern Michigan University also took the #9 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Michigan” ranking.Of the 7,368 students enrolled at Northern Michigan University, 337 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 136 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $8,630. To help with additional expenses, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.

Read More…

11
Northwood crest
Northwood University
Midland, Michigan

Northwood University came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in Michigan for Parks & Rec for a Bachelor’s ranking. Midland, Michigan 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 22 students in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our michigan bachelor’s degree vets studying parks & rec list, Northwood has also earned the #12 rank in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Michigan” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 5 of the 2,541 students enrolled at Northwood University were GI Bill® students, of which 8 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $3,570. During this same period, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default 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 University Veteran Student Life Report

12
Saginaw Valley State University crest
Saginaw Valley State University
University Center, Michigan

Saginaw Valley State University ranked #12 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in Michigan for Parks & Rec for a Bachelor’s list. Saginaw Valley State University is a medium-sized public school situated in University Center, Michigan. It awarded 43 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Saginaw Valley State University, the school also landed the #13 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Michigan” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 175 of the 8,028 students enrolled at Saginaw Valley State University were GI Bill® students, of which 72 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $8,123. To help with additional expenses, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.

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

Read More…

13
Davenport University crest
Davenport University
Grand Rapids, Michigan

Davenport University did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Michigan for Parks & Rec for a Bachelor’s ranking, coming in at #13. Davenport University is located in Grand Rapids, Michigan and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 37 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our michigan bachelor’s degree vets studying parks & rec list, Davenport University has also earned the #16 rank in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Michigan” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 1 of the 6,127 students enrolled at Davenport University were GI Bill® students, of which 0 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $0. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Davenport University does offer credit for military training for eligible students.

[Read full report on veteran student life at Davenport University]](/colleges/davenport-university/student-life/veterans/)

14
Hope crest
Hope College
Holland, Michigan

Hope College came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in Michigan for Parks & Rec for a Bachelor’s ranking. Located in Holland, Michigan, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 36 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s parks and rec students in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Hope, the school also landed the #10 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Michigan” ranking.According to our most recent data, Hope supports 3,061 students, and 23 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 14 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $15,425. During this same period, 12 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Full Hope Veteran Student Life Report

15
Cornerstone crest
Cornerstone University
Grand Rapids, Michigan

Cornerstone University did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Michigan for Parks & Rec for a Bachelor’s ranking, coming in at #15. This small school is located in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and it awarded 26 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.

Cornerstone also took the #14 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Michigan” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 61 of the 1,917 students enrolled at Cornerstone were GI Bill® students, of which 35 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $4,056. During this same period, 1 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Cornerstone does offer credit for military training for eligible students.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, 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 undergraduate students.

[Read full report on veteran student life at Cornerstone]](/colleges/cornerstone-university/student-life/veterans/)

16
Adrian crest
Adrian College
Adrian, Michigan

Adrian College ranked #16 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in Michigan for Parks & Rec for a Bachelor’s list. Adrian is a small school located in Adrian, Michigan that handed out 56 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.

Adrian also took the #6 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Michigan” ranking.Among the 1,865 students enrolled at Adrian, 29 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 9 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $13,812. In addition to receiving other benefits, 6 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program.

Full Adrian College Veteran Student Life Report

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