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2023 Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Veterans in Tennessee

11 Ranked Colleges
2,175 Degrees Awarded
$25,943 Avg Salary
Most Veteran Friendly in Tennessee for Parks & Rec for a Bachelor's

With all of the options veterans have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. College Factual has developed its “Most Veteran Friendly in Tennessee for Parks & Rec for a Bachelor’s” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

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 Tennessee, there were 2,462 parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $30,291 and $24,746 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 2,175 parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $36,466 and $26,819 respectively.

For this year’s “Most Veteran Friendly in Tennessee for Parks & Rec for a Bachelor’s” ranking, we looked at 11 colleges that offer 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. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

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

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When choosing the right school for you, it’s important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we’ve created a number of major-specific rankings, including this “Most Veteran Friendly in Tennessee for Parks & Rec for a Bachelor’s” list to help you make the college decision.

You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

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

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

Top 11 Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Veterans in Tennessee

1

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend The University of Tennessee - Knoxville. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Tennessee for Parks & Rec for a Bachelor’s list. Located in Knoxville, Tennessee, this large public school awarded 352 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s parks and rec students in 2020-2021.

UT Knoxville did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Tennessee” list.Of the 30,559 students enrolled at UT Knoxville, 1,122 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 739 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $10,650. On top of their other funding sources, 8 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, 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 More…

2
Middle Tennessee State University crest
Middle Tennessee State University
Murfreesboro, Tennessee

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Middle Tennessee State University. The school came in at #2 for the Most Veteran Friendly in Tennessee for Parks & Rec for a Bachelor’s. Middle Tennessee State University is a public institution located in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. The school has a large population, and it awarded 188 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our tennessee bachelor’s degree vets studying parks & rec list, Middle Tennessee State University has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Tennessee” ranking.Among the 22,080 students enrolled at Middle Tennessee State University, 1,284 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 799 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $7,132. 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…

3
ETSU crest
East Tennessee State University
Johnson City, Tennessee

Out of the 11 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in Tennessee for Parks & Rec for a Bachelor’s that were part of this year’s ranking, East Tennessee State University landed the #3 spot on the list. This fairly large school is located in Johnson City, Tennessee, and it awarded 131 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.

ETSU also made our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Tennessee” list, coming in at #4.According to our most recent data, ETSU supports 13,713 students, and 6 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 3 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $25,115. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. ETSU offers credit for military training for eligible students.

Full ETSU Veteran Student Life Report

4
Belmont crest
Belmont University
Nashville, Tennessee

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Belmont University. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Tennessee for Parks & Rec for a Bachelor’s list. Belmont is a medium-sized school located in Nashville, Tennessee that handed out 38 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our tennessee bachelor’s degree vets studying parks & rec list, Belmont has also earned the #5 rank in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Tennessee” ranking.Of the 8,204 students enrolled at Belmont, 343 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 227 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $9,102. During this same period, 146 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.

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%.

Full Belmont University Veteran Student Life Report

5
UofM crest
University of Memphis
Memphis, Tennessee

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Memphis. The school came in at #5 for the Most Veteran Friendly in Tennessee for Parks & Rec for a Bachelor’s. University of Memphis is located in Memphis, Tennessee and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 492 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our tennessee bachelor’s degree vets studying parks & rec list, UofM has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Tennessee” ranking.Among the 22,205 students enrolled at University of Memphis, 766 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 446 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $7,772. In addition to receiving other benefits, 4 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.

Read More…

6
Austin Peay State University crest
Austin Peay State University
Clarksville, Tennessee

Austin Peay State University landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Tennessee for Parks & Rec for a Bachelor’s ranking. Austin Peay State University is a medium-sized school located in Clarksville, Tennessee that handed out 169 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Austin Peay State University, the school also landed the #7 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Tennessee” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 1 of the 10,272 students enrolled at Austin Peay State University were GI Bill® students, of which 1 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $13. To help with additional expenses, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Austin Peay State University does offer credit for military training for eligible students.

Full Austin Peay State University Veteran Student Life Report

7

Tennessee Technological University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in Tennessee for Parks & Rec for a Bachelor’s ranking. Tennessee Tech University is a public institution located in Cookeville, Tennessee. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 87 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Tennessee Tech University did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #9 on our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Tennessee” list.Among the 10,177 students enrolled at Tennessee Tech University, 403 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 229 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $7,510. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.

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 Tennessee Tech University]](/colleges/tennessee-technological-university/student-life/veterans/)

8

The University of Tennessee - Chattanooga ranked #8 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in Tennessee for Parks & Rec for a Bachelor’s list. UT Chattanooga is a fairly large public school situated in Chattanooga, Tennessee. It awarded 207 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.

UT Chattanooga also took the #6 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Tennessee” ranking.Of the 11,728 students enrolled at UT Chattanooga, 431 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 270 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $7,374. During this same period, 1 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.

[Read full report on veteran student life at The University of Tennessee - Chattanooga]](/colleges/the-university-of-tennessee-at-chattanooga/student-life/veterans/)

9

The University of Tennessee - Martin did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Tennessee for Parks & Rec for a Bachelor’s ranking, coming in at #9. This medium-sized school is located in Martin, Tennessee, and it awarded 94 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UT Martin, the school also landed the #11 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Tennessee” ranking.Of the 7,117 students enrolled at UT Martin, 234 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 138 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $7,843. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.

[Read full report on veteran student life at UT Martin]](/colleges/the-university-of-tennessee-martin/student-life/veterans/)

10
Carson - Newman crest
Carson - Newman University
Jefferson City, Tennessee

With a ranking of #10, Carson - Newman University did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Tennessee for Parks & Rec for a Bachelor’s list. This small school is located in Jefferson City, Tennessee, and it awarded 37 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Carson - Newman, the school also landed the #8 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Tennessee” ranking.According to our most recent data, Carson - Newman supports 2,911 students, and 98 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 60 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $11,328. In addition to receiving other benefits, 4 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.

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 More…

11
Tennessee State University crest
Tennessee State University
Nashville, Tennessee

Tennessee State University came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in Tennessee for Parks & Rec for a Bachelor’s ranking. Tennessee State University is a medium-sized school located in Nashville, Tennessee that handed out 47 bachelors’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.

Tennessee State University also took the #10 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Tennessee” ranking.Of the 7,615 students enrolled at Tennessee State University, 249 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 102 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $4,829. During this same period, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Tennessee State University offers credit for military training for eligible students.

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

Notes and References

References

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