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2023 Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Veterans in the Great Lakes Region

10 Ranked Colleges
78 Degrees Awarded
$33,100 Avg Cost*
Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for Parks & Rec for a Doctorate

Veterans have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. 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 the Great Lakes Region for Parks & Rec for a Doctorate” 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 the Great Lakes region, there were 10,384 parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $32,191 and $25,844 respectively.

For this year’s “Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for Parks & Rec for a Doctorate” ranking, we looked at 10 colleges that offer a degree in parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies programs as well as strong veteran support.

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

Rankings by Degree Other Award Levels
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More Parks & Rec Rankings Other Ranking Categories

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for Parks & Rec for a Doctorate” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

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. 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 the Great Lakes Region for Parks & Rec for a Doctorate

The colleges and universities below are the best for great lakes region doctor’s degree vets studying parks & rec.

Top 10 Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Veterans in the Great Lakes Region

1

Out of the 10 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for Parks & Rec for a Doctorate that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Michigan - Ann Arbor landed the #1 spot on the list. Ann Arbor, Michigan is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out doctorate’s parks and rec degrees to 4 students in 2020-2021.

U-M not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” 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 tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $27,058. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor does offer credit for military training for eligible students.

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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%.

[Read full report on veteran student life at U-M]](/colleges/university-of-michigan-ann-arbor/student-life/veterans/)

2

Out of the 10 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for Parks & Rec for a Doctorate that were part of this year’s ranking, Ohio State University - Main Campus landed the #2 spot on the list. Ohio State University - Main Campus is a public institution located in Columbus, Ohio. The school has a large population, and it awarded 7 doctorate’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Ohio State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list.Of the 61,369 students enrolled at Ohio State, 2 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 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. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.

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 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read More…

3

Out of the 10 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for Parks & Rec for a Doctorate that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Wisconsin - Madison landed the #3 spot on the list. Located in Madison, Wisconsin, this large public school handed out 2 diplomas to qualified doctorate’s parks and rec students in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UW - Madison, the school also landed the #5 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking.Of the 44,640 students enrolled at University of Wisconsin - Madison, 4 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 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. 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.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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 UW - Madison]](/colleges/university-of-wisconsin-madison/student-life/veterans/)

4
IU Bloomington crest
Indiana University - Bloomington
Bloomington, Indiana

Out of the 10 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for Parks & Rec for a Doctorate that were part of this year’s ranking, Indiana University - Bloomington landed the #4 spot on the list. Indiana University - Bloomington is a large school located in Bloomington, Indiana that handed out 10 doctorate’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.

IU Bloomington also made our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #3.According to our most recent data, Indiana University - Bloomington supports 43,064 students, and 1 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 0 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $0. 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.

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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%.

Full IU Bloomington Veteran Student Life Report

5

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The school came in at #5 for the Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for Parks & Rec for a Doctorate. Located in Champaign, Illinois, this large public school awarded 5 diplomas to qualified doctorate’s parks and rec students in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UIUC, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking.Among the 52,679 students enrolled at UIUC, 10 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 0 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $0. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. UIUC does offer credit for military training for eligible students.

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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read More…

6
Purdue crest
Purdue University - Main Campus
West Lafayette, Indiana

Purdue University - Main Campus ranked #6 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for Parks & Rec for a Doctorate list. Located in West Lafayette, Indiana, this large public school awarded 2 degrees to qualified doctorate’s parks and rec students in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our great lakes region doctor’s degree vets studying parks & rec list, Purdue has also earned the #8 rank in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking.Among the 46,655 students enrolled at Purdue, 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 Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $7,765. During this same period, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Purdue offers 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%.

[Read full report on veteran student life at Purdue]](/colleges/purdue-university-main-campus/student-life/veterans/)

7

University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee ranked #7 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for Parks & Rec for a Doctorate list. This large school is located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and it awarded 2 doctorate’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.

UWM not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #9 on our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list.Our most recent data shows that 983 of the 24,565 students enrolled at UWM were GI Bill® students, of which 494 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $6,519. To help with additional expenses, 3 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. UWM does offer credit for military training for eligible students.

[Read full report on veteran student life at University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee]](/colleges/university-of-wisconsin-milwaukee/student-life/veterans/)

8
University of Toledo crest
University of Toledo
Toledo, Ohio

University of Toledo ranked #8 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for Parks & Rec for a Doctorate list. University of Toledo is a public institution located in Toledo, Ohio. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 2 doctorate’s degrees in 2020-2021.

University of Toledo not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #10 on our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list.Among the 18,319 students enrolled at University of Toledo, 510 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 232 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $6,784. In addition to receiving other benefits, 11 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.

Full University of Toledo Veteran Student Life Report

9
Michigan State crest
Michigan State University
East Lansing, Michigan

With a ranking of #9, Michigan State University did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for Parks & Rec for a Doctorate list. Michigan State University is a public institution located in East Lansing, Michigan. The school has a large population, and it awarded 12 doctorate’s degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Michigan State, the school also landed the #7 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking.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. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students received funds through 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 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…

10
Concordia University, Chicago crest
Concordia University, Chicago
River Forest, Illinois

Concordia University, Chicago ranked #10 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for Parks & Rec for a Doctorate list. Located in River Forest, Illinois, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school awarded 32 diplomas to qualified doctorate’s parks and rec students in 2020-2021.

Concordia University, Chicago also made our “Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #6.Among the 6,491 students enrolled at Concordia University, Chicago, 134 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 96 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $7,085. During this same period, 4 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.

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…

Notes and References

References

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