College Factual  by our College Data Analytics Team
       Unbiased Factual Guarantee

2023 Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Colleges for Veterans in Tennessee

11 Ranked Colleges
2,462 Degrees Awarded
$27,200 Avg Cost*
Most Veteran Friendly in Tennessee for Parks & Rec

With all of the options veterans have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. 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 Tennessee for Parks & Rec” 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 Tennessee, there were 2,462 parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $30,291 and $24,746 respectively.

For this year’s “Most Veteran Friendly in Tennessee for Parks & Rec” ranking, we looked at 11 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.

To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as veteran satisfaction, veteran affordability, and overall quality of the parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies program at the school. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

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

Rankings by Degree Other Award Levels
Rankings by Location Check Out Other Locales
More Parks & Rec Rankings Other Ranking Categories

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Most Veteran Friendly in Tennessee for Parks & Rec” 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. 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

The following schools top our list of the Best “Most Veteran Friendly in Tennessee for Parks & Rec”.

Top 11 Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies 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 list. UT Knoxville is a large school located in Knoxville, Tennessee that handed out 414 ’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.

UT Knoxville not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.Our most recent data shows that 1,122 of the 30,559 students enrolled at UT Knoxville were GI Bill® students, of which 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. During this same period, 8 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 89%. 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 UT Knoxville]](/colleges/the-university-of-tennessee/student-life/veterans/)

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

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Middle Tennessee State University. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Tennessee for Parks & Rec list. This large school is located in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, and it awarded 212 ’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.

Middle Tennessee State University not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.Of the 22,080 students enrolled at Middle Tennessee State University, 1,284 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 799 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $7,132. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Middle Tennessee State University offers credit for military training for eligible students.

Full Middle Tennessee State University Veteran Student Life Report

3
Belmont crest
Belmont University
Nashville, Tennessee

Out of the 11 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in Tennessee for Parks & Rec that were part of this year’s ranking, Belmont University landed the #3 spot on the list. Belmont University is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Nashville, Tennessee. It awarded 79 ’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our tennessee vets studying parks & rec list, Belmont has also earned the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] rank in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Among the 8,204 students enrolled at Belmont, 343 are 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. To help with additional expenses, 146 students received funds 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%.

Full Belmont Veteran Student Life Report

4
ETSU crest
East Tennessee State University
Johnson City, Tennessee

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend East Tennessee State University. The school came in at #4 for the Most Veteran Friendly in Tennessee for Parks & Rec. ETSU is a fairly large school located in Johnson City, Tennessee that handed out 167 ’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at ETSU, the school also landed the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Of the 13,713 students enrolled at East Tennessee State University, 6 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 3 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $25,115. To help with additional expenses, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.

Read More…

5
UofM crest
University of Memphis
Memphis, Tennessee

Out of the 11 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in Tennessee for Parks & Rec that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Memphis landed the #5 spot on the list. University of Memphis is a public institution located in Memphis, Tennessee. The school has a large population, and it awarded 545 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

UofM did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.According to our most recent data, University of Memphis supports 22,205 students, and 766 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 446 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $7,772. To help with additional expenses, 4 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.

Full University of Memphis Veteran Student Life Report

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

With a ranking of #6, Austin Peay State University did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Tennessee for Parks & Rec list. Austin Peay State University is located in Clarksville, Tennessee and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 182 ’s parks and rec degrees to qualified students.

Austin Peay State University not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.According to our most recent data, Austin Peay State University supports 10,272 students, and 1 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 1 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $13. During this same period, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Austin Peay State University offers credit for military training for eligible students.

Read More…

7

With a ranking of #7, The University of Tennessee - Chattanooga did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Tennessee for Parks & Rec list. Located in Chattanooga, Tennessee, this fairly large public school handed out 207 diplomas to qualified ’s parks and rec students in 2020-2021.

UT Chattanooga did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.According to our most recent data, The University of Tennessee - Chattanooga supports 11,728 students, and 431 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 270 are 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 qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. The University of Tennessee - Chattanooga does offer credit for military training for eligible students.

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

8

Tennessee Technological University ranked #8 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in Tennessee for Parks & Rec list. Cookeville, Tennessee is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s parks and rec degrees to 108 students in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Tennessee Tech University, the school also landed the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 403 of the 10,177 students enrolled at Tennessee Tech University were GI Bill® students, of which 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. On top of their other funding sources, 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%.

Full Tennessee Tech University Veteran Student Life Report

9

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

UT Martin not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.Of the 7,117 students enrolled at The University of Tennessee - 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. To help with additional expenses, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. The University of Tennessee - Martin offers credit for military training for eligible students.

Read More…

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

Carson - Newman University came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in Tennessee for Parks & Rec ranking. Carson - Newman University is a small school located in Jefferson City, Tennessee that handed out 37 ’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 #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 98 of the 2,911 students enrolled at Carson - Newman University were GI Bill® students, of which 60 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $11,328. On top of their other funding sources, 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 full report on veteran student life at Carson - Newman University]](/colleges/carson-newman-college/student-life/veterans/)

11
Tennessee State University crest
Tennessee State University
Nashville, Tennessee

With a ranking of #11, Tennessee State University did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Tennessee for Parks & Rec list. Nashville, Tennessee is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s parks and rec degrees to 54 students in 2020-2021.

Tennessee State University also made our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list, coming in at #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS].Our most recent data shows that 249 of the 7,615 students enrolled at Tennessee State University were GI Bill® students, of which 102 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $4,829. To help with additional expenses, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Tennessee State University does offer credit for military training for eligible students.

Full Tennessee State University Veteran Student Life Report

Notes and References

References

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

Credits

Popular Reports

College Rankings
Best by Location
Degree Guides by Major
Graduate Programs

Compare Your School Options