2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Virginia for Parks & Rec
12
Ranked Colleges
1,741
Degrees Awarded
$33,400
Avg Cost*
When pursuing a degree in today’s world, veterans 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 Veteran Friendly in Virginia for Parks & Rec” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.
Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies is the 15th most popular major in the country with 73,813 degrees awarded in 2020-2021. 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 Veteran Friendly in Virginia for Parks & Rec” ranking looked at 12 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s 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.
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.
One Size Does Not Fit All
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 Veteran Friendly in Virginia for Parks & Rec”.
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 by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.
Most Veteran Friendly in Virginia for Parks & Rec
The following schools top our list of the Best “Most Veteran Friendly in Virginia for Parks & Rec”.
Top 12 Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Colleges for Veterans in Virginia
Out of the 12 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in Virginia for Parks & Rec that were part of this year’s ranking, James Madison University landed the #1 spot on the list. James Madison University is a large public school situated in Harrisonburg, Virginia. It awarded 326 ’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.
JMU also made our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list, coming in at #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS].According to our most recent data, JMU supports 21,594 students, and 842 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 464 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $5,824. On top of their other funding sources, 3 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. 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…
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend William & Mary. The school came in at #2 for the Most Veteran Friendly in Virginia for Parks & Rec. Williamsburg, Virginia is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s parks and rec degrees to 125 students in 2020-2021.
William & Mary also made our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list, coming in at #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS].Our most recent data shows that 531 of the 8,939 students enrolled at William & Mary were GI Bill® students, of which 349 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $19,978. In addition to receiving other benefits, 5 students received scholarships through 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 93%, 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 William & Mary]](/colleges/college-of-william-and-mary/student-life/veterans/)
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Old Dominion University. The school came in at #3 for the Most Veteran Friendly in Virginia for Parks & Rec. Old Dominion is a public institution located in Norfolk, Virginia. The school has a large population, and it awarded 142 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Old Dominion also took the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.According to our most recent data, Old Dominion supports 24,286 students, and 1 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 0 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $0. To help with additional expenses, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Old Dominion offers credit for military training for eligible students.
[Read full report on veteran student life at Old Dominion]](/colleges/old-dominion-university/student-life/veterans/)
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend George Mason University. The school came in at #4 for the Most Veteran Friendly in Virginia for Parks & Rec. GMU is a large school located in Fairfax, Virginia that handed out 113 ’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.
GMU also took the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Of the 38,541 students enrolled at GMU, 2,334 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 1,583 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $10,710. During this same period, 42 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. GMU offers 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%.
Full GMU Veteran Student Life Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Liberty University. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Virginia for Parks & Rec list. Liberty University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Lynchburg, Virginia. The school has a large population, and it awarded 403 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Liberty University also took the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 13,282 of the 93,349 students enrolled at Liberty University were GI Bill® students, of which 8,897 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $4,888. During this same period, 386 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Liberty University does offer credit for military training for eligible students.
Read More…
University of Virginia - Main Campus landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Virginia for Parks & Rec ranking. University of Virginia is a public institution located in Charlottesville, Virginia. The school has a large population, and it awarded 117 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
University of Virginia 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 Virginia supports 25,628 students, and 3 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. To help with additional expenses, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, 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%.
Full University of Virginia Veteran Student Life Report
With a ranking of #7, Hampton University did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Virginia for Parks & Rec list. This small school is located in Hampton, Virginia, and it awarded 65 ’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.
Hampton not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.Among the 3,516 students enrolled at Hampton, 34 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 24 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $5,739. 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.
[Read full report on veteran student life at Hampton]](/colleges/hampton-university/student-life/veterans/)
Virginia Commonwealth University ranked #8 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in Virginia for Parks & Rec list. VCU is a public institution located in Richmond, Virginia. The school has a large population, and it awarded 47 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our virginia vets studying parks & rec list, VCU has also earned the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] rank in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Among the 29,070 students enrolled at VCU, 1 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 2 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $13,085. 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 Virginia Commonwealth University]](/colleges/virginia-commonwealth-university/student-life/veterans/)
Averett University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in Virginia for Parks & Rec ranking. 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.
In addition to being on our virginia vets studying parks & rec list, AU has also earned the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] rank in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Among the 887 students enrolled at Averett University, 2 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 4 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $3,806. 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.
[Read full report on veteran student life at Averett University]](/colleges/averett-university/student-life/veterans/)
Radford University did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Virginia for Parks & Rec ranking, coming in at #10. Radford is a medium-sized public school situated in Radford, Virginia. It awarded 44 ’s parks and rec degrees in 2020-2021.
Radford also took the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 460 of the 10,695 students enrolled at Radford were GI Bill® students, of which 225 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $8,142. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Radford does offer credit for military training for eligible students.
Read More…
Roanoke College did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Virginia for Parks & Rec ranking, coming in at #11. Located in Salem, Virginia, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 41 degrees to qualified ’s parks and rec students in 2020-2021.
Roanoke did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.Our most recent data shows that 68 of the 1,920 students enrolled at Roanoke were GI Bill® students, of which 50 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $19,471. To help with additional expenses, 26 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Roanoke 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 Roanoke]](/colleges/roanoke-college/student-life/veterans/)
With a ranking of #12, Bridgewater College did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Virginia for Parks & Rec list. Bridgewater College is located in Bridgewater, Virginia and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 46 ’s parks and rec degrees to qualified students.
Bridgewater also made our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list, coming in at #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS].According to our most recent data, Bridgewater supports 1,597 students, and 52 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 25 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $14,809. To help with additional expenses, 19 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program.
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%.
Full Bridgewater College Veteran Student Life Report
Focus on a Specific Degree Level
North Carolina
Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Colleges for Veterans in North Carolina
Alabama
Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Colleges for Veterans in Alabama
Georgia
Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Colleges for Veterans in Georgia
Louisiana
Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Colleges for Veterans in Louisiana
South Carolina
Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Colleges for Veterans in South Carolina
Virginia
Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Colleges for Veterans in Virginia
West Virginia
Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Colleges for Veterans in West Virginia
Kentucky
Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Colleges for Veterans in Kentucky
Tennessee
Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Colleges for Veterans in Tennessee
Mississippi
Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Colleges for Veterans in Mississippi
Florida
Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Colleges for Veterans in Florida
Arkansas
Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Colleges for Veterans in Arkansas
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Notes and References
References
- The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of our data about colleges.
- Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
- Veteran-specific data can be found at the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs.
- Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
- *Avg Salary and Avg 4-Year Grad Rate are for the top schools only.
- **GI Bill® student total includes all chapters of the GI Bill® program (e.g., Post-9/11, Montgomery GI Bill, Reserve Education Assistance Program, and Veteran Readiness and Employment)
- Some schools otherwise deserving of recognition may have been removed from this ranking in the event that new data identified post-publication warranted it, or at the request of the school.
Credits
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