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2022 Best Value Parks Administration Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region

13 Ranked Colleges
326 Degrees Awarded
$16,900 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Parks Administration Schools for a Bachelor's in the Great Lakes Region

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Parks Administration Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

In 2019-2020, 3,432 people earned their degree in parks, recreation and leisure facilities management, making the major the 187th most popular in the United States.

Across the Great Lakes region, there were 384 parks, recreation and leisure facilities management graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 326 parks, recreation and leisure facilities management graduates with average earnings and debt of $39,075 and $25,381 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Parks Administration Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region” ranking analyzed 13 colleges that offered a degree in parks, recreation and leisure facilities management. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality parks, recreation and leisure facilities management programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the parks, recreation and leisure facilities management program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Parks Administration Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region” 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. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.

Best Value Parks Administration Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region

The colleges and universities below are the best for great lakes region bachelor’s degree parks administration students.

Top 13 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Parks, Recreation & Leisure Facilities Management in the Great Lakes Region

#2 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Wisconsin - La Crosse. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Parks Administration Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region. Located in La Crosse, Wisconsin, this fairly large public school awarded 30 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s parks administration students in 2019-2020.

UW - La Crosse not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Facilities Management Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The yearly cost to attend UW - La Crosse is $14,580 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree parks administration students.

With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Parks, Recreation & Leisure Facilities Management at University of Wisconsin - La Crosse

#2

Illinois State University

Normal, Illinois
#1 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Illinois State University. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Parks Administration Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region. Illinois State University is a large school located in Normal, Illinois that handed out 91 bachelors’s parks administration degrees in 2019-2020.

Illinois State also took the #1 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Facilities Management Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Illinois State University is $20,895 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Parks Administration students.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Parks, Recreation & Leisure Facilities Management at Illinois State

#3

Western Illinois University

Macomb, Illinois
#5 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Western Illinois University. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Parks Administration Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region. This medium-sized school is located in Macomb, Illinois, and it awarded 48 bachelors’s parks administration degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our great lakes region bachelor’s degree parks administration students list, WIU has also earned the #5 rank in our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Facilities Management Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend WIU is $16,210 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Parks Administration students.

Read more about Parks, Recreation & Leisure Facilities Management at Western Illinois University

#4

Eastern Illinois University

Charleston, Illinois
#7 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Eastern Illinois University. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Parks Administration Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region. Eastern Illinois University is a public institution located in Charleston, Illinois. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 16 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

EIU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #7 on our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Facilities Management Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. It costs about $14,607 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Parks Administration students per year to attend Eastern Illinois University.

Full EIU Parks, Recreation & Leisure Facilities Management Report

#5

Lake Superior State University

Sault Ste Marie, Michigan
#12 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Lake Superior State University. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Parks Administration Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region. Lake Superior State University is a public institution located in Sault Ste Marie, Michigan. The school has a small population, and it awarded 9 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our great lakes region bachelor’s degree parks administration students list, Lake Superior State University has also earned the #12 rank in our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Facilities Management Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $12,398 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree parks administration students per year to attend Lake Superior State University.

Read more about Parks, Recreation & Leisure Facilities Management at Lake Superior State University

#6

Indiana State University

Terre Haute, Indiana
#6 in overall quality

Indiana State University ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Parks Administration Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. This fairly large school is located in Terre Haute, Indiana, and it awarded 73 bachelors’s parks administration degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Indiana State, the school also landed the #6 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Facilities Management Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $13,896 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree parks administration students per year to attend Indiana State.

Full Indiana State University Parks, Recreation & Leisure Facilities Management Report

#7

Western Michigan University

Kalamazoo, Michigan
#13 in overall quality

Western Michigan University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Parks Administration Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #7. Located in Kalamazoo, Michigan, this fairly large public school handed out 2 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s parks administration students in 2019-2020.

WMU also made our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Facilities Management Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #13. It costs about $19,433 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree parks administration students per year to attend Western Michigan University.

Read more about Parks, Recreation & Leisure Facilities Management at Western Michigan University

#8 in overall quality

Kent State University at Kent ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Parks Administration Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. Kent State is a large public school situated in Kent, Ohio. It awarded 19 bachelors’s parks administration degrees in 2019-2020.

Kent State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #8 on our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Facilities Management Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Kent State is $18,885 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Parks Administration students.

Read full report on Parks, Recreation & Leisure Facilities Management at Kent State University at Kent

#9

Central Michigan University

Mount Pleasant, Michigan
#11 in overall quality

With a ranking of #9, Central Michigan University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Parks Administration Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in Mount Pleasant, Michigan, this fairly large public school handed out 1 degrees to qualified bachelors’s parks administration students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our great lakes region bachelor’s degree parks administration students list, Central Michigan has also earned the #11 rank in our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Facilities Management Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $15,981 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree parks administration students per year to attend Central Michigan.

Read more about Parks, Recreation & Leisure Facilities Management at Central Michigan

#10

Indiana Wesleyan University

Marion, Indiana
#10 in overall quality

With a ranking of #10, Indiana Wesleyan University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Parks Administration Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. Indiana Wesleyan University is located in Marion, Indiana and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 2 bachelors’s parks administration degrees to qualified students.

IWU also took the #10 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Facilities Management Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Indiana Wesleyan University is $20,946 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree parks administration students.

Read full report on Parks, Recreation & Leisure Facilities Management at IWU

#11

Ball State University

Muncie, Indiana
#9 in overall quality

Ball State University landed the #11 spot on the 2022 Best Value Parks Administration Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Ball State University is a large public school situated in Muncie, Indiana. It awarded 5 bachelors’s parks administration degrees in 2019-2020.

Ball State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #9 on our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Facilities Management Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Ball State is $15,147 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree parks administration students.

Full Ball State Parks, Recreation & Leisure Facilities Management Report

#12

University of St Francis

Joliet, Illinois
#3 in overall quality

University of St Francis landed the #12 spot on the 2022 Best Value Parks Administration Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Joliet, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s parks administration degrees to 6 students in 2019-2020.

University of Saint Francis did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Facilities Management Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. It costs about $17,538 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Parks Administration students per year to attend University of St Francis.

The low student loan default rate of 3.3% 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 Parks, Recreation & Leisure Facilities Management at University of St Francis

#13

Michigan State University

East Lansing, Michigan
#4 in overall quality

With a ranking of #13, Michigan State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Parks Administration Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. Michigan State University is a large school located in East Lansing, Michigan that handed out 19 bachelors’s parks administration degrees in 2019-2020.

Michigan State also took the #4 spot in our “Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Facilities Management Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Michigan State is $19,173 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Parks Administration students.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. The student loan default rate at the school is 3.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Parks, Recreation & Leisure Facilities Management at Michigan State

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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).
  • 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

Footnotes

  • *Average salary, average net price, and average tuition and fees are for the top schools only.
  • 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

  • Credit for the banner image above goes to Glen Santy.

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