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2023 Best Recreation Administration Colleges for Veterans in the Great Lakes Region

11 Ranked Colleges
392 Degrees Awarded
$24,600 Avg Cost*
Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for Recreation Admin

Veterans have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for Recreation Admin” ranking - to help you make that decision.

In 2020-2021, 3,122 people earned their degree in recreation administration, making the major the 163rd most popular in the United States. In 2019-2020, recreation administration graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $31,874 and had an average of $23,610 in loans still to pay off.

Across the Great Lakes region, there were 392 recreation administration graduates with average earnings and debt of $31,213 and $25,531 respectively.

For this year’s “Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for Recreation Admin” ranking, we looked at 11 colleges that offer a degree in recreation administration. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent recreation administration programs, but they also offer a lot of support to veterans and active service members.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the recreation administration program at the school, veteran affordability, and veteran population. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

More Ways to Rank Recreation Administration Schools

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Rankings by Location Check Out Other Locales
More Recreation Admin 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 Recreation Admin” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

To further help you make the college decision, we’ve developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.

Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for Recreation Admin

The colleges and universities below are the best for great lakes region vets studying recreation admin.

Top 11 Best Recreation Administration Colleges for Veterans in the Great Lakes Region

1

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Illinois State University. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for Recreation Admin list. Illinois State is a public institution located in Normal, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 87 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Illinois State, the school also landed the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.According to our most recent data, Illinois State University supports 20,720 students, and 530 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 163 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $6,997. To help with additional expenses, 0 students received funds through 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%.

Full Illinois State University Veteran Student Life Report

2
Central Michigan crest
Central Michigan University
Mount Pleasant, Michigan

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Central Michigan University. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for Recreation Admin list. This fairly large school is located in Mount Pleasant, Michigan, and it awarded 10 ’s recreation admin degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Central Michigan, the school also landed the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Among the 17,311 students enrolled at Central Michigan, 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 $425. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students received funds through 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 More…

3

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Wisconsin - La Crosse. The school came in at #3 for the Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for Recreation Admin. UW - La Crosse is located in La Crosse, Wisconsin and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 38 ’s recreation admin degrees to qualified students.

UW - La Crosse also took the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.According to our most recent data, University of Wisconsin - La Crosse supports 10,531 students, and 230 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 79 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $4,846. To help with additional expenses, 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%.

Read More…

4
WMU crest
Western Michigan University
Kalamazoo, Michigan

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Western Michigan University. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for Recreation Admin list. WMU is a fairly large public school situated in Kalamazoo, Michigan. It awarded 5 ’s recreation admin degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our great lakes region vets studying recreation admin list, WMU has also earned the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] rank in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Among the 19,887 students enrolled at Western Michigan University, 584 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 327 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $9,981. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Western Michigan University does offer credit for military training for eligible students.

Full WMU Veteran Student Life Report

5

Out of the 11 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for Recreation Admin that were part of this year’s ranking, Western Illinois University landed the #5 spot on the list. Western Illinois University is located in Macomb, Illinois and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 54 ’s recreation admin degrees to qualified students.

WIU also made our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list, coming in at #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS].Our most recent data shows that 330 of the 7,490 students enrolled at Western Illinois University were GI Bill® students, of which 62 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $4,652. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students received funds through 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 Western Illinois University]](/colleges/western-illinois-university/student-life/veterans/)

6
Indiana State crest
Indiana State University
Terre Haute, Indiana

Indiana State University did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for Recreation Admin ranking, coming in at #6. Indiana State University is located in Terre Haute, Indiana and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 73 ’s recreation admin degrees to qualified students.

Indiana State also made our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list, coming in at #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS].Our most recent data shows that 394 of the 10,829 students enrolled at Indiana State University were GI Bill® students, of which 217 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $4,688. In addition to receiving other benefits, 6 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Indiana State University does offer credit for military training for eligible students.

[Read full report on veteran student life at Indiana State]](/colleges/indiana-state-university/student-life/veterans/)

7
University of Saint Francis crest
University of St Francis
Joliet, Illinois

University of St Francis landed the #7 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for Recreation Admin ranking. Joliet, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s recreation admin degrees to 19 students in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at University of Saint Francis, 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 2 of the 3,529 students enrolled at University of Saint Francis were GI Bill® students, of which 2 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $16,734. During this same period, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. University of Saint Francis 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 More…

8
EIU crest
Eastern Illinois University
Charleston, Illinois

Eastern Illinois University ranked #8 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for Recreation Admin list. Eastern Illinois University is a public institution located in Charleston, Illinois. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 12 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at EIU, the school also landed the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Among the 8,626 students enrolled at EIU, 184 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 46 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $4,730. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. EIU offers credit for military training for eligible students.

Full EIU Veteran Student Life Report

9

Kent State University at Kent landed the #9 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for Recreation Admin ranking. This large school is located in Kent, Ohio, and it awarded 12 ’s recreation admin degrees in 2020-2021.

Kent State 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, Kent State University at Kent supports 26,822 students, and 778 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 374 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $7,199. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.

Read More…

10
Michigan State crest
Michigan State University
East Lansing, Michigan

Michigan State University ranked #10 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for Recreation Admin list. East Lansing, Michigan is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s recreation admin degrees to 23 students in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Michigan State, the school also landed the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Of the 49,695 students enrolled at Michigan State University, 2 were 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 $14,686. To help with additional expenses, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program.

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%. With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read More…

11
Trine crest
Trine University
Angola, Indiana

Trine University did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for Recreation Admin ranking, coming in at #11. Trine University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Angola, Indiana. The school has a small population, and it awarded 8 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Trine, the school also landed the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Of the 3,573 students enrolled at Trine University, 61 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 33 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $7,322. 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 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 Trine University]](/colleges/trine-university/student-life/veterans/)

Notes and References

References

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

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