2026 Best Parks Recreation Leisure Studies Undergraduate Certificate Degree Schools
Looking for the best Parks Recreation Leisure Studies undergraduate certificate degree programs in the United States? We have ranked 152 schools by overall quality and student outcomes, using our 2026 methodology. Our scores reflect factors such as graduation rate, post-graduation earnings, cost, and admissions selectivity.
To help you make your decision, Course Advisor reviewed schools to build this 2026 ranking, drawing primarily on U.S. Department of Education data (IPEDS and College Scorecard). View our full ranking methodology.
Top 25 Parks Recreation Leisure Studies Undergraduate Certificate Degree Schools in the United States
Here are the top-ranked schools:
Miami University Oxford earned the #1 spot in this year's ranking in the United States. Miami University Oxford is a public school based in Oxford, OH. The six-year graduation rate is 80%. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $17,519, while out-of-state students pay about $38,965. Students borrow a median of $24,177 to complete their Parks Recreation Leisure Studies program here. See the full Miami University Oxford profile
North Greenville University came in at #2 on this year's Parks Recreation Leisure Studies ranking in the United States. Read more about North Greenville University
A rank of #3 makes California State University East Bay one of the top choices in the United States. See the full California State University East Bay profile
The strong Parks Recreation Leisure Studies programs at Frostburg State University earned it the #4 place in the United States. Read more about Frostburg State University
You'll be in good company at Newberry College, which ranked #5 this year. Read the full report on Newberry College
Gwinnett Technical College landed the #6 spot in the United States this year. Read the full report on Gwinnett Technical College
South Georgia Technical College did well this year, earning the #7 position. Read the full report on South Georgia Technical College
Niagara County Community College came in at #8 in this year's ranking. Read more about Niagara County Community College
University Of Toledo placed #9 among Parks Recreation Leisure Studies schools in the United States. Read the full report on University Of Toledo
Arizona State University Skysong placed #10 among Parks Recreation Leisure Studies schools in the United States. Read the full report on Arizona State University Skysong
Eastern Washington University ranked #11 on our 2026 list of the best Parks Recreation Leisure Studies schools. Get the full Eastern Washington University report
University Of South Alabama ranked #12 on our 2026 list of the best Parks Recreation Leisure Studies schools. Read the full report on University Of South Alabama
Catawba College
Catawba College placed #13 among Parks Recreation Leisure Studies schools in the United States. Read the full report on Catawba College
Sierra College
Sierra College came in at #14 in this year's ranking. Read more about Sierra College
Cuny Lehman College landed the #15 spot in the United States this year. Read the full report on Cuny Lehman College
Depaul University placed #16 among Parks Recreation Leisure Studies schools in the United States. Read the full report on Depaul University
Corning Community College placed #17 among Parks Recreation Leisure Studies schools in the United States. Get the full Corning Community College report
Gallaudet University placed #18 among Parks Recreation Leisure Studies schools in the United States. Read the full report on Gallaudet University
Cumberland University came in at #19 in this year's ranking. Read more about Cumberland University
Dakota College At Bottineau did well this year, earning the #20 position. Read more about Dakota College At Bottineau
Clemson University came in at #21 in this year's ranking. See the full Clemson University profile
Shaw University
Shaw University did well this year, earning the #22 position. Get the full Shaw University report
Western State College Of Colorado landed the #23 spot in the United States this year. Read more about Western State College Of Colorado
Brevard College
Brevard College did well this year, earning the #24 position. Read the full report on Brevard College
San Francisco State University came in at #25 in this year's ranking. Read the full report on San Francisco State University
Rest of the Top 50 Best Parks Recreation Leisure Studies Undergraduate Certificate Degree Schools in the United States
These schools also placed among the very best this year:
Georgia Southern University did well this year, earning the #26 position. Get the full Georgia Southern University report
California State University Long Beach landed the #27 spot in the United States this year. Read the full report on California State University Long Beach
East Mississippi Community College ranked #28 on our 2026 list of the best Parks Recreation Leisure Studies schools. Get the full East Mississippi Community College report
Sullivan County Community College landed the #29 spot in the United States this year. Get the full Sullivan County Community College report
University Of Nebraska At Omaha did well this year, earning the #30 position. More on University Of Nebraska At Omaha
Salem State University did well this year, earning the #31 position. See the full Salem State University profile
Ohio University Eastern Campus landed the #32 spot in the United States this year. More on Ohio University Eastern Campus
Palomar College
Palomar College came in at #33 in this year's ranking. Get the full Palomar College report
Mars Hill College placed #34 among Parks Recreation Leisure Studies schools in the United States. Read the full report on Mars Hill College
Allan Hancock College landed the #35 spot in the United States this year. Get the full Allan Hancock College report
Southern Oregon University placed #36 among Parks Recreation Leisure Studies schools in the United States. Read more about Southern Oregon University
University Of Iowa placed #37 among Parks Recreation Leisure Studies schools in the United States. Read more about University Of Iowa
Central Georgia Technical College Warner Robins landed the #38 spot in the United States this year. Read more about Central Georgia Technical College Warner Robins
Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College ranked #39 on our 2026 list of the best Parks Recreation Leisure Studies schools. Get the full Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College report
Brigham Young University Provo did well this year, earning the #40 position. See the full Brigham Young University Provo profile
California State University Dominguez Hills placed #41 among Parks Recreation Leisure Studies schools in the United States. Read more about California State University Dominguez Hills
University Of Utah landed the #42 spot in the United States this year. Read the full report on University Of Utah
Ohio University Lancaster Campus did well this year, earning the #43 position. Read more about Ohio University Lancaster Campus
Carson Newman College placed #44 among Parks Recreation Leisure Studies schools in the United States. Read more about Carson Newman College
Concordia University Wisconsin landed the #45 spot in the United States this year. More on Concordia University Wisconsin
University Of North Carolina At Greensboro ranked #46 on our 2026 list of the best Parks Recreation Leisure Studies schools. Get the full University Of North Carolina At Greensboro report
Ferrum College
Ferrum College did well this year, earning the #47 position. Read more about Ferrum College
California State University Fresno came in at #48 in this year's ranking. Read more about California State University Fresno
California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo placed #49 among Parks Recreation Leisure Studies schools in the United States. Get the full California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo report
Kutztown University Of Pennsylvania placed #50 among Parks Recreation Leisure Studies schools in the United States. Read more about Kutztown University Of Pennsylvania
Related Parks Recreation Leisure Studies Rankings
See rankings for other degree levels:
- Best Parks Recreation Leisure Studies Schools (All Levels)
- Best Parks Recreation Leisure Studies Certificate Degree Schools
- Best Parks Recreation Leisure Studies Associate’s Degree Schools
- Best Parks Recreation Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools
- Best Parks Recreation Leisure Studies Graduate Certificate Degree Schools
- Best Parks Recreation Leisure Studies Master’s Degree Schools
- Best Parks Recreation Leisure Studies Doctoral Degree Schools
Ranking Methodology & Notes
This list is compiled by Course Advisor (DMS_RANKING_2023), 2026 edition. Rankings consider a blend of student outcomes (graduation rate, post-graduation earnings), affordability, and admissions data drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Ranking method: Dms College Quality · Scope: Nation. *Averages shown above reflect the top 152 ranked schools only.
References
- Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) — National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education (core institutional data).
- College Scorecard — U.S. Department of Education (graduate earnings and outcomes data).
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