2023 Best Value Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools
Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing
Finding the Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies School for You
In 2020-2021, 3,106 people earned a degree or certificate in parks, recreation and leisure studies, making the major the #169 most popular in the United States.
Today's students have lots of options to pick from when considering higher education opportunities. As online education oppotunities continue to grow, you're not restricted to just schools in your local area anymore. Even some of the 'big name' schools are offering online courses. Also, there are a number of trade schools with offerings that you might find attractive.
To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Course Advisor has created its Best Value Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools ranking. Our analysis looked at 78 schools in the United States to see which programs offered the best value experiences for parks and rec students with the aim of identifying those quality schools that are more affordable than some of their counterparts.
When determining this ranking, we place a high emphasis on the school's quality as well as its sticker price. Even though a college may be affordable, it may not offer value. Specifically, our score for quality is discounted by the published tuition and fees charged by the given college. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The more quality your dollar buys, the better the value.
Our calculations use out-of-state tuition and fees in our nationwide and regional rankings. For statewide rankings, we use average in-state tuition and fees.
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2023 Best Value Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in the United States
The colleges and universities below are the best value schools for parks and rec majors pursuing a .
Top 15% Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools
Our analysis found Brigham Young University - Provo to be the best value school for parks, recreation and leisure studies students who want to pursue a degree in the United States. BYU is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the midsize city of Provo.
BYU undergraduate students pay an average of $6,120 in tuition and fees each year. While working on their degree, parks and rec majors at BYU accumulate an average of around $10,000 in student debt.
On top of its placing in our value ranking, BYU also did well on our Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
A rank of #2 on this year’s list means Arizona State University - Skysong is a great value for parks, recreation and leisure studies students. ASU - Skysong is a very large public school located in the midsize city of Scottsdale.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at ASU - Skysong are $13,092 per year. The average amount in student loans that parks and rec majors at ASU - Skysong take out is $24,363.
ASU - Skysong also claimed a spot on our Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools in this category.
Full Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at Arizona State University - Skysong Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Northwest Missouri State University. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools list. Northwest is a moderately-sized public school located in the town of Maryville.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Northwest are $14,919 per year.
Full Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at Northwest Missouri State University Report
The excellent programs at Winona State University helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best parks, recreation and leisure studies schools in the United States. Winona State is a medium-sized public school located in the town of Winona.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Winona State are $16,684 a year. Parks & Rec majors at Winona State take out an average of $25,447 in student loans while working on their egree.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Winona State also is in the top 10% of our Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools ranking.
Full Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at Winona State University Report
A rank of #5 on this year’s list means University of Nebraska at Kearney is a great value for parks, recreation and leisure studies students. Located in the town of Kearney, UNK is a public college with a medium-sized student population.
UNK undergraduate students pay an average of $15,320 in tuition and fees each year. On average, parks and rec graduates from UNK take out $18,594 in student loans while working on their degree. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $133.
Full Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at University of Nebraska at Kearney Report
Kutztown University of Pennsylvania came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools ranking. Kutztown University is a moderately-sized public school located in the fringe town of Kutztown.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Kutztown University are $15,170 a year. The average amount in student loans that parks and rec majors at Kutztown University take out is $26,999. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $197.
With a ranking of #7, California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo did quite well on this year’s best value schools for parks, recreation and leisure studies students. Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is a very large public school located in the suburb of San Luis Obispo.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo are $28,105 a year. The average amount in student loans that parks and rec majors at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo take out is $18,356. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $272.
Cal Poly San Luis Obispo excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 5% of all schools on our Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools list.
With a ranking of #8, MSU Texas did quite well on this year’s best value schools for parks, recreation and leisure studies students. MSU Texas is a medium-sized public school located in the city of Wichita Falls.
MSU Texas undergraduate students pay an average of $11,726 in tuition and fees each year.
Read full report on Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at MSU Texas
With a ranking of #9, San Jose State University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for parks, recreation and leisure studies students. San Jose State is a fairly large public school located in the large city of San Jose.
San Jose State undergraduate students pay an average of $19,732 in tuition and fees each year.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, San Jose State also is in the top 15% of our Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools ranking.
Read full report on Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at San Jose State University
Pittsburg State University ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools list. Located in the town of Pittsburg, Pitt State is a public college with a medium-sized student population.
Pitt State undergraduate students pay an average of $19,088 in tuition and fees each year.
Read full report on Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at Pittsburg State University
University of Northern Iowa landed the #11 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value parks, recreation and leisure studies programs. Located in the city of Cedar Falls, UNI is a public college with a medium-sized student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at UNI are $19,753 a year. Parks & Rec majors at UNI take out an average of $23,469 in student loans while working on their egree.
UNI excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools list.
Full Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at University of Northern Iowa Report
Honorable Mentions
These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Best Value Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 12 | Southeastern Oklahoma State University | Durant, OK |
| 13 | Southeast Missouri State University | Cape Girardeau, MO |
| 13 | Emporia State University | Emporia, KS |
| 15 | University of Southern Mississippi | Hattiesburg, MS |
Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies by Region
View the Best Value Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools for a specific region near you.
| Region |
|---|
| Southeast |
| New England |
| Rocky Mountains |
| Plains States |
| Middle Atlantic |
| Far Western US |
| Southwest |
| Great Lakes |
More Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Rankings
Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Related Majors for Parks & Rec
One of 4 majors within the area of study, parks, recreation and leisure studies has other similar majors worth exploring.
Most Popular Majors Related to Parks & Rec
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Health & Physical Education | 67,146 |
| Recreation Administration | 3,122 |
| Outdoor Education | 265 |
| Other Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies | 174 |
Notes and References
*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.
- 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 the rest 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).
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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