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Best Value Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor's Degree Schools in California

2023 Best Value Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor's Degree Schools in California

Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing

11 Colleges
$7,649 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$31,256 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor's Degree School for You

In 2020-2021, 668 degrees and certificates were awarded to parks, recreation and leisure studies students who went to a California college or university. This makes it the #111 most popular major in the state.

There are so many programs in today's world that it can tough to figure out which one is the right one for you. 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.

The Best Value Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor's Degree Schools in California ranking is one of many tools that Course Advisor has developed to help you make your educational decision. Our analysis looked at 11 schools in California to see which bachelor's degree 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.

This ranking is not just a list of inexpensive schools. We also consider each school's quality, since we believe a low-quality school may not be a 'bargain' at any price. 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.

For nationwide and regional rankings, we use out-of-state tuition and fees in our calculations. For statewide rankings, we use average in-state tuition and fees.

Top 10 Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor's Degree Schools

Our analysis found California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo to be the best value school for parks, recreation and leisure studies students who want to pursue a bachelor’s degree in California. Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is a fairly large public school located in the suburb of San Luis Obispo.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo are $10,195 per year. 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 also claimed a spot on our Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools in this category.

Read full report on Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo

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Out of the 11 schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, San Jose State University landed the # 2 spot on the list. San Jose State is a fairly large public school located in the large city of San Jose.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at San Jose State are $7,852 a year.

Full Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at San Jose State University Report

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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend California State University - Long Beach. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Value Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California list. CSULB is a very large public school located in the city of Long Beach.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at CSULB are $6,846 per year. On average, parks and rec graduates from CSULB take out $17,828 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree.

Read full report on Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at California State University - Long Beach

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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend California State University - Fresno. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Value Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California list. Located in the large city of Fresno, Fresno State is a public school with a fairly large student population.

Fresno State undergraduate students pay an average of $6,653 in in-state tuition and fees each year. Parks & Rec majors at Fresno State take out an average of $16,455 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree.

Read full report on Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at California State University - Fresno

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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend California State University - East Bay. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Value Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California list. Located in the large suburb of Hayward, Cal State East Bay is a public college with a large student population.

Cal State East Bay undergraduate students pay an average of $6,995 in in-state tuition and fees each year. The average amount in student loans that parks and rec majors at Cal State East Bay take out while working on their Bachelor's Degree is $19,950.

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With a ranking of #6, California State University - Sacramento did quite well on this year’s best value schools for parks, recreation and leisure studies students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in the large city of Sacramento, Sac State is a public school with a very large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Sac State are $7,392 a year. After completing their Bachelor's Degree, parks and rec graduates from Sac State carry an average student debtload of $20,748.

Full Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at California State University - Sacramento Report

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With a ranking of #7, California State University - Chico did quite well on this year’s best value schools for parks, recreation and leisure studies students working on their bachelor’s degree. Chico State is a large public school located in the city of Chico.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Chico State are $7,864 per year. The average amount in student loans that parks and rec majors at Chico State take out while working on their Bachelor's Degree is $18,257.

Read full report on Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at California State University - Chico

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#8

San Francisco State University

San Francisco, CA

San Francisco State University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California ranking. Located in the city of San Francisco, SFSU is a public school with a fairly large student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at SFSU are $7,304 per year. The average amount in student loans that parks and rec majors at SFSU take out while working on their Bachelor's Degree is $17,188.

Read full report on Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at San Francisco State University

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#9

San Diego State University

San Diego, CA

San Diego State University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for parks, recreation and leisure studies students to get a bachelor’s degree. It came in at #9 on the list. Located in the city of San Diego, SDSU is a public school with a fairly large student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at SDSU are $8,136 per year. After completing their Bachelor's Degree, parks and rec graduates from SDSU carry an average student debtload of $18,259.

Full Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at San Diego State University Report

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California State University - Northridge ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California list. Located in the city of Northridge, CSUN is a public college with a very large student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at CSUN are $7,043 per year.

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Best Value Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Colleges in the Far Western US Region

Explore all the Best Value Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Colleges in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
Washington 58
Oregon 41
Nevada 0
Alaska 7

One of 4 majors within the area of study, parks, recreation and leisure studies has other similar majors worth exploring.

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 11 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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