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

2023 Best Value Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in the Far Western US Region

Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing

15 Colleges
$21,848 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$33,514 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies School for You

Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies is the #169 most popular major in the country with 3,106 degrees and certificates awarded in 2020-2021.

There are so many programs in today's world that it can tough to figure out which one is the right one for you. Along with traditional schools that require in-person attendence, you can attend one of many reputable online schools. Some programs even offer a hybrid experience. Alternatively, you may choose a trade school that prepares you to enter the workforce with knowledge in a specific field.

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 in the Far Western US Region ranking. Our analysis looked at 15 schools in the Far Western US Region 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.

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 Schools

Our 2023 rankings named California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo the best value school in the Far Western US Region 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.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo are $28,105 per year. After completing their degree, parks and rec graduates from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo carry an average student debtload of $18,356. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $272.

As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo also is in the top 5% of our Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in the Far Western US Region ranking.

Full Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo Report

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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend San Jose State University. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in the Far Western US Region list. San Jose State is a very large public school located in the 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 20% of our Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in the Far Western US Region ranking.

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$18,726 Average Tuition & Fees

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 Schools in the Far Western US Region list. CSULB is a fairly large public school located in the large city of Long Beach.

CSULB undergraduate students pay an average of $18,726 in tuition and fees each year. After completing their degree, parks and rec graduates from CSULB carry an average student debtload of $15,750.

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

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$19,272 Average Tuition & Fees

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

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Sac State are $19,272 per year. On average, parks and rec graduates from Sac State take out $20,097 in student loans while working on their degree.

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

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$18,533 Average Tuition & Fees

A rank of #5 on this year’s list means California State University - Fresno is a great value for parks, recreation and leisure studies students. Located in the city of Fresno, Fresno State is a public college with a very large student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Fresno State are $18,533 per year. On average, parks and rec graduates from Fresno State take out $14,007 in student loans while working on their degree.

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

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$18,875 Average Tuition & Fees

California State University - East Bay ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in the Far Western US Region list. Located in the large suburb of Hayward, Cal State East Bay is a public college with a fairly large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Cal State East Bay are $18,875 a year. While working on their degree, parks and rec majors at Cal State East Bay accumulate an average of around $15,668 in student debt.

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$19,744 Average Tuition & Fees

California State University - Chico landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value parks, recreation and leisure studies programs. Chico State is a fairly large public school located in the medium-sized city of Chico.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Chico State are $19,744 a year. After completing their degree, parks and rec graduates from Chico State carry an average student debtload of $18,402.

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$25,748 Average Tuition & Fees

Eastern Washington University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for parks, recreation and leisure studies students. It came in at #8 on the list. Located in the town of Cheney, EWU is a public college with a fairly large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at EWU are $25,748 a year.

Full Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at Eastern Washington University Report

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#9

San Diego State University

San Diego, CA
$20,016 Average Tuition & Fees

With a ranking of #9, San Diego State University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for parks, recreation and leisure studies students. Located in the city of San Diego, SDSU is a public school with a very large student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at SDSU are $20,016 per year. While working on their degree, parks and rec majors at SDSU accumulate an average of around $17,841 in student debt.

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#10

San Francisco State University

San Francisco, CA
$19,184 Average Tuition & Fees

San Francisco State University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for parks, recreation and leisure studies students. It came in at #10 on the list. Located in the city of San Francisco, SFSU is a public college with a fairly large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at SFSU are $19,184 a year. Parks & Rec majors at SFSU take out an average of $16,648 in student loans while working on their egree.

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Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Colleges by State

Explore the best parks, recreation and leisure studies colleges for a specific state in the Far Western US region.

State Degrees Awarded
California 668
Washington 58
Oregon 41
Nevada 0
Alaska 7

More Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Rankings in the Far Western US Region

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 15 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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