2023 Best Value Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in California
Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing
Finding the Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies 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.
To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Course Advisor has developed this Best Value Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in California ranking. This report analyzed 11 schools in California to see which ones offered the best value programs for parks and rec students. The goal was to highlight schools with more affordable prices than others offering similar quality experiences.
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 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 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. 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 in California list.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend San Jose State University. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best Value Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in California list. San Jose State is a very large public school located in the large city of San Jose.
San Jose State undergraduate students pay an average of $7,852 in in-state tuition and fees each year.
On top of its placing in our value ranking, San Jose State also did well on our Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in California list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
Read full report on Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at San Jose State University
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Out of the 11 schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Fresno landed the # 3 spot on the list. Located in the city of Fresno, Fresno State is a public college with a very large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Fresno State are $6,653 a year. Parks & Rec majors at Fresno State take out an average of $14,007 in student loans while working on their egree.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Long Beach. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in California list. CSULB is a fairly large public school located in the city of Long Beach.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at CSULB are $6,846 a year. The average amount in student loans that parks and rec majors at CSULB take out is $15,750.
Full Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at California State University - Long Beach Report
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - East Bay. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in California list. Located in the suburb of Hayward, Cal State East Bay is a public college with a large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Cal State East Bay are $6,995 a year. After completing their degree, parks and rec graduates from Cal State East Bay carry an average student debtload of $15,668.
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California State University - Sacramento ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in California list. Located in the city of Sacramento, Sac State is a public college with a very large student population.
Sac State undergraduate students pay an average of $7,392 in in-state tuition and fees each year. Parks & Rec majors at Sac State take out an average of $20,097 in student loans while working on their egree.
Full Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at California State University - Sacramento Report
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California State University - Chico ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in California list. 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 is $18,402.
Read full report on Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at California State University - Chico
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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 #8 on the list. Located in the city of San Francisco, SFSU is a public school with a fairly large student population.
SFSU undergraduate students pay an average of $7,304 in in-state tuition and fees each year. While working on their degree, parks and rec majors at SFSU accumulate an average of around $16,648 in student debt.
Full Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at San Francisco State University Report
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San Diego State University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in California ranking. Located in the city of San Diego, SDSU is a public college with a fairly large student population.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at SDSU are $8,136 per year. After completing their degree, parks and rec graduates from SDSU carry an average student debtload of $17,841.
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California State University - Northridge came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in California ranking. Located in the large 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.
Read full report on Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at California State University - Northridge
Request InformationBest Value Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Colleges in the Far Western US Region
Explore all the Best Value Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| Washington | 58 |
| Oregon | 41 |
| Nevada | 0 |
| Alaska | 7 |
More Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Rankings in California
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 Related Majors
| 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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