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Best Value Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in California

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2023 Best Value Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in California

Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing

11 Colleges
$7,649 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$37,222 Avg Salary

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.

2023 Best Value Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in California

The following schools top our list of the Best Value Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Colleges.

Top 10 Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools

$10,195 Average Tuition & Fees

Our 2023 rankings named California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo the best value school in California for parks, recreation and leisure studies students. Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is a fairly large public school located in the small 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 also claimed a spot on our Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in California list. It’s in the top 5% of all schools in this category.

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

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 fairly large public school located in the city of San Jose.

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

San Jose State also claimed a spot on our Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in California list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools in this category.

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

$6,653 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Fresno. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in California list. Located in the large city of Fresno, Fresno State is a public school 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.

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

$6,846 Average Tuition & Fees

The excellent programs at California State University - Long Beach helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best parks, recreation and leisure studies schools in California. 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

$6,995 Average Tuition & Fees

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 Schools in California list. Located in the suburb of Hayward, Cal State East Bay is a public college with a fairly 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.

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

$7,392 Average Tuition & Fees

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. Located in the city of Sacramento, Sac State is a public college with a fairly large student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Sac State are $7,392 per 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

$7,864 Average Tuition & Fees

California State University - Chico came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in California ranking. Chico State is a large public school located in the midsize 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.

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

#8

San Francisco State University

San Francisco, CA
$7,304 Average Tuition & Fees

With a ranking of #8, San Francisco 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 Francisco, SFSU is a public school with a very large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at SFSU are $7,304 a year. While working on their degree, parks and rec majors at SFSU accumulate an average of around $16,648 in student debt.

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

#9

San Diego State University

San Diego, CA
$8,136 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 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.

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

$7,043 Average Tuition & Fees

California State University - Northridge ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in California list. 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.

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

Best 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

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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