Find Schools

Study Area & Zipcode

Best Value Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region

Find Schools Near

2023 Best Value Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region

Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing

8 Colleges
$23,909 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$34,534 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. You're no longer limited to schools in your local area, either, since online programs are becoming more prevalent. Or you may find the programs at a trade school to be a better alternative for you.

The Best Value Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region ranking is one of many tools that Course Advisor has developed to help you make your educational decision. Our analysis looked at 8 schools in the Middle Atlantic 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.

2023 Best Value Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region

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

Best Middle Atlantic Region Schools for Affordable Quality in Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies

$15,170 Average Tuition & Fees

Our analysis found Kutztown University of Pennsylvania to be the best value school for parks, recreation and leisure studies students who want to pursue a degree in the Middle Atlantic Region . Kutztown University is a moderately-sized public school located in the town of Kutztown.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Kutztown University are $15,170 per year. Parks & Rec majors at Kutztown University take out an average of $26,999 in student loans while working on their egree. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $197, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

Read full report on Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at Kutztown University of Pennsylvania

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend York College of Pennsylvania. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best Value Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region list. YCP is a small private not-for-profit school located in the midsize suburb of York.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at YCP are $22,350 per year.

Read More…

#3

Gallaudet University

Washington, DC
$17,712 Average Tuition & Fees

The excellent programs at Gallaudet University helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best parks, recreation and leisure studies schools in the Middle Atlantic Region . Located in the large city of Washington, Gallaudet is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Gallaudet are $17,712 per year.

Full Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at Gallaudet University Report

#4

SUNY Cortland

Cortland, NY
$18,725 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend SUNY Cortland. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Value Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region list. Located in the distant town of Cortland, SUNY Cortland is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at SUNY Cortland are $18,725 per year.

Full Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at SUNY Cortland Report

#5

Lehman College

Bronx, NY
$15,360 Average Tuition & Fees

The excellent programs at Lehman College helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best parks, recreation and leisure studies schools in the Middle Atlantic Region . Lehman is a large public school located in the city of Bronx.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Lehman are $15,360 a year.

Read More…

#6

Frostburg State University

Frostburg, MD
$24,080 Average Tuition & Fees

Frostburg 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 #6 on the list. Located in the small suburb of Frostburg, Frostburg State is a public college with a small student population.

Frostburg State undergraduate students pay an average of $24,080 in tuition and fees each year.

Read More…

#7

Ithaca College

Ithaca, NY

Ithaca College landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value parks, recreation and leisure studies programs. Located in the suburb of Ithaca, Ithaca is a private not-for-profit school with a moderately-sized student population.

Ithaca undergraduate students pay an average of $46,760 in tuition and fees each year.

Ithaca also claimed a spot on our Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools in this category.

Read More…

$31,115 Average Tuition & Fees

With a ranking of #8, Paul Smiths College of Arts and Science did quite well on this year’s best value schools for parks, recreation and leisure studies students. Located in the rural area of Paul Smiths, Paul Smith's College is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Paul Smith’s College are $31,115 per year. Parks & Rec majors at Paul Smith's College take out an average of $27,000 in student loans while working on their egree.

Full Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at Paul Smiths College of Arts and Science Report

Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Colleges by State

Explore the best parks, recreation and leisure studies colleges for a specific state in the Middle Atlantic region.

State Degrees Awarded
Pennsylvania 128
New York 135
Maryland 7
New Jersey 0
District of Columbia 14

More Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Rankings in the Middle Atlantic 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 8 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.

Featured Schools

Find Schools Near You

Our free school finder matches students with accredited colleges across the U.S.