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Best Value Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in New York

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2023 Best Value Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in New York

Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing

4 Colleges
$23,525 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$35,560 Avg Salary

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

In 2020-2021, 135 degrees and certificates were awarded to parks, recreation and leisure studies students who went to a New York college or university. This makes it the #194 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. 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.

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 New York ranking. This report analyzed 4 schools in New York 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 New York

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

Best New York Schools for Affordable Quality in Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies

#1

SUNY Cortland

Cortland, NY

Our analysis found SUNY Cortland to be the best value school for parks, recreation and leisure studies students who want to pursue a degree in New York. Located in the town of Cortland, SUNY Cortland is a public college with a medium-sized student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at SUNY Cortland are $8,815 a year.

SUNY Cortland also claimed a spot on our Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in New York list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools in this category.

Read More…

#2

Lehman College

Bronx, NY
$7,410 Average Tuition & Fees

A rank of #2 on this year’s list means Lehman College is a great value for parks, recreation and leisure studies students. Lehman is a large public school located in the large city of Bronx.

Lehman undergraduate students pay an average of $7,410 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

Full Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at Lehman College Report

#3

Ithaca College

Ithaca, NY
$46,760 Average Tuition & Fees

Out of the 4 schools in New York that were part of this year’s ranking, Ithaca College landed the # 3 spot on the list. Located in the small suburb of Ithaca, Ithaca is a private not-for-profit college with a moderately-sized student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Ithaca are $46,760 a year.

In addition to its great value ranking, Ithaca is in the top 15% of all schools on our Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in New York list.

Read full report on Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at Ithaca College

$31,115 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Paul Smiths College of Arts and Science. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Value Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in New York list. Located in the rural area of Paul Smiths, Paul Smith's College is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

In-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 Value Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Colleges in the Middle Atlantic Region

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

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

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 4 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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