Find Schools

Study Area & Zipcode

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

Find Schools Near

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

Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing

16 Colleges
$21,674 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$28,183 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.

It's not easy to decide which program to enroll in when you have so many options available. 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 the Southeast Region ranking. This report analyzed 16 schools in the Southeast Region 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.

Our ranking of value is based on the quality of a program as defined in our per sticker price dollar. 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.

In our regional and nationwide rankings, out-of-state tution and fees are used in our calculations. For statewide rankings, we use average in-state tuition and fees.

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

Check out the parks and rec programs at these schools if you want to get the best value for your educational dollar.

Top 10 Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools

$11,204 Average Tuition & Fees

Our 2023 rankings named University of Southern Mississippi the best value school in the Southeast Region for parks, recreation and leisure studies students. Located in the city of Hattiesburg, Southern Miss is a public college with a fairly large student population.

Southern Miss undergraduate students pay an average of $11,204 in tuition and fees each year. After completing their degree, parks and rec graduates from Southern Miss carry an average student debtload of $32,125.

Full Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at University of Southern Mississippi Report

#2

Shepherd University

Shepherdstown, WV
$18,224 Average Tuition & Fees

The excellent programs at Shepherd University helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best parks, recreation and leisure studies schools in the Southeast Region . Shepherd University is a small public school located in the fringe town of Shepherdstown.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Shepherd University are $18,224 a year. The average amount in student loans that parks and rec majors at Shepherd University take out is $23,184. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $224, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

Read More…

#3

Georgia Southern University

Statesboro, GA

Out of the 16 schools in the Southeast Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Georgia Southern University landed the # 3 spot on the list. Located in the town of Statesboro, GaSou is a public college with a fairly large student population.

GaSou undergraduate students pay an average of $17,539 in tuition and fees each year. On average, parks and rec graduates from GaSou take out $28,731 in student loans while working on their degree. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $141, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

Full Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at Georgia Southern University Report

#4

University of Arkansas

Fayetteville, AR

The excellent programs at University of Arkansas helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best parks, recreation and leisure studies schools in the Southeast Region . Located in the city of Fayetteville, UARK is a public school with a fairly large student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at UARK are $26,390 per year. On average, parks and rec graduates from UARK take out $22,630 in student loans while working on their degree.

On top of its placing in our value ranking, UARK also did well on our Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in the Southeast Region list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.

Full Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at University of Arkansas Report

#5

Radford University

Radford, VA

The excellent programs at Radford University helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best parks, recreation and leisure studies schools in the Southeast Region . Radford is a moderately-sized public school located in the small suburb of Radford.

Radford undergraduate students pay an average of $23,624 in tuition and fees each year. After completing their degree, parks and rec graduates from Radford carry an average student debtload of $26,239. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $166.

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

Read More…

#6

North Greenville University

Tigerville, SC
$22,470 Average Tuition & Fees

North Greenville 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 rural area of Tigerville, North Greenville is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

North Greenville undergraduate students pay an average of $22,470 in tuition and fees each year.

Read full report on Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at North Greenville University

Georgia College & State University landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value parks, recreation and leisure studies programs. Located in the distant town of Milledgeville, Georgia College is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.

Georgia College undergraduate students pay an average of $28,704 in tuition and fees each year.

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

Full Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at Georgia College & State University Report

University of North Carolina at Greensboro ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in the Southeast Region list. UNC Greensboro is a fairly large public school located in the city of Greensboro.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at UNC Greensboro are $22,627 a year. On average, parks and rec graduates from UNC Greensboro take out $25,599 in student loans while working on their degree. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $107, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

Read More…

#9

East Carolina University

Greenville, NC

East Carolina University landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value parks, recreation and leisure studies programs. Located in the small city of Greenville, ECU is a public school with a fairly large student population.

ECU undergraduate students pay an average of $23,574 in tuition and fees each year. The average amount in student loans that parks and rec majors at ECU take out is $20,451.

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

Full Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at East Carolina University Report

$17,012 Average Tuition & Fees

University of South Alabama landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value parks, recreation and leisure studies programs. Located in the medium-sized city of Mobile, USA is a public college with a fairly large student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at USA are $17,012 per year. The average amount in student loans that parks and rec majors at USA take out is $30,000. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $325.

Read full report on Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at University of South Alabama

Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Colleges by State

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

State Degrees Awarded
Georgia 77
Virginia 74
North Carolina 125
Florida 0
Tennessee 3
Kentucky 3
South Carolina 13
Louisiana 25
Arkansas 80
Alabama 65
Mississippi 45
West Virginia 27

One of 4 majors within the area of study, parks, recreation and leisure studies has other similar majors worth exploring.

Majors Similar to Parks & Rec

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 16 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.