2023 Best Value Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in the Southeast Region
Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing
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.
Top 10 Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools
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 small city of Hattiesburg, Southern Miss is a public school 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.
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Out of the 16 schools in the Southeast Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Shepherd University landed the # 2 spot on the list. Shepherd University is a small public school located in the town of Shepherdstown.
Shepherd University undergraduate students pay an average of $18,224 in tuition and fees each 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.
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A rank of #3 on this year’s list means Georgia Southern University is a great value for parks, recreation and leisure studies students. Located in the town of Statesboro, GaSou is a public college with a fairly large student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at GaSou are $17,539 per 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.
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Out of the 16 schools in the Southeast Region that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Arkansas landed the # 4 spot on the list. Located in the city of Fayetteville, UARK is a public college with a fairly large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at UARK are $26,390 a year. On average, parks and rec graduates from UARK take out $22,630 in student loans while working on their degree.
UARK excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 15% of all schools on our Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in the Southeast Region list.
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Out of the 16 schools in the Southeast Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Radford University landed the # 5 spot on the list. Radford is a moderately-sized public school located in the suburb of Radford.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Radford are $23,624 a 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.
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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.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at North Greenville are $22,470 per year.
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Georgia College & State University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in the Southeast Region ranking. Located in the town of Milledgeville, Georgia College is a public school with a medium-sized student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Georgia College are $28,704 a year.
On top of its placing in our value ranking, Georgia College 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.
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University of North Carolina at Greensboro came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in the Southeast Region ranking. UNC Greensboro is a fairly large public school located in the large city of Greensboro.
UNC Greensboro undergraduate students pay an average of $22,627 in tuition and fees each 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.
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East Carolina University ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in the Southeast Region list. Located in the 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.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, ECU also is in the top 15% of our Best Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Schools in the Southeast Region ranking.
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With a ranking of #10, University of South Alabama did quite well on this year’s best value schools for parks, recreation and leisure studies students. Located in the city of Mobile, USA is a public college with a 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.
Full Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies at University of South Alabama Report
Request InformationBest Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Colleges by State
Explore the best parks, recreation and leisure studies schools 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 |
More Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies Rankings in the Southeast Region
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.
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.
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