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Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Plains States Region

2023 Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Plains States Region

Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices

73 Colleges
$14,842 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$28,979 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor's Degree School for You

Out of all the majors we analyze each year, parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies was ranked #15 in the country. In fact 73,813 degrees and certificates were handed out in 2020-2021.

When it comes to higher education, there are a lot of options for students. With more and more schools offering online options, you could even register for a great program on the other side of the country. On top of that, there are a considerable number of trade schools that offer fast-track entry to many fields.

The Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Plains States Region ranking is one of many tools that Course Advisor has developed to help you make your educational decision. Our analysis looked at 73 schools in the Plains States Region to see which bachelor's degree 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. More specifically, we discount our quality score by the published tuition and fees charged by a school. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The value is determined by how much quality your dollar buys.

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

Top 10 Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor's Degree Schools

#1

Dickinson State University

Dickinson, ND

Our 2023 rankings named Dickinson State University the best value school in the Plains States Region for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students working on their bachelor’s degree. DSU is a small public school located in the town of Dickinson.

DSU undergraduate students pay an average of $9,942 in tuition and fees each year.

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#2

Wayne State College

Wayne, NE

The excellent bachelor’s degree programs at Wayne State College helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best value parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies schools in the Plains States Region . WSC is a small public school located in the distant town of Wayne.

WSC undergraduate students pay an average of $7,458 in tuition and fees each year.

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#3

Chadron State College

Chadron, NE

Out of the 73 schools in the Plains States Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Chadron State College landed the # 3 spot on the list. Chadron State College is a small public school located in the town of Chadron.

Chadron State College undergraduate students pay an average of $7,206 in tuition and fees each year.

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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Minot State University. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region list. Located in the town of Minot, MSU is a public school with a small student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at MSU are $8,163 per year.

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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend South Dakota State University. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region list. Located in the remote town of Brookings, South Dakota State is a public college with a fairly large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at South Dakota State are $12,809 a year.

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Southwest Minnesota State University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. Southwest Minnesota State University is a medium-sized public school located in the town of Marshall.

Southwest Minnesota State University undergraduate students pay an average of $9,482 in tuition and fees each year.

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#7

University of North Dakota

Grand Forks, ND

University of North Dakota came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. Located in the city of Grand Forks, UND is a public college with a fairly large student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at UND are $15,037 per year.

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With a ranking of #8, Northern State University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students working on their bachelor’s degree. NSU is a small public school located in the remote town of Aberdeen.

NSU undergraduate students pay an average of $11,947 in tuition and fees each year.

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With a ranking of #9, North Dakota State University - Main Campus did quite well on this year’s best value schools for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students working on their bachelor’s degree. North Dakota State University is a fairly large public school located in the medium-sized city of Fargo.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at North Dakota State University are $14,876 a year.

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#10

Saint Cloud State University

Saint Cloud, MN

Saint Cloud State University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students to get a bachelor’s degree. It came in at #10 on the list. Located in the city of Saint Cloud, St. Cloud State University is a public college with a large student population.

St. Cloud State University undergraduate students pay an average of $18,010 in tuition and fees each year.

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Additional Noteworthy Schools

Here are some additional great value schools for Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness students in the Plains States Region seeking value that almost earned our Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Plains States Region award.

Rank College Location
11 Winona State University Winona, MN
12 Northwest Missouri State University Maryville, MO
13 Minnesota State University - Mankato Mankato, MN
14 University of Minnesota - Crookston Crookston, MN

Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Colleges by State

Explore the best parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies schools for a specific state in the Plains States region.

State Degrees Awarded
Kansas 710
Minnesota 1,139
Iowa 1,491
South Dakota 342
Missouri 1,342
Nebraska 429
North Dakota 266

Parks & Rec Majors to Study

Major Annual Graduates
Health & Physical Education 67,146
Recreation Administration 3,122
Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies 3,106
Outdoor Education 265
Other Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies 174

Related Major Annual Graduates
Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting 142,610
Public Administration & Social Service 98,583
Legal Professions 61,055
Military Technologies & Applied Sciences 4,477

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 26 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).
  • Credit for the banner image above goes to NPS Photo/Zurbuch.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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