2023 Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Bachelor's Degree Schools in Iowa
Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices
Finding the Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor's Degree School for You
Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies is one of the most popular subjects to study in Iowa. With 1,491 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021, it ranked 8th out of all the majors we track in the state.
There are lots of options to pick from today when trying to decide which program is right 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 assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Course Advisor has created its Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Bachelor's Degree Schools in Iowa ranking. Our analysis looked at 13 schools in Iowa 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.
When determining this ranking, we place a high emphasis on the school's quality as well as its sticker price. Even though a college may be affordable, it may not offer value. 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.
Our calculations use out-of-state tuition and fees in our nationwide and regional rankings. Average in-state tuition and fees are used for our statewide rankings.
Top 10 Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor's Degree Schools
Our analysis found University of Iowa to be the best value school for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students who want to pursue a bachelor’s degree in Iowa. Iowa is a fairly large public school located in the city of Iowa City.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Iowa are $9,942 a year.
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The excellent bachelor’s degree programs at University of Northern Iowa helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best value parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies schools in Iowa. UNI is a medium-sized public school located in the city of Cedar Falls.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at UNI are $9,053 a year.
UNI also made our Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa list, coming in at #5.
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Out of the 13 schools in Iowa that were part of this year’s ranking, Northwestern College landed the # 3 spot on the list. NWC is a small private not-for-profit school located in the distant town of Orange City.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at NWC are $33,590 a year.
NWC did well in our overall quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa list.
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The excellent bachelor’s degree programs at Loras College helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best value parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies schools in Iowa. Loras is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Dubuque.
Loras undergraduate students pay an average of $35,268 in in-state tuition and fees each year.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Simpson College. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa list. Simpson College is a small private not-for-profit school located in the town of Indianola.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Simpson College are $44,030 per year.
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Grand View University ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa list. Located in the midsize city of Des Moines, Grand View University is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
Grand View University undergraduate students pay an average of $30,954 in in-state tuition and fees each year.
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Saint Ambrose 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 #7 on the list. St. Ambrose University is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Davenport.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at St. Ambrose University are $33,570 per year.
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With a ranking of #8, Cornell College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students working on their bachelor’s degree. Cornell College is a small private not-for-profit school located in the town of Mount Vernon.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Cornell College are $47,726 a year.
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Buena Vista 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 #9 on the list. BVU is a small private not-for-profit school located in the remote town of Storm Lake.
BVU undergraduate students pay an average of $37,518 in in-state tuition and fees each year.
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Graceland University - Lamoni 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 rural area of Lamoni, Graceland Lamoni is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
Graceland Lamoni undergraduate students pay an average of $31,920 in in-state tuition and fees each year.
Request InformationBest Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Colleges in the Plains States Region
Explore all the Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Colleges in the Plains States Area or other specific states within that region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| Kansas | 710 |
| Minnesota | 1,139 |
| South Dakota | 342 |
| Missouri | 1,342 |
| Nebraska | 429 |
| North Dakota | 266 |
More Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Rankings in Iowa
Majors Related to Parks & Rec
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 |
Most Popular Majors Related to Parks & Rec
| 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 13 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.