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Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Bachelor's Degree Schools in Iowa

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2023 Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Bachelor's Degree Schools in Iowa

Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices

13 Colleges
$32,688 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$28,979 Avg Salary

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.

2023 Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa

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

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

#1

University of Iowa

Iowa City, IA

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 small city of Iowa City.

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

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#2

University of Northern Iowa

Cedar Falls, IA

Out of the 13 schools in Iowa that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Northern Iowa landed the # 2 spot on the list. UNI is a moderately-sized public school located in the city of Cedar Falls.

UNI undergraduate students pay an average of $9,053 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

UNI not only placed well in our value ranking, but it is also #5 on our Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa list.

Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at University of Northern Iowa Report

#3

Northwestern College

Orange City, IA

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Northwestern College. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa list. NWC is a small private not-for-profit school located in the town of Orange City.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at NWC are $33,590 per year.

In addition to its best value ranking, and one of the reasons why the school is on the list, NWC is ranked #3 for overall quality for parks and rec in Iowa.

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

#4

Loras College

Dubuque, IA

A rank of #4 on this year’s list means Loras College is a great value for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students working on their bachelor’s degree. Loras is a small private not-for-profit school located in the small city of Dubuque.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Loras are $35,268 a year.

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#5

Simpson College

Indianola, IA

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.

Simpson College undergraduate students pay an average of $44,030 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

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#6

Grand View University

Des Moines, IA

Grand View University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa ranking. Located in the midsize city of Des Moines, Grand View University is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Grand View University are $30,954 a year.

Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Grand View University Report

#7

Saint Ambrose University

Davenport, IA

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 medium-sized city of Davenport.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at St. Ambrose University are $33,570 per year.

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#8

Cornell College

Mount Vernon, IA

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 fringe town of Mount Vernon.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Cornell College are $47,726 per year.

Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Cornell College Report

#9

Buena Vista University

Storm Lake, IA

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.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at BVU are $37,518 a year.

Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Buena Vista University

Graceland University - Lamoni landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value bachelor’s degree parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies programs. Located in the remote area of Lamoni, Graceland Lamoni is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Graceland Lamoni are $31,920 per year.

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Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Colleges in the Plains States Region

Explore all the Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools 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

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 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.

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