2023 Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in the Far Western US Region
Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing
Finding the Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies School for You
Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies is the #15 most popular major in the country with 73,813 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 & Fitness Schools in the Far Western US Region ranking. This report analyzed 55 schools in the Far Western US 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, & Fitness Studies Schools
Our 2023 rankings named International Sports Sciences Association the best value school in the Far Western US Region for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students. Located in the midsize suburb of Carpinteria, ISSA is a private for-profit college with a small student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at ISSA are $10,107 a year. Parks & Rec majors at ISSA take out an average of $17,163 in student loans while working on their egree.
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A rank of #2 on this year’s list means Concordia University, Irvine is a great value for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students. Concordia University, Irvine is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Irvine.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Concordia University, Irvine are $38,740 a year. On average, parks and rec graduates from Concordia University, Irvine take out $26,000 in student loans while working on their degree. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $602.
Concordia University, Irvine excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 20% of all schools on our Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in the Far Western US Region list.
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A rank of #4 on this year’s list means Point Loma Nazarene University is a great value for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students. PLNU is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of San Diego.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at PLNU are $39,500 a year.
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A rank of #5 on this year’s list means Mt. San Antonio College is a great value for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students. Mt. SAC is a very large public school located in the large suburb of Walnut.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Mt. SAC are $10,032 a year. On average, parks and rec graduates from Mt. SAC take out $7,677 in student loans while working on their degree.
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San Jose State University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students. It came in at #6 on the list. San Jose State is a very large public school located in the large city of San Jose.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at San Jose State are $19,732 a year.
San Jose State excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 20% of all schools on our Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in the Far Western US Region list.
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National University ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in the Far Western US Region list. Located in the large city of La Jolla, National University is a private not-for-profit school with a large student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at National University are $13,320 per year. After completing their degree, parks and rec graduates from National University carry an average student debtload of $36,313.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, National University also is in the top 20% of our Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in the Far Western US Region ranking.
Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at National University Report
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California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students. It came in at #8 on the list. Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is a fairly large public school located in the small suburb of San Luis Obispo.
Cal Poly San Luis Obispo undergraduate students pay an average of $28,105 in tuition and fees each year. After completing their degree, parks and rec graduates from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo carry an average student debtload of $17,428. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $299.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo also is in the top 5% of our Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in the Far Western US Region ranking.
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California State University - East Bay ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in the Far Western US Region list. Located in the large suburb of Hayward, Cal State East Bay is a public college with a large student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Cal State East Bay are $18,875 per year. Parks & Rec majors at Cal State East Bay take out an average of $16,084 in student loans while working on their egree. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $188.
Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at California State University - East Bay Report
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California State University - Sacramento landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies programs. Located in the large city of Sacramento, Sac State is a public school with a very large student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Sac State are $19,272 per year. Parks & Rec majors at Sac State take out an average of $18,455 in student loans while working on their egree. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $199, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
Request InformationBest Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Colleges by State
Explore the best parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies colleges for a specific state in the Far Western US region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| California | 11,237 |
| Washington | 673 |
| Oregon | 629 |
| Hawaii | 171 |
| Nevada | 273 |
| Alaska | 35 |
More Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Rankings in the Far Western US Region
Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Related Majors for 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 |
Majors Similar 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 25 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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