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.
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2023 Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools in the Far Western US Region
The colleges and universities below are the best value schools for parks and rec majors pursuing a .
Top 10 Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools
Our analysis found International Sports Sciences Association to be the best value school for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students who want to pursue a degree in the Far Western US Region . 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.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Concordia University, Irvine. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in the Far Western US Region list. Concordia University, Irvine is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Irvine.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Concordia University, Irvine are $38,740 per 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.
Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Concordia University, Irvine
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Point Loma Nazarene University. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in the Far Western US Region list. PLNU is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of San Diego.
PLNU undergraduate students pay an average of $39,500 in tuition and fees each year.
Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Point Loma Nazarene University Report
The excellent programs at Mt. San Antonio College helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies schools in the Far Western US Region . 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.
San Jose State University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in the Far Western US Region ranking. 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.
On top of its placing in our value ranking, San Jose State also did well on our Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in the Far Western US Region list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at San Jose State University
With a ranking of #7, National University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students. Located in the large city of La Jolla, National University is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly 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.
National University also claimed a spot on our Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in the Far Western US Region list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools in this category.
Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at National University
California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies programs. Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is a fairly large public school located in the suburb of San Luis Obispo.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo are $28,105 a 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.
Cal Poly San Luis Obispo excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 5% of all schools on our Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in the Far Western US Region list.
With a ranking of #9, California State University - East Bay did quite well on this year’s best value schools for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students. Located in the 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.
With a ranking of #10, California State University - Sacramento did quite well on this year’s best value schools for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students. Located in the large city of Sacramento, Sac State is a public school with a fairly large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Sac State are $19,272 a 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.
Best 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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