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Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in Washington

2023 Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in Washington

Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing

6 Colleges
$22,589 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$34,351 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies School for You

Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies is the #21 most popular major in Washington with 673 degrees and certificates awarded in 2020-2021.

There are so many programs in today's world that it can tough to figure out which one is the right one for you. Along with traditional schools that require in-person attendence, you can attend one of many reputable online schools. Some programs even offer a hybrid experience. Alternatively, you may choose a trade school that prepares you to enter the workforce with knowledge in a specific field.

Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Course Advisor has created the Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in Washington to help you in your search for the best school for you. This report analyzed 6 schools in Washington 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.

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. 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.

For nationwide and regional rankings, we use out-of-state tuition and fees in our calculations. For statewide rankings, we use average in-state tuition and fees.

Best Washington Schools for Affordable Quality in Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness

$7,922 Average Tuition & Fees

Our 2023 rankings named Eastern Washington University the best value school in Washington for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students. Located in the fringe town of Cheney, EWU is a public school with a fairly large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at EWU are $7,922 a year. Parks & Rec majors at EWU take out an average of $19,000 in student loans while working on their egree.

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$8,685 Average Tuition & Fees

The excellent programs at Central Washington University helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies schools in Washington. Located in the distant town of Ellensburg, CWU is a public college with a large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at CWU are $8,685 a year. Parks & Rec majors at CWU take out an average of $22,013 in student loans while working on their egree. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $210, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

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$8,703 Average Tuition & Fees

A rank of #3 on this year’s list means Western Washington University is a great value for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students. WWU is a large public school located in the city of Bellingham.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at WWU are $8,703 per year. The average amount in student loans that parks and rec majors at WWU take out is $19,975. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $250, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

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$12,417 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Washington State University. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in Washington list. Wazzu is a very large public school located in the town of Pullman.

Wazzu undergraduate students pay an average of $12,417 in in-state tuition and fees each year. While working on their degree, parks and rec majors at Wazzu accumulate an average of around $23,750 in student debt. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $456.

Wazzu also claimed a spot on our Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in Washington list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools in this category.

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#5

Gonzaga University

Spokane, WA
$48,470 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Gonzaga University. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in Washington list. Located in the midsize city of Spokane, Gonzaga is a private not-for-profit college with a medium-sized student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Gonzaga are $48,470 a year.

Gonzaga also made our Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in Washington list, coming in at #4.

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#6

Seattle University

Seattle, WA
$49,335 Average Tuition & Fees

Seattle University landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies programs. Located in the city of Seattle, Seattle U is a private not-for-profit school with a medium-sized student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Seattle U are $49,335 a year. Parks & Rec majors at Seattle U take out an average of $24,750 in student loans while working on their egree.

In addition to its great value ranking, Seattle U is in the top 20% of all schools on our Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in Washington list.

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Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Colleges in the Far Western US Region

Explore all the Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
California 11,237
Oregon 629
Hawaii 171
Nevada 273
Alaska 35

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 6 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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