2023 Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in Michigan
Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices
Finding the Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies School for You
Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies is the #13 most popular major in Michigan with 2,279 degrees and certificates awarded in 2020-2021.
There are lots of options to pick from today when trying to decide which program is right for you. You can choose a traditional brick and mortar school, or with the growth of online education, you can attend a school half-way across the country without even leaving your house. Also there are many trade schools that offer short-term programs that open up more career options.
The Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in Michigan ranking is one of many tools that Course Advisor has developed to help you make your educational decision. This report analyzed 18 schools in Michigan 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.
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 Schools
Our analysis found Saginaw Valley State University to be the best value school for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students who want to pursue a degree in Michigan. Located in the medium-sized suburb of University Center, Saginaw Valley State University is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Saginaw Valley State University are $11,130 a year. While working on their degree, parks and rec majors at Saginaw Valley State University accumulate an average of around $30,096 in student debt.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend University of Michigan - Ann Arbor. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in Michigan list. Located in the city of Ann Arbor, U-M is a public college with a fairly large student population.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at U-M are $17,193 per year. While working on their degree, parks and rec majors at U-M accumulate an average of around $17,507 in student debt. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $531.
In addition to its best value ranking, and one of the reasons why the school is on the list, U-M is ranked #2 for overall quality for parks and rec in Michigan.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Grand Valley State University. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in Michigan list. Located in the suburb of Allendale, GVSU is a public school with a fairly large student population.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at GVSU are $13,900 per year. The average amount in student loans that parks and rec majors at GVSU take out is $27,000. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $303.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, GVSU also is in the top 15% of our Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in Michigan ranking.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Central Michigan University. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in Michigan list. Central Michigan is a fairly large public school located in the distant town of Mount Pleasant.
Central Michigan undergraduate students pay an average of $13,094 in in-state tuition and fees each year. After completing their degree, parks and rec graduates from Central Michigan carry an average student debtload of $29,000. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $259, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
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Out of the 18 schools in Michigan that were part of this year’s ranking, Michigan State University landed the # 5 spot on the list. Michigan State is a fairly large public school located in the small city of East Lansing.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Michigan State are $15,966 a year. While working on their degree, parks and rec majors at Michigan State accumulate an average of around $25,926 in student debt. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $408, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
In addition to its best value ranking, and one of the reasons why the school is on the list, Michigan State is ranked #4 for overall quality for parks and rec in Michigan.
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Western Michigan University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in Michigan ranking. WMU is a large public school located in the small city of Kalamazoo.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at WMU are $13,434 a year. After completing their degree, parks and rec graduates from WMU carry an average student debtload of $27,000. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $373, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
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Eastern Michigan University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in Michigan ranking. Eastern Michigan is a large public school located in the suburb of Ypsilanti.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Eastern Michigan are $15,500 per year. On average, parks and rec graduates from Eastern Michigan take out $27,000 in student loans while working on their degree. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $175, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
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Northern Michigan University ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in Michigan list. Located in the remote town of Marquette, Northern Michigan University is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.
Northern Michigan University undergraduate students pay an average of $13,206 in in-state tuition and fees each year. After completing their degree, parks and rec graduates from Northern Michigan University carry an average student debtload of $21,494.
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Davenport University ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in Michigan list. Davenport University is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Grand Rapids.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Davenport University are $20,964 per year. The average amount in student loans that parks and rec majors at Davenport University take out is $29,375.
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With a ranking of #10, Wayne State University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students. Wayne State is a fairly large public school located in the city of Detroit.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Wayne State are $15,199 a year.
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Request InformationBest Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Colleges in the Great Lakes Region
Explore all the Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools in the Great Lakes Area or other specific states within that region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| Indiana | 1,818 |
| Ohio | 2,647 |
| Illinois | 2,396 |
| Wisconsin | 1,001 |
More Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Rankings in Michigan
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 18 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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