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

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

Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing

13 Colleges
$19,948 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$32,670 Avg Salary

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

In 2020-2021, 1,001 degrees and certificates were awarded to parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students who went to a Wisconsin college or university. This makes it the #17 most popular major in the state.

It's not easy to decide which program to enroll in when you have so many options available. With more and more schools offering online options, you could even register for a great program on the other side of the country. On top of that, there are a considerable number of trade schools that offer fast-track entry to many fields.

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 Wisconsin to help you in your search for the best school for you. This report analyzed 13 schools in Wisconsin 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.

2023 Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools in Wisconsin

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

$7,844 Average Tuition & Fees

Our analysis found University of Wisconsin - Platteville to be the best value school for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students who want to pursue a degree in Wisconsin. UW - Platteville is a moderately-sized public school located in the town of Platteville.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at UW - Platteville are $7,844 a year. The average amount in student loans that parks and rec majors at UW - Platteville take out is $30,247.

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

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$8,331 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in Wisconsin list. Located in the town of Stevens Point, UW - Stevens Point is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at UW - Stevens Point are $8,331 per year. Parks & Rec majors at UW - Stevens Point take out an average of $26,000 in student loans while working on their egree.

Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point

$8,088 Average Tuition & Fees

The excellent programs at University of Wisconsin - River Falls helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies schools in Wisconsin. UW - River Falls is a medium-sized public school located in the distant town of River Falls.

UW - River Falls undergraduate students pay an average of $8,088 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

UW - River Falls also made our Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in Wisconsin list, coming in at #5.

Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at University of Wisconsin - River Falls Report

$9,195 Average Tuition & Fees

A rank of #4 on this year’s list means University of Wisconsin - La Crosse is a great value for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students. Located in the small city of La Crosse, UW - La Crosse is a public school with a fairly large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at UW - La Crosse are $9,195 a year. On average, parks and rec graduates from UW - La Crosse take out $24,483 in student loans while working on their degree. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $183, 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, UW - La Crosse is ranked #3 for overall quality for parks and rec in Wisconsin.

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$8,874 Average Tuition & Fees

The excellent programs at University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies schools in Wisconsin. UW - Eau Claire is a large public school located in the small city of Eau Claire.

UW - Eau Claire undergraduate students pay an average of $8,874 in in-state tuition and fees each year. On average, parks and rec graduates from UW - Eau Claire take out $23,673 in student loans while working on their degree.

In addition to its great value ranking, UW - Eau Claire is in the top 20% of all schools on our Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in Wisconsin list.

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$10,720 Average Tuition & Fees

With a ranking of #6, University of Wisconsin - Madison did quite well on this year’s best value schools for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students. UW - Madison is a very large public school located in the city of Madison.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at UW - Madison are $10,720 per year. Parks & Rec majors at UW - Madison take out an average of $25,787 in student loans while working on their egree.

UW - Madison also made our Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in Wisconsin list, coming in at #1.

Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at University of Wisconsin - Madison Report

$9,610 Average Tuition & Fees

University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in Wisconsin ranking. UWM is a fairly large public school located in the city of Milwaukee.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at UWM are $9,610 a year. The average amount in student loans that parks and rec majors at UWM take out is $28,453. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $189, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee Report

$34,762 Average Tuition & Fees

With a ranking of #8, Cardinal Stritch University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students. Cardinal Stritch is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Milwaukee.

Cardinal Stritch undergraduate students pay an average of $34,762 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Cardinal Stritch University Report

#9

Marian University

Fond Du Lac, WI
$29,130 Average Tuition & Fees

With a ranking of #9, Marian University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students. Marian is a small private not-for-profit school located in the small city of Fond Du Lac.

Marian undergraduate students pay an average of $29,130 in in-state tuition and fees each year. Parks & Rec majors at Marian take out an average of $27,000 in student loans while working on their egree.

Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Marian University Report

#10

Wisconsin Lutheran College

Milwaukee, WI
$32,766 Average Tuition & Fees

With a ranking of #10, Wisconsin Lutheran College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students. WLC is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Milwaukee.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at WLC are $32,766 per year. Parks & Rec majors at WLC take out an average of $27,000 in student loans while working on their egree.

Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Wisconsin Lutheran College Report

Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Colleges in the Great Lakes Region

Explore all the Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Colleges in the Great Lakes Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
Indiana 1,818
Michigan 2,279
Ohio 2,647
Illinois 2,396

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 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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