2023 Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in the Middle Atlantic 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.
Today's students have lots of options to pick from when considering higher education opportunities. 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 the Middle Atlantic Region to help you in your search for the best school for you. Our analysis looked at 71 schools in the Middle Atlantic Region to see which programs offered the best value experiences for parks and rec students with the aim of identifying those quality schools that are more affordable than some of their counterparts.
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. 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.
Our calculations use out-of-state tuition and fees in our nationwide and regional rankings. 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 Middle Atlantic Region
The following schools top our list of the Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Colleges.
Top 10 Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools
Our analysis found Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania to be the best value school for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students who want to pursue a degree in the Middle Atlantic Region . SRU is a medium-sized public school located in the town of Slippery Rock.
SRU undergraduate students pay an average of $14,615 in tuition and fees each year. On average, parks and rec graduates from SRU take out $26,500 in student loans while working on their degree. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $375.
A rank of #2 on this year’s list means Kutztown University of Pennsylvania is a great value for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students. Kutztown University is a medium-sized public school located in the fringe town of Kutztown.
Kutztown University undergraduate students pay an average of $15,170 in tuition and fees each year. After completing their degree, parks and rec graduates from Kutztown University carry an average student debtload of $26,999. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $197.
Out of the 71 schools in the Middle Atlantic Region that were part of this year’s ranking, California University of Pennsylvania landed the # 3 spot on the list. Cal U is a moderately-sized public school located in the suburb of California.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Cal U are $15,726 per year. While working on their degree, parks and rec majors at Cal U accumulate an average of around $32,130 in student debt. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $169, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at California University of Pennsylvania Report
The excellent programs at Edinboro University of Pennsylvania helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies schools in the Middle Atlantic Region . Edinboro is a small public school located in the fringe town of Edinboro.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Edinboro are $15,062 per year. While working on their degree, parks and rec majors at Edinboro accumulate an average of around $29,750 in student debt. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $260, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Edinboro University of Pennsylvania Report
The excellent programs at Farmingdale State 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 Middle Atlantic Region . SUNY College of Technology at Farmingdale is a moderately-sized public school located in the large suburb of Farmingdale.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at SUNY College of Technology at Farmingdale are $18,486 a year. On average, parks and rec graduates from SUNY College of Technology at Farmingdale take out $25,966 in student loans while working on their degree.
With a ranking of #6, Salisbury University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students. Salisbury is a medium-sized public school located in the small suburb of Salisbury.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Salisbury are $20,458 per year. Parks & Rec majors at Salisbury take out an average of $21,604 in student loans while working on their egree. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $377, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
Salisbury 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 Middle Atlantic Region list.
Lock Haven University landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies programs. Located in the town of Lock Haven, LHU is a public school with a small student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at LHU are $20,702 per year. After completing their degree, parks and rec graduates from LHU carry an average student debtload of $27,000. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $254, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Lock Haven University Report
Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania 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. Located in the fringe town of Shippensburg, Ship is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.
Ship undergraduate students pay an average of $14,122 in tuition and fees each year. After completing their degree, parks and rec graduates from Ship carry an average student debtload of $27,000.
Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania Report
Kean University landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies programs. Kean is a fairly large public school located in the large suburb of Union.
Kean undergraduate students pay an average of $19,771 in tuition and fees each year. After completing their degree, parks and rec graduates from Kean carry an average student debtload of $28,125.
The College at Brockport 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 #10 on the list. Located in the fringe town of Brockport, SUNY Brockport is a public school with a medium-sized student population.
SUNY Brockport undergraduate students pay an average of $18,588 in tuition and fees each year. On average, parks and rec graduates from SUNY Brockport take out $25,654 in student loans while working on their degree. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $226.
Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at The College at Brockport Report
Honorable Mentions
These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 11 | West Chester University of Pennsylvania | West Chester, PA |
| 12 | York College of Pennsylvania | York, PA |
| 13 | Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania | Bloomsburg, PA |
| 14 | East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania | East Stroudsburg, PA |
Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Colleges by State
Explore the best parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies schools for a specific state in the Middle Atlantic region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| New Jersey | 1,047 |
| Pennsylvania | 2,734 |
| New York | 2,477 |
| Maryland | 832 |
| Delaware | 342 |
| District of Columbia | 319 |
More Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Rankings in the Middle Atlantic 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 |
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 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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