2023 Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in New Jersey
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 #19 most popular major in New Jersey with 1,047 degrees and certificates awarded in 2020-2021.
When it comes to higher education, there are a lot of options for students. 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.
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 New Jersey to help you in your search for the best school for you. Our analysis looked at 9 schools in New Jersey 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.
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. 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.
For nationwide and regional rankings, we use out-of-state tuition and fees in our calculations. Average in-state tuition and fees are used for our statewide rankings.
Best New Jersey Schools for Affordable Quality in Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness
Our 2023 rankings named Kean University the best value school in New Jersey for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students. Located in the large suburb of Union, Kean is a public college with a large student population.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Kean are $12,595 per year. While working on their degree, parks and rec majors at Kean accumulate an average of around $28,125 in student debt.
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A rank of #2 on this year’s list means Montclair State University is a great value for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students. Located in the suburb of Montclair, Montclair State is a public school with a fairly large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Montclair State are $13,298 a year. On average, parks and rec graduates from Montclair State take out $26,191 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 $229.
Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Montclair State University Report
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend William Paterson University of New Jersey. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in New Jersey list. William Paterson University is a moderately-sized public school located in the large suburb of Wayne.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at William Paterson University are $14,208 per year. While working on their degree, parks and rec majors at William Paterson University accumulate an average of around $29,987 in student debt. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $268, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Rutgers University - New Brunswick. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in New Jersey list. Rutgers New Brunswick is a very large public school located in the small city of New Brunswick.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Rutgers New Brunswick are $15,804 per year. On average, parks and rec graduates from Rutgers New Brunswick take out $25,913 in student loans while working on their degree. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $313.
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The excellent programs at Fairleigh Dickinson University - Florham Campus helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies schools in New Jersey. FDU is a small private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Madison.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at FDU are $40,054 per year.
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With a ranking of #6, Fairleigh Dickinson University - Metropolitan Campus did quite well on this year’s best value schools for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students. Located in the large suburb of Teaneck, FDU is a private not-for-profit school with a medium-sized student population.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at FDU are $38,074 per year.
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With a ranking of #7, Seton Hall University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students. Seton Hall is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of South Orange.
Seton Hall undergraduate students pay an average of $46,880 in in-state tuition and fees each year. Parks & Rec majors at Seton Hall take out an average of $24,125 in student loans while working on their egree.
Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Seton Hall University Report
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Georgian Court University landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies programs. Located in the city of Lakewood, Georgian Court is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
Georgian Court undergraduate students pay an average of $34,481 in in-state tuition and fees each year. While working on their degree, parks and rec majors at Georgian Court accumulate an average of around $24,892 in student debt.
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With a ranking of #9, Saint Peter’s University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students. Located in the city of Jersey City, Saint Peter's College is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Saint Peter’s College are $38,760 a year. Parks & Rec majors at Saint Peter's College take out an average of $27,000 in student loans while working on their egree.
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Request InformationBest Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Colleges in the Middle Atlantic Region
Explore all the Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Colleges in the Middle Atlantic Area or other specific states within that region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| Pennsylvania | 2,734 |
| New York | 2,477 |
| Maryland | 832 |
| Delaware | 342 |
| District of Columbia | 319 |
More Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Rankings in New Jersey
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 Related Majors
| 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 9 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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