2023 Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in New York
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 #22 most popular major in New York with 2,477 degrees and certificates awarded in 2020-2021.
When it comes to higher education, there are a lot of options for students. 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.
To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Course Advisor has created its Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in New York ranking. This report analyzed 24 schools in New York 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. 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.
Top 10 Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools
Our analysis found Farmingdale State College to be the best value school for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students who want to pursue a degree in New York. Located in the large suburb of Farmingdale, SUNY College of Technology at Farmingdale is a public college with a medium-sized student population.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at SUNY College of Technology at Farmingdale are $8,576 per 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.
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The excellent programs at The College at Brockport helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies schools in New York. SUNY Brockport is a medium-sized public school located in the fringe town of Brockport.
SUNY Brockport undergraduate students pay an average of $8,678 in in-state 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.
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The excellent programs at SUNY Cortland helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies schools in New York. SUNY Cortland is a moderately-sized public school located in the town of Cortland.
SUNY Cortland undergraduate students pay an average of $8,815 in in-state tuition and fees each year. On average, parks and rec graduates from SUNY Cortland take out $25,974 in student loans while working on their degree. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $301, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
In addition to its great value ranking, SUNY Cortland is in the top 20% of all schools on our Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in New York list.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend SUNY Fredonia. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in New York list. Located in the distant town of Fredonia, SUNY Fredonia is a public college with a small student population.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at SUNY Fredonia are $8,760 per year. Parks & Rec majors at SUNY Fredonia take out an average of $26,987 in student loans while working on their egree.
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A rank of #5 on this year’s list means Lehman College is a great value for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students. Located in the city of Bronx, Lehman is a public school with a fairly large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Lehman are $7,410 a year. Parks & Rec majors at Lehman take out an average of $7,457 in student loans while working on their egree.
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Brooklyn College 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 #6 on the list. Brooklyn College is a fairly large public school located in the city of Brooklyn.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Brooklyn College are $7,440 a year. On average, parks and rec graduates from Brooklyn College take out $13,915 in student loans while working on their degree.
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Queens College came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in New York ranking. Located in the large city of Queens, QC is a public school with a large student population.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at QC are $7,538 per year. While working on their degree, parks and rec majors at QC accumulate an average of around $12,000 in student debt.
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Canisius College 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 city of Buffalo, Canisius is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Canisius are $30,910 a year. Parks & Rec majors at Canisius take out an average of $26,000 in student loans while working on their egree. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $345.
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St. Joseph’s College - New York came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in New York ranking. Located in the large city of Brooklyn, SJC is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at SJC are $30,576 per year. Parks & Rec majors at SJC take out an average of $20,500 in student loans while working on their egree.
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With a ranking of #10, St. John Fisher College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students. Fisher is a small private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Rochester.
Fisher undergraduate students pay an average of $36,352 in in-state tuition and fees each year. Parks & Rec majors at Fisher take out an average of $25,125 in student loans while working on their egree.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Fisher also is in the top 20% of our Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in New York ranking.
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 |
|---|---|
| New Jersey | 1,047 |
| Pennsylvania | 2,734 |
| Maryland | 832 |
| Delaware | 342 |
| District of Columbia | 319 |
More Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Rankings in New York
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 24 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.