2023 Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in the Rocky Mountains 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.
There are so many programs in today's world that it can tough to figure out which one is the right one for you. You're no longer limited to schools in your local area, either, since online programs are becoming more prevalent. Or you may find the programs at a trade school to be a better alternative for you.
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 the Rocky Mountains Region ranking. This report analyzed 18 schools in the Rocky Mountains Region 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. 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.
For nationwide and regional rankings, we use out-of-state tuition and fees in our calculations. For statewide rankings, we use average in-state tuition and fees.
Top 10 Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools
Our 2023 rankings named Brigham Young University - Provo the best value school in the Rocky Mountains Region for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students. BYU is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the medium-sized city of Provo.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at BYU are $6,120 per year. While working on their degree, parks and rec majors at BYU accumulate an average of around $11,225 in student debt.
BYU also claimed a spot on our Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools in this category.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Weber State University. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region list. Located in the city of Ogden, WSU is a public school with a very large student population.
WSU undergraduate students pay an average of $16,644 in tuition and fees each year. On average, parks and rec graduates from WSU take out $13,814 in student loans while working on their degree.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Adams State University. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region list. Located in the town of Alamosa, Adams State is a public school with a small student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Adams State are $17,933 a year. The average amount in student loans that parks and rec majors at Adams State take out is $24,000.
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The excellent programs at University of Wyoming helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies schools in the Rocky Mountains Region . Located in the remote town of Laramie, UW is a public school with a fairly large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at UW are $16,957 a year. The average amount in student loans that parks and rec majors at UW take out is $20,500.
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A rank of #5 on this year’s list means University of Northern Colorado is a great value for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students. University of Northern Colorado is a fairly large public school located in the medium-sized city of Greeley.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at University of Northern Colorado are $23,785 a year. On average, parks and rec graduates from University of Northern Colorado take out $24,625 in student loans while working on their degree. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $327.
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Utah Valley University 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. Located in the city of Orem, UVU is a public school with a very large student population.
UVU undergraduate students pay an average of $17,092 in tuition and fees each year. The average amount in student loans that parks and rec majors at UVU take out is $15,911.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, UVU also is in the top 15% of our Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region ranking.
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Lewis - Clark State 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 #7 on the list. Located in the city of Lewiston, Lewis - Clark State College is a public school with a small student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Lewis - Clark State College are $20,238 per year. On average, parks and rec graduates from Lewis - Clark State College take out $22,000 in student loans while working on their degree.
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Colorado State University - Fort Collins ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region list. Colorado State is a very large public school located in the midsize city of Fort Collins.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Colorado State are $31,470 a year. The average amount in student loans that parks and rec majors at Colorado State take out is $21,018. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $343.
In addition to its best value ranking, and one of the reasons why the school is on the list, Colorado State is ranked #5 for overall quality for parks and rec in the Rocky Mountains Region .
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With a ranking of #9, University of Utah did quite well on this year’s best value schools for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students. Located in the medium-sized city of Salt Lake City, U of U is a public college with a fairly large student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at U of U are $28,345 per year. On average, parks and rec graduates from U of U take out $21,061 in student loans while working on their degree.
In addition to its great value ranking, U of U is in the top 20% of all schools on our Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region list.
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Metropolitan State University of Denver came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region ranking. Located in the large city of Denver, MSU Denver is a public school with a fairly large student population.
MSU Denver undergraduate students pay an average of $27,502 in tuition and fees each year. Parks & Rec majors at MSU Denver take out an average of $23,739 in student loans while working on their egree.
Request InformationBest Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Colleges by State
Explore the best parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies schools for a specific state in the Rocky Mountains region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| Colorado | 1,093 |
| Utah | 1,178 |
| Montana | 94 |
| Idaho | 249 |
| Wyoming | 126 |
More Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Rankings in the Rocky Mountains 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 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 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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