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

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

Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices

6 Colleges
$8,506 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$33,525 Avg Salary

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

Out of the majors we analyze each year, parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies was ranked 8th in Arkansas. In fact, 1,012 were awarded in the state in 2020-2021.

When it comes to higher education, there are a lot of options for students. 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 help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Course Advisor has developed this Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in Arkansas ranking. Our analysis looked at 6 schools in Arkansas 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.

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

Check out the parks and rec programs at these schools if you want to get the best value for your educational dollar.

Best Arkansas Schools for Affordable Quality in Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness

$7,130 Average Tuition & Fees

Our 2023 rankings named Arkansas State University - Main Campus the best value school in Arkansas for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students. A-State is a fairly large public school located in the city of Jonesboro.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at A-State are $7,130 per year. Parks & Rec majors at A-State take out an average of $26,748 in student loans while working on their egree. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $122.

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#2

University of Arkansas

Fayetteville, AR
$9,574 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend University of Arkansas. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in Arkansas list. UARK is a very large public school located in the small city of Fayetteville.

UARK undergraduate students pay an average of $9,574 in in-state tuition and fees each year. While working on their degree, parks and rec majors at UARK accumulate an average of around $22,940 in student debt. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $402.

UARK did well in our overall quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in Arkansas list.

Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at University of Arkansas Report

#3

Arkansas Tech University

Russellville, AR
$7,900 Average Tuition & Fees

The excellent programs at Arkansas Tech University helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies schools in Arkansas. ATU is a moderately-sized public school located in the town of Russellville.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at ATU are $7,900 per year. The average amount in student loans that parks and rec majors at ATU take out is $23,700.

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$9,563 Average Tuition & Fees

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

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at UCA are $9,563 per year. While working on their degree, parks and rec majors at UCA accumulate an average of around $25,353 in student debt. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $138.

On top of its placing in our value ranking, UCA also did well on our Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in Arkansas list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.

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#5

Henderson State University

Arkadelphia, AR
$7,560 Average Tuition & Fees

The excellent programs at Henderson State University helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies schools in Arkansas. Located in the distant town of Arkadelphia, Henderson State University is a public college with a small student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Henderson State University are $7,560 per year. After completing their degree, parks and rec graduates from Henderson State University carry an average student debtload of $26,000.

Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Henderson State University Report

$9,310 Average Tuition & Fees

With a ranking of #6, Southern Arkansas University Main Campus did quite well on this year’s best value schools for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students. Located in the town of Magnolia, Southern Arkansas University Main Campus is a public college with a small student population.

Southern Arkansas University Main Campus undergraduate students pay an average of $9,310 in in-state tuition and fees each year. The average amount in student loans that parks and rec majors at Southern Arkansas University Main Campus take out is $19,794.

Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Southern Arkansas University Main Campus

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

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

State Degrees Awarded
North Carolina 3,436
West Virginia 1,238
South Carolina 1,339
Florida 2,340
Virginia 1,729
Mississippi 1,128
Tennessee 2,462
Louisiana 703
Alabama 959
Kentucky 1,141
Georgia 1,981

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

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 6 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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