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

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

Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices

25 Colleges
$19,716 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$30,773 Avg Salary

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

Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies is the #18 most popular major in Florida with 2,340 degrees and certificates awarded in 2020-2021.

When it comes to higher education, there are a lot of options for students. As online education oppotunities continue to grow, you're not restricted to just schools in your local area anymore. Even some of the 'big name' schools are offering online courses. Also, there are a number of trade schools with offerings that you might find attractive.

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 Florida ranking. Our analysis looked at 25 schools in Florida 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 Florida

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

Top 10 Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools

#1

University of Florida-Online

Gainesville, FL
$3,876 Average Tuition & Fees

Our 2023 rankings named University of Florida-Online the best value school in Florida for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students. UF Online is a moderately-sized public school located in the city of Gainesville.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at UF Online are $3,876 a year. Parks & Rec majors at UF Online take out an average of $19,000 in student loans while working on their egree. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $239.

In addition to its best value ranking, and one of the reasons why the school is on the list, UF Online is ranked #1 for overall quality for parks and rec in Florida.

Read More…

#2

University of North Florida

Jacksonville, FL
$5,964 Average Tuition & Fees

Out of the 25 schools in Florida that were part of this year’s ranking, University of North Florida landed the # 2 spot on the list. Located in the city of Jacksonville, UNF is a public college with a fairly large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at UNF are $5,964 a year. After completing their degree, parks and rec graduates from UNF carry an average student debtload of $17,200.

Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at University of North Florida

#3

University of Florida

Gainesville, FL
$6,381 Average Tuition & Fees

The excellent programs at University of Florida helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies schools in Florida. Located in the midsize city of Gainesville, UF is a public school with a fairly large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at UF are $6,381 a year. While working on their degree, parks and rec majors at UF accumulate an average of around $17,586 in student debt. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $239.

In addition to its best value ranking, and one of the reasons why the school is on the list, UF is ranked #3 for overall quality for parks and rec in Florida.

Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at University of Florida

$6,565 Average Tuition & Fees

A rank of #4 on this year’s list means Florida International University is a great value for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students. FIU is a fairly large public school located in the large suburb of Miami.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at FIU are $6,565 a year. After completing their degree, parks and rec graduates from FIU carry an average student debtload of $20,928.

Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Florida International University Report

#5

Florida Atlantic University

Boca Raton, FL
$4,879 Average Tuition & Fees

Out of the 25 schools in Florida that were part of this year’s ranking, Florida Atlantic University landed the # 5 spot on the list. Located in the small city of Boca Raton, FAU is a public school with a fairly large student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at FAU are $4,879 per year. Parks & Rec majors at FAU take out an average of $17,625 in student loans while working on their egree. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $199.

Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Florida Atlantic University

$6,118 Average Tuition & Fees

Florida Gulf Coast University landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies programs. Located in the large suburb of Fort Myers, FGCU is a public college with a fairly large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at FGCU are $6,118 a year. Parks & Rec majors at FGCU take out an average of $18,625 in student loans while working on their egree.

Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Florida Gulf Coast University Report

$5,776 Average Tuition & Fees

The University of West Florida 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 Pensacola, UWF is a public school with a fairly large student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at UWF are $5,776 per year. After completing their degree, parks and rec graduates from UWF carry an average student debtload of $20,500.

Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at The University of West Florida

#8

Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL
$6,517 Average Tuition & Fees

Florida State University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in Florida ranking. Florida State is a very large public school located in the midsize city of Tallahassee.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Florida State are $6,517 per year. Parks & Rec majors at Florida State take out an average of $21,916 in student loans while working on their egree.

Florida State excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in Florida list.

Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Florida State University

$6,368 Average Tuition & Fees

With a ranking of #9, University of Central Florida did quite well on this year’s best value schools for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students. UCF is a very large public school located in the large suburb of Orlando.

UCF undergraduate students pay an average of $6,368 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

In addition to its great value ranking, UCF is in the top 15% of all schools on our Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in Florida list.

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

$5,785 Average Tuition & Fees

Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies programs. Located in the city of Tallahassee, Florida A&M University is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Florida A&M University are $5,785 a year.

Read More…

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

Explore all the Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools 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
Virginia 1,729
Arkansas 1,012
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 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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