2023 Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in North Carolina
Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing
Finding the Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies School for You
With 3,436 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021, parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies is the #11 most popular major in North Carolina.
It's not easy to decide which program to enroll in when you have so many options available. 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.
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 North Carolina to help you in your search for the best school for you. This report analyzed 25 schools in North Carolina 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.
Our ranking of value is based on the quality of a program as defined in our per sticker price dollar. 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.
In our regional and nationwide rankings, out-of-state tution and fees are used in our calculations. For statewide rankings, we use average in-state tuition and fees.
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2023 Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools in North Carolina
The colleges and universities below are the best value schools for parks and rec majors pursuing a .
Top 10 Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools
Our analysis found University of North Carolina at Wilmington to be the best value school for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students who want to pursue a degree in North Carolina. Located in the medium-sized city of Wilmington, UNCW is a public college with a fairly large student population.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at UNCW are $7,238 per year. After completing their degree, parks and rec graduates from UNCW carry an average student debtload of $22,750.
In addition to its great value ranking, UNCW is in the top 15% of all schools on our Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in North Carolina list.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Western Carolina University. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in North Carolina list. WCU is a large public school located in the distant town of Cullowhee.
WCU undergraduate students pay an average of $4,367 in in-state tuition and fees each year. Parks & Rec majors at WCU take out an average of $23,666 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 $283.
Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Western Carolina University Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend North Carolina State University. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in North Carolina list. NC State is a fairly large public school located in the large city of Raleigh.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at NC State are $9,131 per year. After completing their degree, parks and rec graduates from NC State carry an average student debtload of $22,134. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $206.
NC State also made our Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in North Carolina list, coming in at #5.
Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at North Carolina State University Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in North Carolina list. UNC Chapel Hill is a very large public school located in the small city of Chapel Hill.
UNC Chapel Hill undergraduate students pay an average of $9,028 in in-state tuition and fees each year. Parks & Rec majors at UNC Chapel Hill take out an average of $17,500 in student loans while working on their egree. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $307, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
UNC Chapel Hill did well in our overall quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in North Carolina list.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Appalachian State University. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in North Carolina list. Located in the distant town of Boone, Appalachian State is a public school with a very large student population.
Appalachian State undergraduate students pay an average of $7,410 in in-state tuition and fees each year. The average amount in student loans that parks and rec majors at Appalachian State take out is $20,528. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $259.
Appalachian State also claimed a spot on our Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in North Carolina list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools in this category.
University of North Carolina at Greensboro ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in North Carolina list. UNC Greensboro is a fairly large public school located in the large city of Greensboro.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at UNC Greensboro are $7,468 per year. While working on their degree, parks and rec majors at UNC Greensboro accumulate an average of around $25,552 in student debt. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $160.
In addition to its great value ranking, UNC Greensboro is in the top 20% of all schools on our Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in North Carolina list.
Winston - Salem State University ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in North Carolina list. Located in the medium-sized city of Winston-Salem, WSSU is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at WSSU are $6,247 a year. The average amount in student loans that parks and rec majors at WSSU take out is $26,000. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $152.
Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Winston - Salem State University Report
East Carolina University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in North Carolina ranking. Located in the city of Greenville, ECU is a public college with a very large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at ECU are $7,297 a year. While working on their degree, parks and rec majors at ECU accumulate an average of around $23,726 in student debt. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $335.
ECU 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 North Carolina list.
Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at East Carolina University
North Carolina Central University landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies programs. North Carolina Central University is a moderately-sized public school located in the city of Durham.
North Carolina Central University undergraduate students pay an average of $6,644 in in-state tuition and fees each year. On average, parks and rec graduates from North Carolina Central University take out $33,890 in student loans while working on their degree. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $208, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
Gardner - Webb 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 #10 on the list. Gardner - Webb is a small private not-for-profit school located in the town of Boiling Springs.
Gardner - Webb undergraduate students pay an average of $32,200 in in-state tuition and fees each year. On average, parks and rec graduates from Gardner - Webb take out $26,875 in student loans while working on their degree.
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 |
|---|---|
| West Virginia | 1,238 |
| South Carolina | 1,339 |
| Florida | 2,340 |
| Virginia | 1,729 |
| Arkansas | 1,012 |
| Mississippi | 1,128 |
| Louisiana | 703 |
| Alabama | 959 |
| Kentucky | 1,141 |
| Georgia | 1,981 |
| Tennessee | 2,462 |
More Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Rankings in North Carolina
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 |
Majors Similar to Parks & Rec
| 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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