2023 Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in Virginia
Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices
Finding the Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies School for You
With 1,729 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021, parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies is the #18 most popular major in Virginia.
When it comes to higher education, there are a lot of options for students. You can choose a traditional brick and mortar school, or with the growth of online education, you can attend a school half-way across the country without even leaving your house. Also there are many trade schools that offer short-term programs that open up more career options.
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 Virginia to help you in your search for the best school for you. This report analyzed 11 schools in Virginia 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 James Madison University to be the best value school for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students who want to pursue a degree in Virginia. Located in the city of Harrisonburg, JMU is a public college with a very large student population.
JMU undergraduate students pay an average of $12,638 in in-state tuition and fees each year. While working on their degree, parks and rec majors at JMU accumulate an average of around $21,500 in student debt. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $335.
JMU also claimed a spot on our Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in Virginia list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools in this category.
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Out of the 11 schools in Virginia that were part of this year’s ranking, George Mason University landed the # 2 spot on the list. GMU is a very large public school located in the large suburb of Fairfax.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at GMU are $13,119 per year. After completing their degree, parks and rec graduates from GMU carry an average student debtload of $22,351.
In addition to its great value ranking, GMU is in the top 15% of all schools on our Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in Virginia list.
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A rank of #3 on this year’s list means Old Dominion University is a great value for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students. Old Dominion is a very large public school located in the midsize city of Norfolk.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Old Dominion are $10,800 a year. While working on their degree, parks and rec majors at Old Dominion accumulate an average of around $25,063 in student debt. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $205, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
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Out of the 11 schools in Virginia that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Virginia - Main Campus landed the # 4 spot on the list. University of Virginia is a fairly large public school located in the suburb of Charlottesville.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at University of Virginia are $19,785 per year. Parks & Rec majors at University of Virginia take out an average of $20,750 in student loans while working on their egree.
University of Virginia not only placed well in our value ranking, but it is also #1 on our Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in Virginia list.
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Out of the 11 schools in Virginia that were part of this year’s ranking, Radford University landed the # 5 spot on the list. Located in the small suburb of Radford, Radford is a public school with a medium-sized student population.
Radford undergraduate students pay an average of $11,542 in in-state tuition and fees each year. The average amount in student loans that parks and rec majors at Radford take out is $26,239. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $166.
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With a ranking of #6, Liberty University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students. Liberty University is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the small city of Lynchburg.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Liberty University are $16,160 per year. After completing their degree, parks and rec graduates from Liberty University carry an average student debtload of $26,000. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $435.
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Shenandoah University landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies programs. Shenandoah is a small private not-for-profit school located in the small city of Winchester.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Shenandoah are $34,490 per year. While working on their degree, parks and rec majors at Shenandoah accumulate an average of around $27,000 in student debt.
Shenandoah excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 20% of all schools on our Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in Virginia list.
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Randolph 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. Randolph is a fairly small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Lynchburg.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Randolph are $26,890 per year. Parks & Rec majors at Randolph take out an average of $27,000 in student loans while working on their egree.
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Hampton University ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in Virginia list. Located in the city of Hampton, Hampton is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Hampton are $29,312 per year. While working on their degree, parks and rec majors at Hampton accumulate an average of around $26,000 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 $1,000.
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Roanoke College ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in Virginia list. Located in the medium-sized suburb of Salem, Roanoke is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Roanoke are $48,180 per year. Parks & Rec majors at Roanoke take out an average of $27,000 in student loans while working on their egree. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $300.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Roanoke also is in the top 20% of our Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in Virginia ranking.
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Request InformationBest 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 |
| Mississippi | 1,128 |
| South Carolina | 1,339 |
| Florida | 2,340 |
| Arkansas | 1,012 |
| Alabama | 959 |
| Kentucky | 1,141 |
| Georgia | 1,981 |
| Tennessee | 2,462 |
| Louisiana | 703 |
More Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Rankings in Virginia
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 11 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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