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

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

Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices

9 Colleges
$21,737 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$29,485 Avg Salary

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

Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies is the #17 most popular major in Kansas with 710 degrees and certificates awarded in 2020-2021.

There are lots of options to pick from today when trying to decide which program is right for you. 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 Kansas ranking. Our analysis looked at 9 schools in Kansas 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.

When determining this ranking, we place a high emphasis on the school's quality as well as its sticker price. Even though a college may be affordable, it may not offer value. 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.

Our calculations use out-of-state tuition and fees in our nationwide and regional rankings. Average in-state tuition and fees are used for our statewide rankings.

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

The following schools top our list of the Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Colleges.

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

#1

Pittsburg State University

Pittsburg, KS
$7,744 Average Tuition & Fees

Our 2023 rankings named Pittsburg State University the best value school in Kansas for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students. Pitt State is a moderately-sized public school located in the distant town of Pittsburg.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Pitt State are $7,744 a year.

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

#2

University of Kansas

Lawrence, KS
$11,166 Average Tuition & Fees

A rank of #2 on this year’s list means University of Kansas is a great value for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students. KU is a very large public school located in the small city of Lawrence.

KU undergraduate students pay an average of $11,166 in in-state tuition and fees each year. After completing their degree, parks and rec graduates from KU carry an average student debtload of $21,500. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $454, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

KU also made our Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in Kansas list, coming in at #5.

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

$8,800 Average Tuition & Fees

Out of the 9 schools in Kansas that were part of this year’s ranking, Wichita State University landed the # 3 spot on the list. WSU is a fairly large public school located in the city of Wichita.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at WSU are $8,800 a year. After completing their degree, parks and rec graduates from WSU carry an average student debtload of $23,687.

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

$20,225 Average Tuition & Fees

A rank of #4 on this year’s list means Central Christian College of Kansas is a great value for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students. Located in the town of McPherson, Central Christian College is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Central Christian College are $20,225 per year. While working on their degree, parks and rec majors at Central Christian College accumulate an average of around $27,000 in student debt.

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

Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Central Christian College of Kansas

$33,840 Average Tuition & Fees

Out of the 9 schools in Kansas that were part of this year’s ranking, MidAmerica Nazarene University landed the # 5 spot on the list. MNU is a small private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Olathe.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at MNU are $33,840 a year.

Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at MidAmerica Nazarene University

#6

Tabor College

Hillsboro, KS
$33,400 Average Tuition & Fees

Tabor College landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies programs. Tabor is a fairly small private not-for-profit school located in the remote town of Hillsboro.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Tabor are $33,400 per year.

Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Tabor College

#7

McPherson College

McPherson, KS
$32,408 Average Tuition & Fees

McPherson College came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in Kansas ranking. McPherson College is a small private not-for-profit school located in the remote town of McPherson.

McPherson College undergraduate students pay an average of $32,408 in in-state tuition and fees each year. The average amount in student loans that parks and rec majors at McPherson College take out is $27,000.

Read More…

#8

Sterling College

Sterling, KS
$28,500 Average Tuition & Fees

Sterling College came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in Kansas ranking. Located in the rural area of Sterling, Sterling College is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

Sterling College undergraduate students pay an average of $28,500 in in-state tuition and fees each year. The average amount in student loans that parks and rec majors at Sterling College take out is $25,000.

Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Sterling College

#9

Bethany College Kansas

Lindsborg, KS
$31,215 Average Tuition & Fees

Bethany College Kansas came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in Kansas ranking. Located in the remote town of Lindsborg, Bethany College Kansas is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly small student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Bethany College Kansas are $31,215 per year. On average, parks and rec graduates from Bethany College Kansas take out $27,349 in student loans while working on their degree.

Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Bethany College Kansas Report

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

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

State Degrees Awarded
Minnesota 1,139
Iowa 1,491
South Dakota 342
Missouri 1,342
Nebraska 429
North Dakota 266

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 9 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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