Find Schools

Study Area & Zipcode

Most Popular Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in Illinois

Find Schools Near

2023 Most Popular Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in Illinois

58 Colleges
$33,264 Avg Salary
$24,988 Avg Student Debt

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

Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies is the #17 most popular major in Illinois with 2,396 degrees and certificates awarded in 2020-2021.

With all the programs available today, it can be tough to choose which one is the best for you. Along with traditional schools that require in-person attendence, you can attend one of many reputable online schools. Some programs even offer a hybrid experience. Alternatively, you may choose a trade school that prepares you to enter the workforce with knowledge in a specific field.

To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Course Advisor has developed this Most Popular Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in Illinois ranking. This report analyzed 58 schools in Illinois to see which ones were the most popular programs for students. To create this ranking we looked at how many students graduated from the Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies program at each school on the list.

Check out the parks and rec programs at these schools if you want to attend one of the most popular in Illinois.

#1

Concordia University, Chicago

River Forest, IL

Our 2023 rankings named Concordia University, Chicago the most popular school in Illinois for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students. Concordia University, Chicago is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of River Forest.

Parks & Rec majors at Concordia University, Chicago take out an average of $26,250 in student loans while working on their egree.

Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Concordia University, Chicago Report

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Most Popular Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in Illinois list. Located in the city of Champaign, UIUC is a public school with a very large student population.

The average amount in student loans that parks and rec majors at UIUC take out is $20,500. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $307.

Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Illinois State University. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Most Popular Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in Illinois list. Illinois State is a fairly large public school located in the suburb of Normal.

After completing their degree, parks and rec graduates from Illinois State carry an average student debt load of $23,124. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $230.

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

The excellent programs at University of Illinois at Chicago helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies schools in Illinois. UIC is a fairly large public school located in the city of Chicago.

While working on their degree, parks and rec majors at UIC accumulate an average of around $18,431 in student debt. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $179, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

Read More…

A rank of #5 on this year’s list means Southern Illinois University Carbondale is a great place for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students. SIUC is a large public school located in the small city of Carbondale.

On average, parks and rec graduates from SIUC take out $22,932 in student loans while working on their degree. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $157, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

Read More…

Southern Illinois University Edwardsville came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in Illinois ranking. SIUE is a large public school located in the large suburb of Edwardsville.

The average amount in student loans that parks and rec majors at SIUE take out is $25,000. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $277, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville

Western Illinois University landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies programs. Located in the remote town of Macomb, WIU is a public college with a medium-sized student population.

The average amount in student loans that parks and rec majors at WIU take out is $30,000. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $375.

Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Western Illinois University Report

#8

Eastern Illinois University

Charleston, IL

With a ranking of #8, Eastern Illinois University did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students. Located in the distant town of Charleston, EIU is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.

On average, parks and rec graduates from EIU take out $25,626 in student loans while working on their degree. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $263, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

Read full report on Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at Eastern Illinois University

Northern Illinois University landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies programs. NIU is a fairly large public school located in the suburb of Dekalb.

On average, parks and rec graduates from NIU take out $27,126 in student loans while working on their degree. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $216, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

Read More…

#10

Aurora University

Aurora, IL

Aurora University landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies programs. Aurora is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Aurora.

The average amount in student loans that parks and rec majors at Aurora take out is $29,000.

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

Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Colleges in the Great Lakes Region

Explore all the Most Popular Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Colleges in the Great Lakes Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
Indiana 1,818
Michigan 2,279
Ohio 2,647
Wisconsin 1,001

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 26 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.

Featured Schools

Find Schools Near You

Our free school finder matches students with accredited colleges across the U.S.