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Best Value Recreation Administration Schools

2023 Best Value Recreation Administration Schools

Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices

76 Colleges
$17,346 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$31,874 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Recreation Administration School for You

Recreation Administration is the #163 most popular major in the country with 3,122 degrees and certificates awarded in 2020-2021.

When it comes to higher education, there are a lot of options for students. With more and more schools offering online options, you could even register for a great program on the other side of the country. On top of that, there are a considerable number of trade schools that offer fast-track entry to many fields.

To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Course Advisor has created its Best Value Recreation Administration Schools ranking. This report analyzed 76 schools in the United States to see which ones offered the best value programs for recreation admin 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 15% Best Recreation Administration Schools

$4,416 Average Tuition & Fees

Our analysis found Brigham Young University - Idaho to be the best value school for recreation administration students who want to pursue a degree in the United States. Located in the distant town of Rexburg, BYU - I is a private not-for-profit college with a very large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at BYU - I are $4,416 a year. On average, recreation admin graduates from BYU - I take out $12,276 in student loans while working on their degree.

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The excellent programs at South Dakota State University helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best recreation administration schools in the United States. Located in the remote town of Brookings, South Dakota State is a public college with a fairly large student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at South Dakota State are $12,809 per year. The average amount in student loans that recreation admin majors at South Dakota State take out is $25,745.

In addition to its great value ranking, South Dakota State is in the top 15% of all schools on our Best Recreation Administration Schools list.

Full Recreation Administration at South Dakota State University Report

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$13,365 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Johnson & Wales University - Online. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Recreation Administration Schools list. Located in the midsize city of Providence, JWU Online is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at JWU Online are $13,365 per year. While working on their degree, recreation admin majors at JWU Online accumulate an average of around $27,000 in student debt. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $430.

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#4

Saint Cloud State University

Saint Cloud, MN

The excellent programs at Saint Cloud State University helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best recreation administration schools in the United States. Located in the small city of Saint Cloud, St. Cloud State University is a public school with a fairly large student population.

St. Cloud State University undergraduate students pay an average of $18,010 in tuition and fees each year. Recreation Admin majors at St. Cloud State University take out an average of $27,000 in student loans while working on their egree.

St. Cloud State University also claimed a spot on our Best Recreation Administration Schools list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools in this category.

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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Recreation Administration Schools list. Located in the distant town of Slippery Rock, SRU is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.

SRU undergraduate students pay an average of $14,615 in tuition and fees each year. Recreation Admin majors at SRU take out an average of $26,000 in student loans while working on their egree.

In addition to its great value ranking, SRU is in the top 20% of all schools on our Best Recreation Administration Schools list.

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$8,367 Average Tuition & Fees

With a ranking of #6, Western Carolina University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for recreation administration students. Located in the town of Cullowhee, WCU is a public school with a fairly large student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at WCU are $8,367 per year. The average amount in student loans that recreation admin majors at WCU take out is $21,331. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $295.

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Minnesota State University - Mankato did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for recreation administration students. It came in at #7 on the list. Located in the city of Mankato, Minnesota State Mankato is a public college with a large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Minnesota State Mankato are $18,200 a year. The average amount in student loans that recreation admin majors at Minnesota State Mankato take out is $27,000.

In addition to its great value ranking, Minnesota State Mankato is in the top 15% of all schools on our Best Recreation Administration Schools list.

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#8

Eastern Illinois University

Charleston, IL
$14,551 Average Tuition & Fees

Eastern Illinois University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Recreation Administration Schools ranking. Located in the town of Charleston, EIU is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at EIU are $14,551 a year. While working on their degree, recreation admin majors at EIU accumulate an average of around $25,863 in student debt.

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$15,023 Average Tuition & Fees

Southwestern Oklahoma State University ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Recreation Administration Schools list. SWOSU is a small public school located in the remote town of Weatherford.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at SWOSU are $15,023 a year. While working on their degree, recreation admin majors at SWOSU accumulate an average of around $17,759 in student debt.

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Western Illinois University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for recreation administration students. It came in at #10 on the list. Located in the town of Macomb, WIU is a public school with a medium-sized student population.

WIU undergraduate students pay an average of $13,297 in tuition and fees each year. The average amount in student loans that recreation admin majors at WIU take out is $29,000. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $375, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

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#11

University of Arkansas

Fayetteville, AR
$26,390 Average Tuition & Fees

With a ranking of #11, University of Arkansas did quite well on this year’s best value schools for recreation administration students. UARK is a very large public school located in the city of Fayetteville.

UARK undergraduate students pay an average of $26,390 in tuition and fees each year.

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Additional Noteworthy Schools

Here are some additional great value schools for Recreation Administration students seeking value that almost earned our Best Value Recreation Administration Schools award.

Rank College Location
12 Missouri Western State University Saint Joseph, MO
13 Henderson State University Arkadelphia, AR
14 University of Wisconsin - La Crosse La Crosse, WI
15 Illinois State University Normal, IL

Recreation Administration by Region

View the Best Value Recreation Administration Schools for a specific region near you.

Region
Southeast
New England
Rocky Mountains
Plains States
Middle Atlantic
Far Western US
Southwest
Great Lakes

Recreation Administration is one of 4 different types of programs to choose from.

Majors Similar to Recreation Admin

Related Major Annual Graduates
Health & Physical Education 67,146
Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies 3,106
Outdoor Education 265
Other Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies 174

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 Glen Santy.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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