2023 Best Value Recreation Administration Schools in the Great Lakes Region
Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing
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.
It's not easy to decide which program to enroll in when you have so many options available. 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 Recreation Administration Schools in the Great Lakes Region to help you in your search for the best school for you. Our analysis looked at 13 schools in the Great Lakes Region to see which programs offered the best value experiences for recreation admin students with the aim of identifying those quality schools that are more affordable than some of their counterparts.
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.
Top 10 Best Recreation Administration Schools
Our analysis found Eastern Illinois University to be the best value school for recreation administration students who want to pursue a degree in the Great Lakes Region . EIU is a moderately-sized public school located in the town of Charleston.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at EIU are $14,551 per year. The average amount in student loans that recreation admin majors at EIU take out is $25,863.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Western Illinois University. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best Value Recreation Administration Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. WIU is a moderately-sized public school located in the town of Macomb.
WIU undergraduate students pay an average of $13,297 in tuition and fees each year. Recreation Admin majors at WIU take out an average of $29,000 in student loans while working on their egree. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $375.
Full Recreation Administration at Western Illinois University Report
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A rank of #3 on this year’s list means University of Wisconsin - La Crosse is a great value for recreation administration students. Located in the city of La Crosse, UW - La Crosse is a public college with a fairly large student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at UW - La Crosse are $18,014 per year. After completing their degree, recreation admin graduates from UW - La Crosse carry an average student debtload of $24,414.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, UW - La Crosse also is in the top 5% of our Best Recreation Administration Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking.
Full Recreation Administration at University of Wisconsin - La Crosse Report
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A rank of #4 on this year’s list means Illinois State University is a great value for recreation administration students. Located in the medium-sized suburb of Normal, Illinois State is a public school with a fairly large student population.
Illinois State undergraduate students pay an average of $24,172 in tuition and fees each year. The average amount in student loans that recreation admin majors at Illinois State take out is $22,500. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $204, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
Illinois State excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 15% of all schools on our Best Recreation Administration Schools in the Great Lakes Region list.
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A rank of #5 on this year’s list means Central Michigan University is a great value for recreation administration students. Located in the distant town of Mount Pleasant, Central Michigan is a public college with a large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Central Michigan are $13,094 a year.
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With a ranking of #6, Western Michigan University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for recreation administration students. Located in the small city of Kalamazoo, WMU is a public college with a large student population.
WMU undergraduate students pay an average of $16,768 in tuition and fees each year.
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Indiana State University landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value recreation administration programs. Located in the small city of Terre Haute, Indiana State is a public school with a medium-sized student population.
Indiana State undergraduate students pay an average of $20,862 in tuition and fees each year. While working on their degree, recreation admin majors at Indiana State 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 $269.
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Kent State University at Kent ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Recreation Administration Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in the large suburb of Kent, Kent State is a public college with a very large student population.
Kent State undergraduate students pay an average of $19,876 in tuition and fees each year. On average, recreation admin graduates from Kent State take out $26,000 in student loans while working on their degree.
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With a ranking of #9, Ball State University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for recreation administration students. Ball State is a fairly large public school located in the small city of Muncie.
Ball State undergraduate students pay an average of $27,524 in tuition and fees each year.
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With a ranking of #10, Baldwin Wallace University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for recreation administration students. Located in the large suburb of Berea, Baldwin Wallace College is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Baldwin Wallace College are $35,366 per year.
Request InformationBest Recreation Administration Colleges by State
Explore the best recreation administration colleges for a specific state in the Great Lakes region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| Michigan | 48 |
| Ohio | 15 |
| Illinois | 186 |
| Indiana | 88 |
| Wisconsin | 53 |
More Recreation Administration Rankings in the Great Lakes Region
Recreation Administration Related Majors for Recreation Admin
One of 4 majors within the area of study, recreation administration has other similar majors worth exploring.
Most Popular Majors Related 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 13 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.