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

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

Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices

22 Colleges
$17,505 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$32,218 Avg Salary

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

With 1,097 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021, parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies is the #16 most popular major in California.

With all the programs available today, it can be tough to choose which one is the best for you. 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.

The Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in California ranking is one of many tools that Grad Degree Search has developed to help you make your educational decision. This report analyzed 22 schools in California 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.

Our ranking of value is based on the quality of a program as defined in our per sticker price dollar. 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.

In our regional and nationwide rankings, out-of-state tution and fees are used in our calculations. Average in-state tuition and fees are used for our statewide rankings.

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

The colleges and universities below are the best value schools for parks and rec majors pursuing a .

Top 10 Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools

$38,740 Average Tuition & Fees

Our analysis found Concordia University, Irvine to be the best value school for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students who want to pursue a degree in California. Located in the large city of Irvine, Concordia University, Irvine is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Concordia University, Irvine are $38,740 a year.

In addition to its great value ranking, Concordia University, Irvine is in the top 15% of all schools on our Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in California list.

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$6,846 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Long Beach. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in California list. Located in the large city of Long Beach, CSULB is a public school with a very large student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at CSULB are $6,846 per year.

Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at California State University - Long Beach Report

$7,852 Average Tuition & Fees

Out of the 22 schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, San Jose State University landed the # 3 spot on the list. Located in the city of San Jose, San Jose State is a public college with a fairly large student population.

San Jose State undergraduate students pay an average of $7,852 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

As a testament to the quality of education it offers, San Jose State also is in the top 20% of our Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in California ranking.

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

$6,995 Average Tuition & Fees

A rank of #4 on this year’s list means California State University - East Bay is a great value for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students. Cal State East Bay is a fairly large public school located in the suburb of Hayward.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Cal State East Bay are $6,995 a year.

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$10,195 Average Tuition & Fees

Out of the 22 schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo landed the # 5 spot on the list. Located in the small suburb of San Luis Obispo, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is a public college with a very large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo are $10,195 a year.

On top of its placing in our value ranking, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo also did well on our Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in California list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.

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$7,392 Average Tuition & Fees

California State University - Sacramento landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies programs. Sac State is a very large public school located in the large city of Sacramento.

Sac State undergraduate students pay an average of $7,392 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at California State University - Sacramento Report

$39,500 Average Tuition & Fees

Point Loma Nazarene University ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in California list. Located in the city of San Diego, PLNU is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at PLNU are $39,500 per year.

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$7,727 Average Tuition & Fees

With a ranking of #8, California State University - San Marcos did quite well on this year’s best value schools for parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies students. CSUSM is a large public school located in the suburb of San Marcos.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at CSUSM are $7,727 per year.

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$7,043 Average Tuition & Fees

California State University - Northridge landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies programs. CSUN is a fairly large public school located in the city of Northridge.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at CSUN are $7,043 per year.

Full Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies at California State University - Northridge Report

#10

San Francisco State University

San Francisco, CA
$7,304 Average Tuition & Fees

San Francisco State University came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Schools in California ranking. SFSU is a very large public school located in the city of San Francisco.

SFSU undergraduate students pay an average of $7,304 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

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Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Colleges in the Far Western US Region

Explore all the Best Value Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Colleges in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
Washington 122
Oregon 67
Nevada 13
Hawaii 12
Alaska 5

Parks & Rec Majors to Study

Major Annual Graduates
Health & Physical Education 9,742
Recreation Administration 441
Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies 206
Other Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies 35
Outdoor Education 28

Majors Similar to Parks & Rec

Related Major Annual Graduates
Public Administration & Social Service 53,252
Legal Professions 45,189
Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting 13,045
Military Technologies & Applied Sciences 1,613

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 22 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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